1924 Duesenberg Model A

The Duesenberg brothers (Fred and August) emigrated to America in the early 1900s. They built military equipment during World War I in Elizabeth, New Jersey. When peacetime resumed, the brothers focused on the development of eight-cylinder racing engines. They sold the production rights to their existing four-cylinder engine Rochester Motors, while both Duesenberg Motors Corporation and the New Jersey factory were sold to John North Willys. At the time, Indianapolis was the epicenter of American automotive engineering, so the brothers moved once again and established Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company in 1920.

The first car from the newly founded Duesenberg Company was the Model A and was based on the car driven by Jimmy Murphy to victory at the French Grand Prix in 1921. It was the first production car to employ four-wheel hydraulic brakes and an inline eight-cylinder production engine. The Duesenberg Model A was first shown in late 1920 in New York City. Unfortunately, production was delayed until 1922 due to a conversion to a single overhead camshaft layout.

Production of the Model A would continue until 11925 by the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company and from 1925 to 1926 at the same factory by the restructured Duesenberg Motor Company. Total production reached just 667 examples. Sales were sluggish due to the vehicle being very expensive and the difficult postwar market. Slow sales and the brother's lack of business expertise led to the control of the company's operations being granted to a pair of investors who made off with all the money. Around this time, E.L. Cord was seeking a new flagship for his fast-growing automotive empire, and rescued them from bankruptcy, and sponsored the legendary Model J.

The Duesenberg Model A had a cast-iron block, an aluminum lower crankcase and oil pan, and a detachable cast-iron cylinder head. The production version had a shaft-driven single overhead camshaft design with rockers that operated two valves per cylinder in a hemispheric combustion chamber. It breathed through a single updraft carburetor (the early version used a Stromberg unit, while later versions had a Schebler unit). It used Delco coil ignition and breaker points. The 260 cubic-inch displacement was created from a 2.875-inch bore and a stroke of 5 inches. The standard horsepower rating was 88 hp and 170 lb/ft of torque. The engine was backed by a three-speed unsynchronized gearbox with a single dry-plate clutch.

The chassis was a pressed-steel ladder frame with tubular cross members and channel-section side members. The suspension was comprised of semi-elliptic leaf springs and Watson Stabilator dampers all around, with a tubular beam axle in the front and a live rear axle with radius rods. The seven-passenger bodies rested on a 141-inch wheelbase platform, while the rest measured 134 inches.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019