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Founded in 1913 by the brothers, Frederick and August Duesenberg, Duesenberg cars were known during the time for its high-quality cars produced in the grounds of the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. Duesenberg cars were an embodiment of mechanical precision, elegance and luxury.

Originally from Germany, the two self-taught engineers arrived in the US in 1885. Their entry into the racing field was made in 1903 when Fred produced his first hand-made creation. With Fred’s passion being engines, the company that was founded in 1913 introduced the four-cylinder, horizontal valve engines to perfection.

When Eddie Rickenbacker came in tenth driving the first Duesenberg car in the Indianapolis race of 1914, there was no looking back for it in the races during the following years.

The Duesenberg brothers’ expertise and knowledge gained from their experience in Bugatti led to the development of the Duesenberg straight eight engines. The introduction of the straight eight gave Duesenberg cars the power to conquer the racing world. In 1920, it established a record for land speed — 156 mph. The year 1921 saw Jimmy Murphy leading the car to its first Grand Prix win in France, thus becoming the first American car to win the title. This record remained unbeaten until 1960.

In the meantime, the company launched its passenger cars, the Model A, with the straight-eight engine, the very first pair of four wheel hydraulic brakes, dual overhead cams, and,balloon tires in the cars.

But in spite of the advanced engineering, these cars failed to capture the market, resulting in the company’s bankruptcy and closure in 1922.

Erret Lobban Cord made a grab for the expertise of the Duesenberg brothers in 1926 and the brand ‘Duesenberg’ through its purchase. Cord Automobiles then introduced the luxury brands of the brand Duesenberg, Model J, and Model SJ.

When the Model J made its debut in the New York Car Show in 1928, it benefited from a 265 hp, dual overhead straight eight engine that was capable of moving at a speed of 119 mph at top gear and 94 mph in the second in its unsupercharged state! This made it stand above the other cars, resulting in the term, “It’s a Doozy” that is used to denote anything that has the best of everything.

Since 1935, Models J and SJ have many world records to their credit which still holds well even today! There is not another car that has been able to beat the Duesenberg Class B record for all of these runs: one hour, twelve-hour and the twenty-four-hour - in racing history. When compared to the superior expertise the auto companies enjoy today, the capacity of Model SJ to reach 60 mph in about nine seconds and a 100mph in 17 seconds is highly commendable.

Though Duesenberg cars were launched with the intention of being in line with European GT models, the engineering marvel presented by them made them more of a racing car. But in spite of this, the unfortunate fall of Cord’s led to the closure of a great era in automobile history.