He Drives a Duesenberg — 1930s American Luxury Automobile Poster

In the 1920s and 1930s, to own a Duesenberg was to occupy a category entirely apart. Priced beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest Americans — film stars, industrialists, heads of state — the Duesenberg Model J was not merely a car. It was a declaration. The company's advertising understood this perfectly, and produced some of the most aspirational imagery in the history of American commercial art. "He drives a Duesenberg" became a cultural shorthand for the pinnacle of success.

A Car That Defined an Era

The Duesenberg Model J debuted in 1928 and was immediately recognized as the finest automobile built in America — and arguably the world. With a supercharged engine producing 320 horsepower, custom coachwork by the great design houses of the day, and a price tag that could buy a city block, it was engineering as art. Only 481 were ever built. The advertisements that sold them are nearly as rare.