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Duesenberg was a US -based luxury Automobile company active from the 1910s until 1937. In 1913 the Duesenberg Brothers, Fred and August , founded Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa , at 8th and Grand Ave, to build Sports Car s. Born in 1876 and 1879 in Germany , the two brothers were self-taught engineers and built many experimental cars. Duesenberg cars were considered some of the very best cars built at 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 car won the race in 1924, 1925, and 1927. 1923 saw the only use of the 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 piloted a Duesenberg to victory at the Le Mans racetrack. Although the Duesenberg brothers were world-class engineers, they were unable to sell their Model A car, their first mass produced vehicle, which was considered very advanced. Instead, the company went bankrupt and closed in 1922. Errett Lobban Cord , the owner of Cord Automobile , Auburn Automobile and many other transportation companies, bought the company for the Duesenberg Brothers' engineering skills in 1926 and the brand name 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. The Model J Duesenberg was first available at the New York Car Show of 1928. In unsupercharged form it boasted a whopping 265 Horsepower (198 kW), Straight-8 engine with Dual Overhead Camshaft s, and was capable of a top speed of 119 Mph (192 km/h), and 94 mph (151 km/h) in 2nd gear. Only the chassis and engine were displayed at the 1928 New York Car Show, since the interior and body of the car would be custom-made by an experienced coachbuilder to the owner's specifications. The bodywork made for Duesenbergs came from coachbuilders in both North America and Europe, and the finished cars comprised some of the largest, grandest, most beautiful and elegant cars ever created. The chassis cost $8,500 , the completed base model cost $13,500, and you could have top of the line model for for $25,000 (an extreme amount of money for the time). Introduced in 1932 was the supercharged Model J with 320 HP (often referred to as 'SJ'), which had a top speed of 135 mph. Quickly the Duesenberg became one of the most popular in America, owned by the rich and famous, among them Clark Gable and the Duke Of Windsor . Duesenberg advertising claimed that it was the best car in the world. There was a gradual evolution up to the 1937 model, that preserved the "stately lines" while moving into a more integrated mode of styling. The final evolution of the Duesenberg engine were ram-air intakes added to some of the last supercharged models to produce 400 horsepower and are referred to as 'SSJ' (also a name never used by the factory). Of the 481 Model Js and SJs produced between 1928 and 1937, 384 are still extant, 4 of them now owned by Jay Leno . Duesenberg ceased production in 1937 after Cord's financial empire collapsed. __NOTOC__ REVIVAL After World War II , August Duesenberg tried to revive the Duesenberg name, but was unsuccessful. Several later attempts were also unsuccessful. The closest came in the mid-1960s with Fritz Duesenberg, August's son, at the helm and Virgil Exner as the stylist by using the chassis of a 1966 Imperial with a Chrysler engine. One of Exner's Duesenberg designs was later produced as the modern Stutz Bearcat . Beginning with its introduction in 1975 at the ACD Festival in Auburn Indiana, the reproduction Duesenberg II automobile was produced and sold through mid 2000. Five models of the original Duesenbergs were made, each one carefully copied from an original and visually identical, with a modern Ford V8 driveline and modern comfort features. These exacting reproductions sold for up to $225,000 US. The Murphy Roadster model is currently being revised and will be on the market in early 2007. Details are available on the Duesenberg Custom Coach website. Currently, there is another attempt to revive the Duesenberg name with the "Duesenberg Torpedo Coupe" slated for introduction in January 2007 at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance . This vehicle will have a Mercedes CL 500 as a chassis-donor, and offer an air-cooled, self-lubricating, supercharged, 12 cylinder rotating engine with a calculated 70 MPG and 300 horsepower (see link below). The Duesenberg name still lives on as an object of opulence and luxury. Today Duesenberg Model J's and SJ's are among the most desired collectible classic cars in the world, and it is not uncommon today for a Duesenberg in good condition to sell for over $1 million, and a few into a multi-million selling price. ETYMOLOGICAL NOTE The origin of the (1859–1924). In either case, reinforced by Duesenberg, expensive, classy make of Automobile 1920s–30s." EXTERNAL LINKS
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