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Duesenberg: the joy of driving. From early on, the Duesenberg brothers established their company with a successful motor sports program. Works driver, Jimmy Murphy, was the first to race an American car to victory at the 1921 Le Mans 24 hour race. This victory helped elevate Duesenberg on an International level.

While the Duesenberg brothers were world-class engineers, as proven at Le Mans, their sales led the Duesenberg company to financial difficulties. Their first real production car was the Model A passenger car and while it was advanaced, it didn't sell well.

Enter the Model J

In the early 1920s, racing efforts and the Duesenberg Model A caught the attention of Errett Loban Cord. He purchased Duesenberg Inc. of Indianapolis in bankruptcy court then set out to revive the marque. His first major step was commission one of the brothers, Frank Duesenberg, to design a grand touring chassis that would be American alternative to Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Mercedes-Benz and Minerva.

First seen at the 1928 New York Auto Show, the Model J was displayed as a bare chassis. It was rather bulky in size, weighing around 2000 lbs without the body or interior which would be custom crafted for it. At such a large size, the Model J was grand enough to capture the intended market, America's rich and famous. The chassis alone sold for $8 500 USD which would have been $90 000 in 2002. Duesenberg sold bodied cars for at list double that figure.

Most Model Js were sold as a bare chassis to be fitted with an interior and body by a third party. Such artisans included coachbuilders LeBaron, Murphy and Derham with Rollston and LaGrande bodying later cars. Gordon M. Buehrig became the chief designer at Duesenberg and standardized the Duesenberg design language. His work included designing standard hoods, lights, radiators and bumpers. Duesenberg often ordered several bodies from a coachbuilder, and sold complete cars.

Especially among the press, initial impression of the Model J chassis was favorable. With the boisterous figures released with the car, it was the fastest and most powerful American passenger car. It was also one of the first American cars to have an engine compartment as finely detailed and worked over as it's exterior.

Model J In Detail

As the technical highlight of the Model J, the engine was one of Duesenberg's, and America's, best . When Fred Duesenberg started the Model J project, he used developments learnt with the successful Indianapolis cars including engine refinements such as four valves per cylinder and twin camshafts. Fred's engine was far more powerful than any passenger car unit built in America, with little roads that could satisfy the cars 265 horse power. In fact, the closest rival engine to Duesenberg's was the 115 horse power Pierce Arrow unit.

It should be noted that the power figure of the Model J was based off a factory experimental car which was timed to offer a decent amount of peak horsepower. Most of the chassis received a conservative timing favoring low end toque and engine reliability. For most applications the Model J was a 205 to 210 horsepower vehicle with an impressive torque output of 335 ft lbs (454nm) at low 500 rpm! More specifics on the output can be found in Robert Dearborn's Technical Ramblings found in the 1953 May Road & Track.

Introduced in 1932, a supercharged variant of the Model J was offered called the SJ. This forced induction version raised power to 320 horses and increased the 116 mph top speed to 129 mph. The supercharger itself offered eight psi of boost @ 4000 rpm. Because the supercharger sat in the way of the exhaust manifold, all supercharged cars featured the well distinguished external exhaust system. This exhaust system featured chromium flex-pipe headers which could be ordered as an option on the standard Model J for $927 USD.

Both the chassis and suspension were quite conventional in design. Two deep pressed chassis side members, measuring eight inches tall, were sufficient to support any custom coachwork that would adorn it.

Special attention was paid to the handling and braking of the Model J. Specifically, the spring rates were equalized to provide a smooth ride and hydraulic assistance on the braking made stopping an ease. A knob on the dashboard could modify the level of assistance based on dry, rain, snow or ice conditions. For the period, these featured were remarkable technology.

Conclusion

Duesenberg's Model J was responsible for a starting a trend of powerful luxury cars in America. Other manufacturers attempted to attract the same market, with much larger engines, but failed to produce a product that was as refined and extraordinary as the Model J.

Owning a Duesenberg was [and still is] a popular symbol of wealth and luxury. As such, 472 Model Js were produced, supporting the firm through the depression until the Cord empire collapsed in 1937.