In the 1930s, Clark Gable dominated the silver screen while Duesenbergs did the same on stateside roads. Both the actor and the automaker’s models presented a powerful and dashing visage that defined the glamor of the age, and Hollywood’s glitterati were enamored with each. It’s no surprise then that, for a pivotal period in his life, Gable owned a Duesenberg, and what a doozy it was—a droptop he customized extensively, coming up with much of the stylistic changes himself.

Ahead of today’s official announcement by RM Sotheby’s, Robb Report has been given permission to reveal that Clark Gable’s unique 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe will be offered through the auction house during its upcoming sale in Northern California, running August 13 through 15, as part of Monterey Car Week. It’s a vehicle with a narrative that’s nothing less than cinematic in scope.

According to the RM Sotheby’s lot description, “It was Gable who ordered one of the four Rollston-bodied convertible coupes built in the so-called JN series, the last two-seater open cars delivered by Duesenberg to customers.” But the top name on Hollywood’s A-list required that the car more accurately portray his own signature swagger and, despite there being so few of the examples dressed by Rollston, had his new acquisition dispatched to Bohman & Schwartz, a coachworks in Pasadena, Calif. There, designer W. Everett Miller collaborated closely on the project with Gable, who drew up many of the car’s aesthetic modifications—a record of which has been preserved with the vehicle.

“From the more aggressively raked windshield and lower top to the body-color radiator shell, rear fender skirts, dual rear-mounted spares, and wheel covers, every detail reflects Gable’s own eye for style and design,” says Gord Duff, president of RM Sotheby’s.  

RM Sotheby’s notes that, when completed, the car was dropped off to Gable at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, his temporary residence, by coachbuilder Christian Bohman’s son, who was headed there already for a collegiate soiree that night. It’s claimed that, as a charismatic “thank you,” Gable made a surprise appearance at the fete, hung out with the son and his date, and supposedly danced briefly with all the young ladies present because, well, he was Clark Gable. Along with being included in numerous publicity shoots, and even given a cameo in the 1938 movie Merrily We Live, the baronial roadster also played a supporting role in Gable’s real-life tale of love and loss with actress Carole Lombard.

Regarding the car, Duff tells Robb Report, “Few things offer such a direct link to Clark Gable himself, let alone through one of America’s greatest automotive marques. This Duesenberg was not just owned by him, it was shaped by him, refined to his exact taste, and became part of his image at the height of Hollywood’s golden age, as well as his romance with Carole Lombard, one of Hollywood’s most storied romances.”

Tragically, Lombard was killed in a plane crash in 1942, roughly three years after they wed, and Gable couldn’t bear to keep the automotive reminder of better times. The Duesenberg’s ownership trail that followed winds through New Mexico—where it includes wrestler Robert “Hans” Hermann—before moving on to Indianapolis and next Illinois, where it fetched a price of $4,500, paid by a Paul V. Colianni. It next transitioned to Wisconsin, then New York, where it was believed to have been purchased by Ed Jurist of the Vintage Car Store.

In 1973, Florida-based Charles Johnson took ownership, had it restored, and then displayed it at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum six years after it came into his possession. A few years and owners later, the car found its way to the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Calif. Since 2005, the Duesenberg has been a part of Sam and Emily Mann’s collection, and has been returned to the same impeccable state as when Gable received it, thanks to New Jersey–based team of restoration specialists at Stone Barn.

The complete refresh of the vehicle resulted in it garnering accolades that include the Gwen Graham Trophy for Most Elegant Convertible, awarded at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and Best of Show wins the next year at both the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and the concours at Meadowbrook. Of note, the original crankshaft, which was previously missing from the car, has been found and now comes with the vehicle, though not installed. This means that the already highly collectible automobile has, according to RM Sotheby’s, “all of its original numbered components” included as part of the sale.

“It has been admired for nearly 100 years because from the very beginning, it was beautifully executed, deeply personal, and has stood the test of time,” says Duff of the ex-Gable Duesenberg. “It is a piece of American history.” With that exceptional provenance, the privilege of continuing its legacy is expected to command a price between $5.75 million and $8 million.

Click here for more photos of this ex-Clark Gable 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe.