Not a lot of people nowadays know who Ab Jenkins is but back in the 30’s, he was responsible for driving the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster to a ground-breaking speed record of 135 mph. Ab Jenkins could well be the predecessor of Michael Schumacher and he was as adept in the steering wheel as that of the latter. On a different note, Duesenberg was once of the most prodigious auto manufacturers that built the finest roadsters of its time. One of the most popular, which was partly due to Ab Jenkins’ road exploits was the Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster. The said automobile started the record-breaking attempts of the United States in the automotive world and though it’s far from being the fastest supercar of today, it was during its time.
History
The Mormon Meteor Speedster was unveiled at the 57th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and it was regarded as one of the best models there. The car had its roots way back in the 1920’s when the founders of the Duesenberg, Fred and August conceptualized a roadster that is built to drive at speeds that were inconceivable during that time. Duesenberg was already a company that was part of the elite players in the automotive industry, and finishing the Mormon SJ Speedster was no longer a question of how, but merely when.
The Ab Jenkins Participation
The year 1935 was monumental for record-setting milestones and at the forefront was no other than Ab Jenkins. He met up with the then President of Auburn Roy Faulkner in 1935 offering assistance to Jenkins to break his previous 112.92 mph record at Bonneville using a Pierce Arrow model. In order to do that, Jenkins had to work with one of the Duesenberg brothers using the famed Duesenberg chassis. The car that was eventually finished was the Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster. The car featured a Straight-8 w/Special Cams that can generate a whopping 400 horsepower. Let’s bear in mind that even the most powerful modern pick-up trucks can only average close to 350 horsepower making this car utterly fantastic during its time.
After the car was completed, it had to be tested first and that’s why it had to be brought to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster set records in 1936 that were so legendary, it took 40 years to break them. The car now had a new chassis and it used two Conqueror engines to make the records that stood for almost half a century. Ab Jenkins made so much history and not to mention fame in Salt Lake City, that his record-breaking feats were enough to make him the Mayor of the city.
The Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster after Jenkins
The legendary car was sold right after Ab Jenkins died of a heart attack. After several owners in a span of only one decade, the car was sold to the Kershaw family from Alabama in 1959. The family had it restored just like what it was in 1936 with very minimal modifications of the chassis. The family was able to use the car for 45 years before finally selling this classic supercar in 2004 for a staggering amount of 4.45 million dollars. Right after the auction, the car was restored to its original 1935 specifications before finally competing and winning in the 2007 Pebble Beach Concoursone.
Overall, the Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster is arguably the best Duesenberg car ever built and not to mention the one of the toughest American cars ever.
