Duesenberg (Duesy) was an Auburn, Indiana based luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality, record-breaking roadsters.
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Duesenberg (Duesy) was an Auburn, Indiana based luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality, record-breaking roadsters.
History
In 1913, brothers Fred and August Duesenberg founded Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. on State Street in Garner, Iowa to build sports cars. Born in 1876 and 1879 in Lemgo, Germany, the two brothers were self-taught engineers and built many experimental cars. Duesenberg cars were considered some of the very best cars of the time, and were built entirely by hand. In 1914, Eddie Rickenbacker drove a "Duesy" to finish in 10th place at the Indianapolis 500, and a Duesenberg won the race in 1924, 1925, and 1927.
1923 saw the only use of a Duesenberg as the pace car at the Indianapolis 500. In 1921, Jimmy Murphy became the first American to win the French Grand Prix when he drove a Duesenberg to victory at the Le Mans racetrack.
Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company moved from New Jersey to a new headquarters and factory in Indianapolis in July 1921 to begin production of passenger vehicles. Although the Duesenberg brothers were world-class engineers, they were unable to sell their Model A car, their first "mass-produced" vehicle—just 667 were ever made. It was considered extremely advanced, offering features such as dual overhead camshafts, four-valve cylinder heads, and the first hydraulic brakes offered on a passenger car. The company went into receivership in 1922, finally being acquired from creditors by a Fred Duesenberg-led investor group in 1925, forming the Duesenberg Motors Company.
E.L. Cord, the owner of Cord Automobile, Auburn Automobile, and other transportation firms, bought the company in 1926 for the brothers' engineering skills (and the brand name) in order to produce luxury cars. Hiring Fred Duesenberg to design the chassis and an engine that would be the best in the world, the newly revived Duesenberg company set about to produce the Model J, which debuted at the New York Car Show of 1928. In unsupercharged form, it produced a whopping 265 horsepower (198 kW) from a dual overhead camshaft straight 8 and was capable of a top speed of 119 mph (192 km/h), and 94 mph (151 km/h) in 2nd gear. The supercharged version, sometimes called the SJ, was reputed to do in second and have a top speed of 135–140 mph (217–225 km/h) in third. Zero-to-60 mph (100 km/h) times of around eight seconds and 0-to-100 mph (160 km/h) times of 17 seconds were reported for the SJ in spite of the unsynchronized transmissions, at a time when even the best cars of the era were not likely to reach . Duesenbergs generally weighed around two and a half tons; up to three tons was not unusual, considering the wide array of custom coachwork available.
