The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Winner in Photos

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The 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Speedster given the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award on September 3, 2024.

The car, shown here at its home in California, qualified for the coveted award by winning the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2023.

Among the custom touches requested by the Maharaja Holkar of Indore when commissioning the car was a steering wheel featuring wicker.

The chassis was bodied by J Gurney Nutting & Co in London, a firm that had built its reputation with a series of bespoke cars for British royalty.

The car includes custom features such as chrome flagsticks, commissioned by the Maharaja.

A glimpse at the winning Duesenberg’s pristine, supercharged engine.

Fear of a Japanese invasion of India meant the Maharaja’s car was delivered first to his estate in Santa Ana, Calif., before eventually making its way to his homeland. It returned to California in the 1950s and joined the private collection of late U.S. Air Force Major General William Lyon.

The winning Duesenberg’s owner, Bill H. Lyon (with microphone), accepts the award while sharing the stage with his family and Peninsula Classics executives.