Fred Duesenberg
December 6, 1876 — July 26, 1932
Fred Duesenberg was a German-American automobile engineer and designer whose Duesenberg cars — particularly the Model J introduced in 1928 — are widely considered the finest automobiles ever manufactured in the United States, combining racing-derived engineering, extraordinary power, and matchless luxury in machines that defined what an American automobile could aspire to be.
From Iowa to the Track
Born on December 6, 1876 in Lippe, Germany, Friedrich Samuel Duesenberg emigrated to the United States as a teenager, eventually settling in Iowa. Working first as a bicycle mechanic, he developed a fascination with engines and began building racing cars with his brother Augie in the early 1900s. The Duesenberg brothers' racing cars became known on the American racing circuit for their engineering quality: in 1921, Jimmy Murphy drove a Duesenberg to victory in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans — the first American car and American driver to win a European Grand Prix. In 1924 and 1925, Duesenbergs won the Indianapolis 500. The racing pedigree was not marketing copy; it was the direct expression of Fred Duesenberg's engineering philosophy, which held that a road car built on the same principles as a racing car would be uniquely capable and durable.
The Model J and American Greatness
In 1926, E.L. Cord — the automotive entrepreneur who also owned Auburn and Cord cars — acquired Duesenberg and gave Fred the resources and mandate to build the finest car in the world. The result, unveiled in 1928, was the Duesenberg Model J: powered by a 265-horsepower straight-eight engine (double the output of any American competitor), with a chassis so robust that it could carry coachbuilt bodies of almost any style and weight. The Model J was priced at $8,500 for the chassis alone, at a time when a Ford cost $500; the completed coachbuilt cars often sold for $15,000 to $25,000. They were purchased by Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, the Duke of Windsor, and numerous heads of state. The saying "It's a Duesie" — meaning something of superlative quality — entered American slang directly from the car's reputation. The Model J remains, in the estimation of virtually every automotive historian, the greatest American automobile ever built.
Did You Know?
The word "doozy" — as in "that's a real doozy," meaning something remarkable or extreme — is widely believed to derive directly from "Duesenberg," via the 1920s slang "It's a Duesie." Fred Duesenberg built cars so far above the competition in quality and price that his name became an adjective for superlative excellence. The etymology is debated by linguists, but the timing — the word "doozy" entered widespread American use precisely during the period when Duesenbergs were at their most famous — is consistent with the claim.
Death and Legacy
Fred Duesenberg died on July 26, 1932 in Mooresville, Indiana, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident — a Model J he was driving on a mountain road in Pennsylvania had crashed weeks earlier. He was 55 years old. Duesenberg production continued until 1937, when the Cord Corporation collapsed during the Depression. Fewer than 500 Model J automobiles were ever built; surviving examples are among the most valuable automobiles in the world, regularly selling at auction for millions of dollars. Fred Duesenberg was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1978, and his name remains synonymous with the very highest standards of American automotive engineering and design.