Was The Duesenberg Straight-8 A Good Engine, & How Powerful Was It?

Duesenberg made some of the most luxurious and expensive cars of the pre-World War era, and a great deal of effort went into the design and construction of the massive inline eight-cylinder engine that powered the Model A, Model J, and some of Duesenberg's other marvels. Duesenberg went under in 1937 , five years after co-founder Fred Duesenberg's death, but was the quality of the straight eight a factor in the demise of the company, and just how powerful was that engine? Duesenberg's inline eight was positively dominant on the racetrack in the 1920s. "Doozies" took the top two spots at the 1922 Indianapolis 500, and Duesenberg drivers drank milk in the winner's circle again in 1924, 1925, and 1927.

In April 1923, Duesenberg demonstrated the dependability of its straight-eight engine by running a Model A for 24 straight hours at Indianapolis, covering 3,155 miles at an average speed of more than 131 miles per hour. Another Model A ran alongside it for refueling when necessary, and the one that ran all those laps served as the pace car for the race the next month. [Featured image by Larry Stevens via Wikimedia Commons |Cropped and scaled|Public Domain] Duesenberg's production cars were as extravagant as its racers were successful.

The Model J started at $8,500 in 1929, which equals more than $150,000 when accounting for almost a century of inflation. As should be expected for the most important component of a high-end car, the Duesenberg inline eight engine is a masterfully en.