The Dead American Brand That Went Toe-To-Toe With Rolls-Royce
When thinking of luxury car brands today, names like Rolls-Royce and Bentley come to mind; 100 years ago, however, there was another well-known brand that produced cars at a similar level of quality and luxury. Duesenberg was a short-lived American automaker which operated in the 1920s and 30s; one of its main claims to fame was the introduction to the American car market of the straight-eight engine, which remained a highly popular type of engine until the first half of the 1950s.
Founded by two brothers with a passion for speed, Duesenberg quickly gained the attention of movie stars and other celebrities, who wanted these luxurious, expensive cars in their collection. Despite its reputation, however, Duesenberg did not survive the economic shock of the Great Depression, and was consigned to the archives of automotive history by the start of the 1940s.
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Rolls-Royce
One of the oldest and most respected ultra-luxury automakers, Rolls-Royce was established in 1904 by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The duo quickly made a name for themselves as excellent engineers, and later on developed aeroplan engines through the world wars. In the early 70s, the business was liquidated and some parts of it bought over by a government-owned company. It was sold to the public in 1987, and since 2003, has been a subsidiary of Rolls-Ryce Holdings plc. It is recognized as a leader in ultra-high-end coachbuilt cars that require a substantial outlay to acquire.
This feature focuses on the history of Duesenberg, a historical American car manufacturer from the 1920s and 30s, and the models it produced. All information has been obtained from reputable sources.
A Brief History Of Duesenberg
August and Fred Duesenberg Jafd88 WC
The Duesenberg journey started at the turn of the century, not with cars but rather with bicycles. The Duesenberg brothers, August and Fred, decided to start a company after Fred, the eldest, had taken up bicycle racing and fallen in love with all things fast. The first result of their entrepreneurial efforts was not the Duesenberg Motors Company itself, but an earlier business called the Mason Motor Car Company. The name came from the lawyer who had financed the project, Edward R. Mason. After a few years, however, this company was sold off, and the brothers relocated from Iowa to Minnesota.
Here, the earliest incarnation of the Duesenberg company was founded in 1913, and the following year a car bearing its badge earned a tenth-place position in the legendary Indianapolis 500. Aside from a few years during World War I, where the brothers focused on building aircraft engines, the Duesenberg company continued to grow and produce cars; its second incarnation, the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, was created in 1920 in Indianapolis. The first production car, the Model A, arrived in the same year; at the same time, the company continued to focus on the world of motorsport.
In 1926, automotive businessman Errett Cord (also known for founding car manufacturers Auburn and Cord) purchased Duesenberg; two more cars, the Model X and Model J, followed. August Duesenberg continued to be actively involved in the business, but mainly focused on the motorsport division rather than being involved with passenger cars. Despite its reputation for high-quality, luxurious cars, Duesenberg began to face insurmountable financial issues, and eventually shut down for good in 1937. Three years later, August himself worked on completing the last ever car built by Duesenberg.
Duesenberg's Passenger Cars
The company produced three passenger cars over the course of its short lifespan: the Model A, Model X, and Model J. All three were powered by the Duesenberg straight-eight engine, two variants of which exist; Duesenberg was the first automaker in the US to build a mass-produced car powered by this type of engine.
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Model A
Duesenberg Model A Bonhams 2
The Model A, first introduced in 1921, was Duesenberg’s first car as well as the first mass-produced American car to be fitted with a straight-eight engine (Italy had beaten Duesenberg to the global title two years earlier, when Isotta Fraschini had introduced the Tipo 8). The Model A introduced several innovative features that would later be adopted by the automotive industry, such as four-wheel hydraulic brakes, an overhead camshaft, and four-valve cylinder heads.
The Model A was, unfortunately, also plagued with delays: the company struggled to produce enough cars to meet its targets, and the very first cars only arrived in dealerships towards the end of the year. A total of 650 units were sold between 1921 and 1927.
