The Duesenberg Model J is a luxuryautomobile made by Duesenberg. Intended to compete with the most luxurious and powerful cars in the world, it was introduced in 1928, the year before the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. The Model J, available with a supercharger after 1932, was sold until Duesenberg Motors Company went bankrupt in 1937.
Background
1930 Duesenberg J Walker La Grande Torpedo Phaeton
E. L. Cord, the owner of Auburn Automobile, and other transportation firms, bought the Duesenberg Motor Corporation on October 26, 1926, for the brothers' engineering skills, talent and brand name. He intended to produce a car to rival the size, power, and luxury of top European brands such as Hispano-Suiza and Rolls-Royce.[4]
After Cord's takeover, the new company was renamed "Duesenberg, Inc." Fred Duesenberg would continue in the new organization with the title of vice president in charge of engineering and experimental work.[5] Fred's brother August, who had played an important role in the development of the Model A and its variant, the rare X, had nothing to do with the initial design of the J and had no formal connection with Duesenberg, Inc. until later. According to the expert Marshall Merkes, "Cord did not want Augie around."[6] However, all Duesenberg racing cars produced after 1926 were built by Augie in an enterprise that functioned separately, and in a building apart from the main Duesenberg plant. He was also responsible for a number of engineering achievements like the superchargers developed for both the Auburn and Cord motorcars.[7]
Debut
1931 Duesenberg J Convertible Victoria by Rollston
The newly revived Duesenberg company set about to produce the Model J, which debuted December 1 at the New York Car Show of 1928. In Europe, it was launched at the "Salon de l'automobile de Paris" of 1929. The first and — at the time of the New York presentation — only example made of the series, the J-101, was a LeBaron sweep panel dual cowl phaeton, finished in silver and black.[8] By the time the Great Depression hit in October 1929, the Duesenberg Company had only built some 200 cars. An additional 100 orders were filled in 1930. Thus, the Model J fell short of the original goal to sell 500 cars a year.[9]
The newly revived Duesenberg company set about to produce the Model J, which debuted December 1 at the New York Car Show of 1928. In Europe, it was launched at the "Salon de l'automobile de Paris" of 1929. The first and — at the time of the New York presentation — only example made of the series, the J-101, was a LeBaron sweep panel dual cowl phaeton, finished in silver and black.[8] By the time the Great Depression hit in October 1929, the Duesenberg Company had only built some 200 cars. An additional 100 orders were filled in 1930. The Model J fell short of the original goal to sell 500 cars a year.[9]
Obsolete not long after its introduction, it took eight years and several iterations to dispatch 480 Duesenbergs to Hollywood and other look-at-me types. For the price of a typical Model J Duesenberg, you could buy five arguably more attractive 1931 Chrysler Imperials, which lacked only the Duesenberg's twin cams and cuckoo clock of gears flashing lights at intervals telling the driver it was time to change oil, check the battery level, and that the proprietary Bijur chassis lubrication shared with other expensive cars was working. Engineer, automotive historian, writer Maurice Hendry reported that most Model Js in road trim (3.8, 4, 4.3 and 4.7:1 axle ratios, the middle two most common) topped out at 105 mph, 10 more than a well-tuned Imperial.
Duesenberg owners wanting the fine tuning involved in the factory claimed top speed of 116 mph (windshield removed, likely the optional 5.75:1 compression in lieu of the usual 5.2, and the 3.8:1 rear axle), 89 mph in second, had to pay extra. For comparison, each 1931 Marmon V-16, at about the quarter the cost of a Duesenberg, was lapped twice at the nearby Indy brickyard at 105 mph before delivery, all had 3.78:1 axles, and would out-accelerate a Model J to 70 mph, the Marmon V-16 on a 1982 SAE poll of the top 30 all-time automotive engines, the Duesenberg not included, well wrought as it was, if nothing novel, compared with expensive European and racing cars.
Stock market marauder Errett Loban Cord -- the Security and Exchange Commission was organized in 1934 to police such buccaneering, Cord later taking refuge in England when things got hot --advertised 265 hp because he wanted to promote a world-beating super car, and a limited production, supercharged, 7.1 liter, 119 mph Mercedes SSK then claimed 250 hp, also enhanced a bit. Road & Track magazine's publisher, John Bond, a degreed automotive engineer, respected motoring writer, visited the Lycoming factory in Williamsport, PA where the Duesenberg's 420-ci, five-main bearing (Packard, Pierce-Arrow and Chrysler Imperial straight eights of the era had nine mains for the same 2.75" crankshaft diameter) inline eight was produced, saw 208 hp the best of four dyno reports. The 491-ci ohv Marmon V-16 claimed 200 hp from 6:1 compression, 407 ft. lbs. torque at 1,600 rpm against a Model J's 362 ft. lbs./1,500 rpm. The Duesenberg Model J came with 5.2 and an optional 5.75:1 compression, the latter likely the one used in the ballyhooed 116 mph windshield-less top speed.
