Duesenberg

US, 1920 – 1937, 1966

(1) Duesenberg Motor Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1920 – 1937

(2) Duesenberg Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., 1966

Fred Duesenberg began by making bicycles and designed his first Duesenberg car, the Mason, in 1904. He and his brother August made engines with horizontal overhead valves for the 1912 Mason racing cars, and founded Duesenberg Motors in the following year in order to produce marine engines and complete racing cars bearing the Duesenberg name. The most famous of the latter appeared in 1920: a 3-litre Bugatti-inspired Duesenberg straight-8 with single overhead camshaft and three (vertical) valves per cylinder. This Duesenberg won the 1921 French Grand Grand Prix. In the 1920s the Duesenberg racing cars were the great rivals of the Millers at Indianapolis, and victory was assured in 1924 by the adoption of a centrifugal blower on Duesenberg cars. Though a two-stroke 1½-litre 8-cylinder racing engine capable of 7.000rpm was made in 1926, this was not proceeded with. The horizontal-valve Duesenberg engine was taken over in 1920 by the Rochester Motor Manufacturing Co Inc and was used in various sporting and luxury cars.

Meanwhile, at the end of 1920, the first Duesenberg production car made its debut. This Duesenberg Model A was an extremely expensive, if very advanced, luxury car, embodying an 8-cylinder in-line engine – the first to be seen in an American production car – of 4.2 litres, basically similar to the Duesenberg racing unit, but with only two valves per cylinder and developing about 100bhp. There were also hydraulically-operated front wheel brakes – another ‘first’ as far as America was concerned. The Model A was current until 1926. A handful of its little-altered successor, the Duesenberg Model X, was made in 1926-1927, but in the former year E.L. Cord of Auburn acquired control of the Duesenberg company. He stipulated that Fred Duesenberg’s next car should be completely new, and a quite exceptional machine. In fact, the Duesenberg Model J, which made its bow at the end of 1928, was the most remarkable automobile in America: bigger, faster, more elaborate and more expensive than any other, yet also superior to them in refinement and good looks. Its 6.9-litre, 8-cylinder engine, made by Lycoming (a firm which Cord had also bought), had two chain-driven overhead camshafts operating four valves per cylinder; a layout of racing type unique among American cars at the time and said to develop 265bhp at 4250rpm – more than double the output of any rival. Although the complete Duesenberg car weighed more than 4980lb, it was claimed to be capable of 116mph in top gear and 89mph in second. Only Duesenberg Model J chassis were made for which $8500 was asked in 1929. Immensely long and strong and lowbuilt, Duesenberg cars were very popular with all the leading coachbuilders. The Duesenberg company preferred to sell cars complete with bodies designed by them but made by approved builders, such as Murphy, Bohman & Schwarts, Judkins, Derham and Le Baron. In this form, catalogued Duesenberg models cost up to $17.950. The transmission – apart form the double dry-plate clutch – was conventional, as was the suspension by half-elliptic springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. The brakes, of course, were hydraulic, with vacuum servo assistance from late 1929.

In 1932 a supercharged version of the Model J, the Duesenberg SJ, was added. To cope with the 320bhp now alleged to be available, bearings, reciprocating parts and valve springs were strengthened. Usually, the shortest Duesenberg J chassis was used, with the highest axle ratio and stronger front springs. A maximum speed of 129mph was attributed to the Duesenberg SJ, with an acceleration figure of 0-100mph in 17 seconds.

Duesenberg survived the Depression, but died in the collapse of the Cord Corporation in 1937. Attempts to revive the Duesenberg name were made in 1947 and in 1966. The first Duesenberg was unsuccessful, and in 1966 only one Duesenberg car was actually made, powered by a 7-litre V8 Chrysler engine with push-rod overhead valves, developing 431bhp at 5.000rpm. Transmission was automatic, front suspension was independent, and there were disc brakes. Body styling was by Ghia. This Duesenberg venture, too, collapsed.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN 

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Hudson

US, 1901 – 1902

Beau-Chamberlain Manufacturing Co, Hudson, Mich.