Model X
Duesenberg Model X Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
The Model X, introduced in 1926, was a modified variant of the Model A, with larger dimensions and sportier characteristics. Its engine was tuned to produce 100 hp, which allowed the car to reach a top speed of 100 mph. Several components of the engine were given a revamp in order to achieve this: the Model X’s straight-eight had, among other modifications, a new crankshaft and new pistons.
The Model X had a reworked chassis compared to its parent car, with extra reinforcements and a 136-inch wheelbase. This particular chassis is the rarest in Duesenberg’s lineup: only 13 Model Xs were ever built between 1926 and 1927, five of which have survived to the present day.
Model J
1928-1937 Duesenberg Model J Turquoise in Museum
The last Duesenberg to arrive on the market was the Model J, with sales starting just as the Great Depression was starting to sink its teeth into the American economy. Despite the circumstances, the model endured until 1937.
By the time the Model J arrived, the company had been acquired by Errett Cord; the Model J’s engine was manufactured by another of Cord’s businesses, the Lycoming engine company. It was based on the units powering Duesenberg’s race cars, and produced 265 hp. As was tradition for luxury cars of the time, the Model J was simply assembled as a chassis with an engine, leaving customers the option to go to a coachbuilder for a custom body. Although around half of Model J cars were fitted with a body created by Duesenberg’s in-house designer Gordon Buehrig, several customers opted for a coach-built body sourced elsewhere.
Duesenberg Model J I8 Engine
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Reviving The Duesenberg Name
1966 Duesenberg Model D Concept RM Sotheby's
Duesenberg may have spent a short time operating as a business, but it has definitely left a mark on the American automotive world. Countless attempts have been made at bringing the Duesenberg name back in various guises, and car enthusiasts haven’t stopped wondering what could have happened if Duesenberg had survived to the present day, like Rolls-Royce did. (Check out this rendering by Russian automotive designer Alexander Opanasenko, for a glimpse into what a modern Duesenberg could look like).
Some attempts at bringing Duesenberg back got further along than others, with fully-built prototypes and marketing material being drawn up, but none of these projects made it to a full production stage.
Early Attempts
The first attempt to bring back Duesenberg came about less than a decade after the company’s demise: August Duesenberg himself tried to revive the brand, but was unsuccessful. Two decades later in 1966, his son Fritz recruited designer Virgil Exner (who had worked with GM, Studebaker, and Chrysler) to make a second attempt: this time they got as far as producing a complete concept car, but no further. A few years later, Duesenberg enthusiast Bernard Miller acquired the brand name and attempted to produce the SSJ, a special edition of the Model J; a total of 8 cars were completed.
The Duesenberg II
The most successful attempt at producing a new Duesenberg arrived in 1978, when Elite Heritage Motors bought the Duesenberg brand name and launched a model called the Duesenberg II. This car looked near-identical to the company’s previous models of the 20s and 30s (which were used as template), but was equipped with modern features including an automatic transmission, air conditioning, and a stereo. Several Duesenberg models were given this treatment; the cars were all hand-built, with around 5,000 hours of work put into each individual car. The company continued to operate until 2001, producing a total of 67 cars.
Duesenberg Custom Coach
The most recent attempt at building a modern Duesenberg, courtesy of Minnesota-based company “Duesenberg Custom Coach”, never made it past the initial design sketches. In the late 1990s, designer Jeff Teague came up with a modern “Duesenberg Torpedo Coupe” concept (named after one of Duesenberg’s early models).
The vision for this car included an innovative 12-cylinder engine dubbed the “Cylindrical Energy Module”. This one-of-a-kind unit was supposed to be a supercharged, self-lubricating rotating engine compatible with either gas or diesel, producing an output of around 300 hp. The Torpedo Coupe, however, never even made it to the concept stage, and the project fizzled out soon afterward.
Sources: MotorCities National Heritage Area, Hagerty, TrustAuto
