Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...
and
luxury automobile
A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars.
The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the ...
manufacturer founded in
Indianapolis,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, by brothers
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...
and
August Duesenberg
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the
straight-eight engine and four-wheel
hydraulic brakes
A hydraulic brake is an arrangement of braking mechanism which uses brake fluid, typically containing glycol ethers or diethylene glycol, to transfer pressure from the controlling mechanism to the braking mechanism.
History
During 1904, Frederi ...
. A Duesenberg car was the first American car to win a Grand Prix race, winning the
1921 French Grand Prix. Duesenbergs won the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
in 1924, 1925, and 1927. Transportation executive
Errett Lobban Cord acquired the Duesenberg corporation in 1926. The company was sold and dissolved in 1937.
History
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...
and
August Duesenberg
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
began designing engines in the early 1900s after Fred became involved with
bicycle racing.
The brothers designed a vehicle in 1905 and in 1906, formed the
Mason Motor Car Company
The Mason was a Brass Era car, Brass Era automobile manufactured in Des Moines, Iowa from 1906 to 1909 and Waterloo, Iowa from 1911 to 1914. In 1909 and 1910 it was marketed as the Maytag-Mason.
History
The first prototype called the Marvel w ...
with funds from lawyer Edward R. Mason in
Des Moines,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
.
F.L. and
Elmer Maytag acquired a majority stake in the company and renamed it the
Maytag-Mason Automobile Company until they sold their stake in 1912.
The Duesenbergs moved to
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and established the first iteration of the Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company.
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.[Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...]
in 1914, placing tenth. The brothers sold their Saint Paul factories in 1919.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Duesenbergs designed and built aircraft engines in
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. They relocated to
Indianapolis,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, in 1920 and re-launched the Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, manufacturing the
Duesenberg Model A.
The Duesenberg brothers assumed engineering roles after signing over the naming rights and patents for Duesenberg engines to promoters Newton E. Van Zandt and Luther M. Rankin. The first ModelA was commissioned by businessman and politician
Samuel Northrup Castle
Samuel Northrup Castle (August 12, 1808 –July 14, 1894) was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Early life
Samuel Northrup Castle was born August 12, 1808 in Cazenovia, New York. His middle name is sometimes spelled "Northro ...
. The car had a
straight-eight engine that output 88 horsepower, the largest engine in a commercially available vehicle at the time, and was the first to have hydraulic brakes on all its wheels.
Duesenberg continued to build race cars as well, and a Duesenberg race car won the
1921 French Grand Prix, the first American car to do so. Duesenberg cars also performed well at the Indianapolis 500 during the 1920s, winning the race in 1922, 1924, 1925, and 1927.
Van Zandt left the company in 1921 and it struggled financially and entered
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...
in 1924. Duesenberg was purchased by
Errett Lobban Cord in 1926. August's role in the passenger car side of the business declined after Cord's takeover, and August worked primarily in the Duesenberg's racing division after 1926, designing all Duesenberg race cars built from that year until the company's dissolution.
Two years later, Cord had the Duesenbergs make a new model to "outclass" all other American cars. In 1929, the company began selling the
Duesenberg Model J, which was powered by a 265-horsepower straight-eight engine. The body and cabin were custom-built by
coachbuilders. Prices for the cars ranged from $14,000 to $20,000 at the time.
Duesenbergs were considered to be among the most luxurious American cars ever made. Historian
Donald Davidson called them the "most prestigious passenger car" in American history and likened them to an American version of the
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
.
The vehicles were popular with movie stars, royalty, and other wealthy individuals. The company was sold by Cord and dissolved in 1937.
The last Duesenberg to be made by the original company was completed in 1940, commissioned by German artist
Rudolf Bauer and completed by August Duesenberg after the company had shut down.
Revivals
Several unsuccessful attempts were made to revive the Duesenberg name.
August Duesenberg failed to restart the company in 1947, and an attempt by his son, Fritz, and car designer
Virgil Exner
Virgil Max "Ex" Exner Sr. (September 24, 1909 – December 22, 1973) was an automobile designer for several American automobile companies, most notably Chrysler and Studebaker.
Exner is widely known for the "Forward Look" he created for the ...
to revive the brand failed after the production of one
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
in 1966.
In 1978, Heritage Elite Motors started producing handmade Duesenberg replicas in
Elroy,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, under the name Duesenberg Motors Company.
The "Duesenberg II" retained the styling of the cars from the 1920s and 1930s, but included some modern updates, such as stereo systems, air conditioning, and an automatic transmission.
The company produced several models, including the Torpedo sedan and phaeton, and the Murphy roadster.
The factory closed in 2001.
Products
Model A (1921–1927)
![1923 Duesenberg Model A Rubay Touring p1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/1923_Duesenberg_Model_A_Rubay_Touring_p1.JPG)
Duesenberg's first car was the Model A. It is powered by the
Duesenberg Straight-8 engine
The Duesenberg Straight-8 engine was produced from 1921 to 1937 and sold in Duesenberg automobiles. Fred and August Duesenberg got their start building experimental racing engines which achieved a great deal of success. Among their accomplishment ...
and was the first car to be
mass-produced
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
with a straight-eight.
The purchase price for a ModelA started at $6,500 ($ in dollars ).
