Duesenberg SSJ 1936

There is no mention of a 1933 Duesenberg SSJ in automotive history, suggesting Altaya made an error in printing that year on the model's base. In fact, the SSJ, or Short Supercharged J, was a development of the 1932 Duesenberg SJ with its wheelbase shortened to 125 inches, or 3,175 mm.

The sports car, with its engine uprated to 400 hp, was not built until 1936.

The basic model used a 6.9-litre supercharged straight-eight producing 320 hp, with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The centrifugal supercharger is easy to spot on the model, mounted vertically on the engine's right side near the intake manifold. Fitting it required a redesigned exhaust system, with four corrugated pipes emerging through the right side of the bonnet.

Only two SSJs were made. They belonged to actors Gary Cooper, chassis 2594 J-563, and Clark Gable, chassis 2595 J-567. The SSJ was the fastest of the marque's 481 cars, including 36 SJs built in 1932–1935, and the fastest production car of its time. Cooper received his first: he bought the chassis in 1935 and sent it to LaGrande for a roadster body.