Dennis Simanaitis, doctoral thesis on dynamic systems theory, for 33 years Road & Track magazine's engineering editor, earlier associate engineering editor for the SAE's magazine, Automotive Engineering, reports with his usual rigor:
"Chris Summers, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club’s Duesenberg historian, wrote of the Model J engine as delivered from corporate sibling Lycoming: 'Dyno-tested, they only produced around 200 hp. The result was that, once every engine reached Indianapolis [Duesenberg’s home facility], it had to be rebuilt from the ground up, tuned and tested again to produce the power claimed of it before it could be installed in a car.'
Wrote James C., in an Amazon.com review, “The stock J engine never developed 265 hp, more like 165 – 183 hp on observed dyno tests of four engines. The SJ never put out anything like 320 hp, even with the dual carburetor setup; 215 hp on a personally observed dyno test of a perfectly restored engine.”
Be that as it may, diminutive Duesenberg, Miller, and Delage twin cam straight eights won at Indy and in Grand Prix racing, so as with Railton in England, the advertising pull of the Duesenberg brothers' name was invaluable. There was nothing remarkable about the Duesenberg's "chassis except its high-grade construction," Richard Hough wrote in his exhaustive A History of the World's Sports Cars, citing "front-end vibration periods, which cursed all ultra long wheelbase cars at this time, when cart-springing was about at the end of its tether--including the (8 Liter) Bentley and (Phantom II) Rolls-Royce; and the lack of refinement of the engine at high revs, caused most probably by the enormously long camshaft chains, which were also inclined to stretch and disturb the valve timing."
Fred Duesenberg had wanted to build a smaller car in the class of his Models A and X, which Hough imagines would've "been a more satisfactory machine," about the size of the concurrent overhead cam Stutz, in 1931 adopting dohc, a more rationally sized, sporting car, extreme quality, and a under a third the price of a Duesenberg.
As for the Duesenberg engine's enamel finish and polished aluminum components, such could be seen on topline Massey Ferguson tractors, for example, as manufacturers pulled out all the stops to entice what post Wall Street crash money remained.
It's human nature to want a single "best" in any category, and to this day, more thrice-told hokum and hype have been written and repeated about the Model J Duesenberg in coffee table "classic" car books, fomented by nest-feathering buffs for these darlings of the auction circuit.
The outsized Duesenberg was fast and impressive, but then, for its outrageous price, it should've been.
The 420 cu in (6,900 cc) straight eight Model J motor was based on the company's successful racing engines of the 1920s and though designed by Duesenberg they were manufactured by Lycoming,[10] another company owned by Cord. In normally aspirated form, it produced 265 horsepower (198 kW)[11] from dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.[12] It was capable of a top speed of 91 mph (146 km/h), and 79 mph (127 km/h) in 2nd gear. Other cars featured a bigger engine but none of them surpassed its power. It was also both the fastest and most expensive American automobile on the market.
Design and development
As was common practice among the luxury car brands, only the chassis and engine were displayed; the body and interior trim of the car would be custom-made to the owner's specifications by a third-party coachbuilder. The chassis on most model Js were the same, as was the styling of such elements as fenders, headlamps, radiator, hood and instrument panel.[13]
About half the model Js built by Duesenberg had coachworks devised by the company's chief body designer, Gordon Buehrig,[13] and executed under the name La Grande by company branches in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Florida and Denver, as well as by smaller dealers. The rest were designed and made by independent US coachbuilders such as Derham, Holbrook, Judkins,[14] Le Baron, Murphy, Rollston (later renamed Rollson), Walker, Weymann, and Willoughby, and Fernandez et Darrin, Franay, Gurney Nutting, Saoutchik, and others in Europe.[8]
The chassis cost US$8,500 ($182,315 in 2022 dollars [15]) ($9,500 after 1932 ($203,763 in 2022 dollars [15])). At a time when the average U.S. physician earned less than $3,000 a year ($64,346 in 2022 dollars [15]), most completed vehicles fell between $13,000 and $19,000 ($407,527 in 2022 dollars [15]), with two American-bodied J's reaching $25,000 ($536,220 in 2022 dollars [15])[7]). Figures for prices charged by deluxe coachbuilders in Europe are not available, but it is possible they were even higher than the most expensive American built models.[7]
The J was generally available with either with a short 142.5 in (3.62 m) wheelbase chassis or long 153.5 in (3.90 m)).[11] Special orders included two SSJs shortened to 125 in (3.18 m) and a few extended to 160 in (4.06 m) and over.