The Duesenberg ModelA introduced several innovative features, such as an
overhead camshaft
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
, four-valve
cylinder head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber.
In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ...
s, and the first four-wheel
hydraulic brakes offered on a passenger car.
It had the largest engine of any consumer vehicle at the time of its production.
The Duesenberg Model A experienced various delays going from prototype to production. Deliveries to dealers did not start until December 1921. Sales lagged, and Duesenberg could not meet a 100-vehicles-per-month quota as the Indianapolis plant struggled to roll out one a day. In 1922, no more than 150 Duesenberg ModelAs were manufactured, with only a total of 650 units sold over a period of six years.
Model X (1926–1927)
The Model X is a sportier version of the ModelA with a heavier and longer (
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
) chassis and engine that enabled it to reach .
The most notable differences between the Aand the X were that the latter had hypoid differentials and all its valves were on one side.
The Duesenberg Model X chassis, is an upgrade over the ModelA chassis, offering a reworked 260 cu. in. straight-8 engine, an overhead cam, with a new crankshaft, revised valve train, improved pistons and superior intake manifold. Power is 100 hp, which made driving at 100 mph possible. The chassis length increased to 136 inches, with additional reinforcements. Improved leaf springs are mounted above the frame rails, thus, lowering the center of gravity. The Duesenberg ModelX chassis is the rarest Duesenberg street production chassis ever made, with only thirteen ever manufactured. Only five of the Duesenberg ModelXs manufactured are known to have survived.
Model J (1928–1937)
![1930 Duesenberg J](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/1930_Duesenberg_J.jpg)
The first Model J prototype was created in 1927 and the first cars were delivered in 1929, shortly before the onset of the
Great Depression. About three hundred ModelJs were completed by 1930, short of the original 500-vehicle goal.
![Model J engine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Model_J_engine.JPG)
The car's engine was based on the company's racing engines of the 1920s and was manufactured by another Cord company,
Lycoming.
It output , aided by dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, making it the most powerful car of its time.
The ModelJ was capable of a top speed of , and in second gear. Duesenberg historian Randy Ema wrote that the ModelJ spurred change in engine design, "single-handedly (starting) the horsepower race that drove the number of cylinders from twelve to sixteen," but noted those engines still could not match the ModelJ's power output.
Only the chassis and engine of the ModelJ were displayed, as the body and cabin of the car were custom built per custom for luxury vehicles at the time. The company's chief body designer,
Gordon Buehrig
Gordon Miller Buehrig (B-yur-rig) (June 18, 1904 – January 22, 1990) was an American automobile designer.
Early life
Gordon Miller Buehrig was born in Mason City, Illinois on June 18, 1904 to a banker. He attended Bradley University in ...
designed around half of the ModelJ bodies, while the remainder were designed by coachbuilders around the world, including
Gurney Nutting,
Murphy, and
Derham, among others.
The J was available in two versions of chassis with a different wheelbase; a longer one () and a shorter one (about ). There were also other special sizes, like the SSJs with a wheelbase shortened to and a few cars with the wheelbase extended to and over.
The supercharged Model J, referred to as the SJ, was reported to have reached in second gear and have a top speed of in third gear. Zero-to- times of around eight seconds and in 17 seconds were reported for the SJ despite having an unsynchonized transmission, at a time when even the best cars of the era were not likely to reach . The SJ had a wheelbase of .
The SJ was introduced in 1932. Only 36 units were built. A special version of the SJ, the ''
Mormon Meteor
The ''Mormon Meteor I'' and ''III'' were two land speed record cars built in the 1930s by Ab Jenkins.
Duesenberg Special
The ''Duesenberg Special'' was a one-off speed record car. It was built in 1935 on a supercharged Duesenberg Model J rolli ...
'', broke several land speed records.
Investors in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
originally supported the ModelJ, but following the
Stock market crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
, the market for ModelJs switched to
Hollywood stars.
Two modified ModelJs, known as the SSJ, were produced in 1935 for actors
Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
and
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
. The SSJ reportedly produced and could go in less than 8 seconds. Cooper's SSJ sold for $22 million in 2018, making it the most expensive American car ever sold at auction at the time.
About 378 of 481 ModelJs of all types still existed as of 2002.
See also
*
Auburn Automobile
*
Cord Automobile
Cord was the brand name of an American luxury automobile company from Connersville, Indiana, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 to 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937.
The Cord Corporation was founded and run by E. L. C ...
*
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is an automobile museum located in Auburn, Indiana in the United States. Opened in 1974, it is dedicated to preserving cars built by Auburn Automobile, Cord Automobile, and Duesenberg Motors Company.
...
*
Duesenberg Straight-8 engine
The Duesenberg Straight-8 engine was produced from 1921 to 1937 and sold in Duesenberg automobiles. Fred and August Duesenberg got their start building experimental racing engines which achieved a great deal of success. Among their accomplishment ...
References
{{ConnersvilleCars
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Chrysler
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Indiana
Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers
Defunct companies based in Indianapolis
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1913
Defunct brands
1913 establishments in Minnesota
1937 disestablishments in Indiana
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1937
Defunct manufacturing companies based in Indiana
Vintage vehicles
1910s cars
1920s cars
1930s cars