1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Riviera Phaeton |
| American |
| Written by John Apen |
| Tuesday, 31 May 2005 16:00 |
When Hot Rod Harry had a disastrous engine failure, he souped up the powerplant and installed an overdrive five-speed transmission In 1925, Errett Lobban Cord added the Duesenberg Motors Company to his rapidly growing enterprise, the Auburn Automobile Company. Cord's vision was to create an automobile that would surpass the great marques: Cadillac, Isotta Fraschini, Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, and Hispano-Suiza. He presented Fred Duesenberg with the opportunity to create the greatest car in the world, and the result was the Model J. Conceived and executed to be superlative in all respects, the Model J was introduced at the New York Auto Salon on Dec. 1, 1928. It was powered by a straight-eight-cylinder engine with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Displacing 420 cubic inches, the motor made 265 horsepower. This was later increased to 320 hp for the Model SJ, thanks to a centrifugal supercharger. |