The dash included mechanically timed lights that reminded the driver when to change the oil and inspect the battery.[16]
Most engine and chassis were made in 1929 and 1930, but due to the Depression, high price, etc., ended up sold and bodied throughout subsequent years. Thus the year for a given Model J usually refers to the latter.[citation needed]
A series of minor modifications were carried out during the model's production life. The first major change was to replace the four-speed gearbox, which proved unable to handle the engine's power, with an unsynchronised three-speed gearbox, subsequently fitted to all Duesenbergs. Unlike almost all American manufacturers, Duesenberg did not switch to a fully synchronised gearbox in the mid-1930s, which made the Model J difficult to drive and outdated by the latter years of its run.[17] The factory closed in 1937.
Supercharged version (SJ)
1930 SJ Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe by Murphy1935 SJ LaGrande Dual-Cowl Phaeton
A Duesenberg marketing slogan was that the only car that could pass a Duesenberg was another Duesenberg—and that was with the first owner's consent.[18]
Reinforcing this claim was the powerful 320 hp (239 kW) supercharged "SJ" model developed on the 142.5 in (362 cm) wheelbase[19] by Fred Duesenberg and introduced in May 1932.[7] It reputed to be capable of 104 miles per hour (167 km/h) in second gear and have a top speed of 135–140 mph (217–225 km/h) in third. Zero-to-60 mph (97 km/h) times of around eight seconds and 0–100 mph (0–161 km/h) in 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 100 mph (160 km/h). Duesenbergs generally weighed around two and a half tons; up to three tons was not unusual, considering the wide array of custom coachwork available.
The SJ's supercharger was located beside the engine; the vertical driving shaft necessitated a redesigned exhaust manifold arrangement; originally this took the form of a one-piece eight into one Monel manifold that re-routed the exhaust away from the engine, outside the engine compartment and through a single hole in the right front fender. The eight port manifold was found to be prone to cracking and was quickly superseded by a second manifold arrangement that routed four branches through the right side panel of the hood and right front fender. At least one supercharged car retains its original eight port manifold while most can be recognized by the four exposed exhaust pipes encased within bright flexible metal conduit tubes, a design which Cord registered as a trademark and used in his supercharged Cords and Auburns.[citation needed] The flamboyant external exhaust pipes were offered both as an option on new normally aspirated Model Js[20] and retrofit to earlier Model Js.[21]
Fred Duesenberg died of pneumonia on July 26, 1932, resulting from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in which he was driving a Murphy SJ convertible.[22] His brother, Augie, took over Fred's duties as chief engineer and Harold T. Ames became president of Duesenberg, Inc. Only 36 SJs were ever built.[23]
With financing from sponsors, Ab Jenkins commissioned the Duesenberg Special as a speed record car. It was built in 1935 on a supercharged Duesenberg Model J rolling chassis with a standard wheelbase, a modified front axle, and a non-standard high rear axle ratio. The engine was highly tuned by Augie Duesenberg. High performance parts developed for the Special, especially the "ram's horn" twin-carburetor inlet manifold, would be used on later supercharged Js. In October 1935, Jenkins drove the car to a one-hour record of 153.97 mph (247.79 km/h) and a twenty-four-hour record of 135.57 mph (218.18 km/h) at a circuit on the Bonneville Salt Flats.[23] The 24-hour record would be held until 1961. The car was renamed "Mormon Meteor" after a Curtiss Conqueror aircraft engine was installed in place of the Duesenberg engine.[24]
The one-off custom 1933 Rollston Arlington Torpedo-bodied Duesenberg SJ ultra-luxury sedan was the 2nd most expensive Duesenberg ever constructed and it is widely considered to be the most beautiful Duesenberg ever built. The Twenty Grand had a 320 horsepower supercharged DOHC engine and was built specifically for the 1933 Century of Progress in Chicago. It is owned by the Nethercutt Collection.[25]
SSJ
Duesenberg Model J cabriolet with a custom body by Graber
The short-wheelbase supercharged J, referred to by the public as the SSJ, had an extra-short wheelbase of 125 in (3,200 mm) and an engine delivering close to 400 hp (298 kW) through the use of the dual-carburetor "ram's horn" manifold developed for the Duesenberg Special.[3] The "ram's horn" manifold has two branches, each of which splits into two more branches.[26]