The first car to bear the name Hudson was a light steamer with a vertical 2-cylinder engine, single chain drive and tiller steering. This Hudson car bore no relationship to the later Hudson car.

US, 1909 – 1957

(1) Hudson Motor Car Co., Detroit, Mich., 1909 – 1954

(2) American Motors Corp., Kenosha, Wisc., 1954 – 1957

The Hudson car was created by Roy D. Chapin, and financed by J.L. Hudson, head of Detroit’s famous department store of that name. The first product was a 20hp 4-cylinder Hudson car of conventional design, capable of 50mph, of which 4.000 Hudson cars were sold in its first season. These fours, one of which was entered in the 1914 Tourist Trophy were first supplemented and then supplanted by a 6-cylinder line. The first of these Hudson cars was the heavy (3.696lb) and fairly expensive $2.350) Hudson Model 54 with a 4-speed overdrive gearbox, but the 4½-litre Hudson Super Six of 1916, with its high-compression sv engine, really made the Hudson company’s name, and marked the first of a line of engines of this type which lasted almost to the end of Hudson car production, giving generous outputs while still burning commercial-grade petrol. A Hudson Super Six made the first two-way transcontinental trip – New York to San Fransisco and back – in 1916; Ira Vail took 9th place with a Hudson car in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 1919, and this Hudson car formed the backbone of New Zealand’s ‘service car’ network in the 1920s.

Though Hudson’s booming sales in the 1920s were largely due to the inexpensive companion make the Essex, the Hudson car company also pioneered modestly-priced closed Hudson cars, and in 1922 their ‘coach’ (a 2-door saloon) sold for only $100 more than a tourer. Until 1929, the Hudson Super Six remained the staple Hudson car model, and during its last three years of production the Hudson car was powered by a 4.7-litre ioe unit derived from the original Essex Four of 1918. In 1930 this Hudson car was replaced by a 3½-litre straight-8, later increased to 4.168cc in 1932 – this tough and well-liked unit remained in production until 1952, and powered such Anglo-Americans as the Railton and Brough Superior. These firms also used Hudson’s 3½-litre six.

The 1930s were less facrouable to Hudson cars, except in Britain, where the breed’s popularity warranted the manufacture of a small-bore 2.7-litre ‘export’ six rated at only 16.9hp, which was still being made for Hudson cars in 1940. The regular Hudson Six was a bigger machine of 3.455cc and was offered with independent front suspension in 1934 and 1935; in the latter year Electric Hand gear change became available on Hudson cars. Fencer’s mask radiator grilles followed in 1936, and steering-column change in 1939. The first post-war Hudson cars were a continuation of the 1942 models, but 1948 brought the revolutionary Hudson Step-Down series with the Hudson car company’s high-compression sv in-line engines. These low-built Hudson cars had unitary construction of chassis and body, rear wheels mounted inside the chassis frame, and coil-spring independent front suspension. The 5-litre 145bhp 6-cylinder Hudson Hornet engine introduced for 1951, proved a great success in stock-car events, but before this the Hudson car company had reached its post-war sales peak, with nearly 145.000 Hudson cars delivered in 1950. Competition in the medium-price bracket was too strong, and Hudson’s venture in the compact car market in 1953, with the 3.3-litre 6-cylinder Hudson Jet at $1.833 (this was also the first Hudson to abandon the wet-plate clutch) was not successful.

In 1954 Hudson amalgamated with Nash to form the American Motors Corporation. Though all production was transferred from Detroit to Kenosha, and the Hudson car range now shared its utinized hulls with the bigger Nash models, sales did not prosper. These last Hudson cars had initially the old sv 6-cylinder units or Packard-built V8s, while both Nash’s Rambler and the Austin-built Metropolitan were sold by Hudson agents. The Hudson car name was dropped at the end of the 1957 season.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; GNG, MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com