By 1985, the Holbrook body had been separated from the chassis and engine, and chassis 2128 entered a long period of dormancy. Meanwhile, the Judkins seven‑passenger limousine body, removed from its original chassis, began to acquire a reputation of its own in Hollywood. It appeared in at least 14 feature films, including The Great McGinty (1940), Pocketful of Miracles (1951), Al Capone (1955), Party Girl (1958), Howard Hughes (1977), The Gangster Chronicles (1981), and City Heat (1984), making it one of the most frequently filmed Duesenberg bodies in motion picture history.

After being stored for two decades, the Judkins body was acquired in August 2005 by collector George Albright, who also purchased the long-dormant 2128 chassis and its companion engine. To reunite the components into a complete car, Albright entrusted the restoration to Fran Roxas, the renowned craftsman who had originally separated the Judkins body years earlier. Roxas mounted the Judkins limousine body onto the 2128 chassis and installed engine J‑287 (often misreported as J‑297), returning the car to life in a form that combined authentic
Duesenberg engineering with a coachwork design familiar to classic‑film audiences.

The fully restored automobile was completed to a high standard and sold in 2010 for $357,500, its appeal strengthened by the combination of true Duesenberg mechanical heritage and a uniquely rich cinematic history.