Only two were built; both had lightweight open-roadster bodies produced by Central Manufacturing Company, an Auburn subsidiary in Connersville, Indiana.[20] At the rear, each short-wheelbase roadster had an external spare tire and smaller “later-style” round taillights.[citation needed]
The first short-wheelbase roadster was sold to the actor Gary Cooper in 1935.[3][17] The other "SSJ" was lent by the company to actor and established Duesenberg customer Clark Gable in 1936.[17] Cooper and Gable would race each other in the Hollywood Hills in these cars.[3]
JN
There is another version of the model J known as the Duesenberg JN (a name never used by the company either). All JNs were sold with Rollston coachwork and only 10 were produced in 1935.[27] In an attempt to give a more modern look to an ageing design, the JN was equipped with smaller 17-inch-diameter wheels (versus 19 inches), skirted fenders, bullet-shaped taillights, and bodies set on the frame rails for a lower look. The battery box and tool box were redesigned slightly so that the doors could close over the frame. Supercharged JNs gained the logical SJN designation.[28]
Originally, New York City supported the Model J. It was the financial capital of the United States in 1929, and many of its people could afford such an expensive car. As the Depression deepened, however, power shifted, and ultimately it was newly wealthy Hollywood that kept Duesenberg alive through much of the 1930s.[9] It was so reputed and imposing that many Hollywood stars, such as James Cagney, posed next to the car to promote their careers.
There was a gradual evolution (up to the 1937 model) to preserve the "stately lines" while moving into a more integrated mode of styling. The final evolution of the Duesenberg engine was ram-air intakes, which were added to some of the last supercharged models to produce 400 hp (298 kW), referred to as "SSJ". Of the 481 Model Js[30] (including all its versions) produced between 1928 and 1937, about 378 survive. Some are speculated to have been lost in the war, particularly those exported to Europe, while others may had been parted out or even altered beyond recognition during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Duesenberg ceased production in 1937 after Cord's financial empire collapsed. However, two more Duesenbergs were completed between 1937 and 1940. The first one was delivered by the coachbuilder Rollson to the German artist Rudolf Bauer in April 1940; it is both the longest Duesenberg and the last one delivered.[31] The last one ever made was assembled from leftover parts between 1938 and 1940.[8]
Duesenberg became far less popular during World War II, and by 1941 to 1942, used specimens were abundant and cheap, with advertised prices averaging around $700 ($12,537 in 2022 dollars [15]) for the cars in excellent condition. Even still, a few used Model Js were advertised for around $300 to $400, with some ultimately selling for only $100 or $200.[citation needed]
Business rebounded in the 1950s, when classic and vintage cars became popular among collectors. Several Model Js were advertised in The New York Times in the fall of 1950, at prices as low as $500, though an exceptional restored example could exceed $2,000 ($24,326 in 2022 dollars [15]) which was still within the reach of the average working American.
By 1959 a decent example could not be bought for less than $4,000, and an exceptionally fine specimen could approach $10,000 ($100,388 in 2022 dollars [15]). A record price of $12,000 had been paid for a Duesenberg J in a private sale that year. In 10 years' time, by 1969, a Model J could fetch anywhere between $20,000 and $75,000 ($598,503 in 2022 dollars [15]). A record price of $205,000 ($1,216,444 in 2022 dollars [15]) was set at an auction in 1974 for a model J, surpassing Adolf Hitler's personal Mercedes-Benz 770, which sold for $153,000 the year prior.
The Duesenberg Special, a.k.a. "Mormon Meteor", was sold at an auction by Gooding & Co. in August 2004 for $4.5 million.[32] Another SJ sold for $4.4 million at RM Auctions in Monterey, California, in 2007.[33]
Liberace used a replica Duesenberg SJ encrusted with Austrian rhinestone crystals during his stage performances. The vehicle later went on to be exhibited at the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and its current location is at the "Liberace Garage" located in Las Vegas as well.
In 2018 a Duesenberg SSJ that was formerly owned by Gary Cooper was sold at auction for $22 million.[34] This made it the most expensive American car ever sold.[35]
Buehrig, Gordon M. (Spring 1966). Bailey, L. Scott; Kaufman, Mervyn (eds.). "I remember the Duesenberg". Automobile Quarterly. New York, NY USA. 4 (4): 370–373. LCCN62-4005. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
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