Uber-Rare 1971 Duesenberg SSJ Once Owned by Sammy Davis Jr. Will Need a Fortune to Sell

A 1971 Duesenberg SSJ that was once owned by singer Sammy Davis Jr. is going under the hammer in mid-June, no estimate on how much it could fetch.

Not just any Duesenberg SSJ, but a 1971 roadster example, chassis no. J-103, which has been owned and driven by singing sensation of the 1950s, Sammy Davis Jr. Ok, driven may be a bit of an overstatement, as this thing’s odometer reads only 5,247 miles (8,444 km), but you get the gist.

Built, like all others of its kind, with an aluminum body and rocking hand-made steel fenders closing in around an interior in brown leather, this Duesenberg presents itself in a marron color with dark red paint on the panels.

The car is propped on steel wheels, packing covers, and Firestone wide whitewall tires. Behind the wheels, power drum brakes deliver stopping power, while its stance on the road is supported by a coil spring independent suspension at the front and a leaf spring rear axle. Exhaust head pipes are visible on the right side of the body, a nod to the original model.

The real magic of this vehicle happens under the hood, where the Duesenberg Corporation and its Bernard Miller installed a 383ci engine sourced from Chrysler. The V8 rocks a four-barrel carburetor, a Paxton centrifugal supercharger, and a Chrysler Loadflite three-speed automatic transmission so that it cranks out an impressive (even by today’s standards) 504 horsepower at 4,800 rpm.

Just to give you an idea of how much of a jump in power that is, consider the fact that the original version’s larger engine, sized at 420ci, was only capable of developing 320 horsepower – a huge number, still, for that age.

The “luxuriously equipped” 1971 Duesenberg SSJ once owned by Sammy Davis Jr. is presently listed for sale by auction house Bonhams as part of its National Automobile Museum sale scheduled to take place in mid-June.

There is no mention of how much it is expected to fetch, but I’ll remind you that one of these babies, associated with actor Gary Cooper, went back in 2018 for $22 million. Granted, there are also examples that go for far less than that (low six-digit numbers), and that makes an estimate impossible to make.

For reference, keep in mind that the Duesenberg SSJ sold in the 1970s for twice the cost of a Cadillac, $24,500. That’s around $203,000 in today’s money, adjusted for inflation.

We will keep an eye on Sammy Davis Jr.’s 1971 Duesenberg SSJ and report back once we know how much it went for. In the meantime, you can enjoy the look of a rare, revived classic in the gallery attached to this piece.