Duesenberg Model A | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Duesenberg |
Also called | Duesenberg Straight Eight [1] |
Production | 1921–1926 [2] [3] |
Assembly | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
Designer | Fred and August Duesenberg |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Luxury car |
Body style | by arrangement with coachbuilder |
Layout | FR |
Related | Duesenberg Model X |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 4.3 L (260 cu in) OHC straight-eight engine [4] [5] |
Transmission | 3 speed manual [1] |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | standard: 3,403.6 mm (134 in) long: 3,581.4 mm (141 in) [4] |
Chronology | |
Successor | Duesenberg Model X [4] |
Duesenberg Straight 8 [5] | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Duesenberg |
Production | 1921–1926 [2] |
Layout | |
Configuration | straight-eight engine |
Displacement | 4.3 L (260 cu in) [4] |
Cylinder bore | 73.0 mm (2.875 in) [6] |
Piston stroke | 127.0 mm (5.0 in) [6] |
Cylinder block material | cast iron, 3 bearings [6] |
Cylinder head material | cast iron, detachable [6] |
Valvetrain | Shaft-driven SOHC, 2 valves/cyl. |
Compression ratio | 5:1 |
Combustion | |
Fuel system | Single updraft Schebler 1+1⁄2 in carburetor |
Management | Delco coil and points, distributor mounted at end of starter/generator unit |
Fuel type | Gasoline |
Oil system | Wet sump, full pressure lubrication |
Cooling system | water cooled |
Output | |
Power output | 88 bhp (66 kW) @ 3600 rpm |
Torque output | 170 lb⋅ft (230 N⋅m) at 1500 rpm [6] |
Chronology | |
Successor | Duesenberg Model X [4] |
The Duesenberg Model A was the first automobile in series production to have hydraulic brakes and the first automobile in series production in the United States with a straight-eight engine. Officially known as the Duesenberg Straight Eight, the Model A was first shown in late 1920 in New York City. Production was delayed by substantial changes to the design of the car, including a change in the engine valvetrain from horizontal overhead valves to an overhead camshaft; also during this time, the company had moved its headquarters and factory from New Jersey to Indiana. The Model A was manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1921 to 1925 by the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company and from 1925 to 1926 at the same factory by the restructured Duesenberg Motor Company. The successors to the company began referring to the car as the Model A when the Model J was introduced. With a top speed of 71mph.
Fred and August Duesenberg built aircraft and marine engines during World War I and used this expertise to design and build racing engines and to design a car. [7] The Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company was incorporated in Delaware and founded to manufacture and market the production car while Duesenberg Brothers, a separate organization, built racing cars and engines. [8]
The Duesenberg Straight Eight was introduced in late 1920 at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, [9] [10] but production of the Straight Eight did not begin until late 1921. The main reason for the delay was Fred Duesenberg's decision to redesign several aspects of the car, including the valvetrain. [11] The headquarters and manufacturing facilities of the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company were relocated from Newark, New Jersey, to Indianapolis, Indiana during this time. The move was completed in May 1921, but the redesign was not. [12]
The Straight Eight was the first car in series production in the United States with a straight-eight engine. [1] [9] The engine had a cast iron block, a detachable cast iron cylinder head, and an aluminum lower crankcase and oil pan. [5] [6] The crankshaft ran in three main bearings. [5] [6] While the prototype Straight Eight shown at the model's introduction had horizontal valves of the type used in earlier Duesenberg-designed marine and racing engines, [1] [13] the model that entered production had a shaft-driven [5] single overhead camshaft [1] [5] [6] which used rockers to operate two valves per cylinder [6] in a hemispheric combustion chamber. [4] [6]
The engine used a single updraft carburetor; [5] [6] early versions used a Stromberg unit, which was replaced by a Schebler unit. [6] The carburetor was on the right side of the engine, the mixture went into a passage through the engine block to the intake manifold on the left side of the engine. Ignition was by Delco coil and breaker points, with the distributor at the end of the generator/starter unit. [5]
With a 2.875 in (73.0 mm) bore and a 5 in (127.0 mm) stroke, [6] the engine had a displacement of 260 cu in (4.3 L). [4] [5] [6] The standard compression ratio of five to one yielded 88 hp (66 kW) at 3600 rpm [5] and 170 lb⋅ft (230 N⋅m) of torque at 1500 rpm. [6]
A single dry-plate clutch and an unsynchronized three-speed gearbox were bolted to the engine. The gearbox was operated directly with a central shift lever. The drive shaft was enclosed in a torque tube and drove the live rear axle through a spiral bevel drive. [6]
The chassis was based on a pressed steel ladder frame with channel-section side members and fabricated and tubular cross members. Suspension was by semi-elliptic leaf springs and Watson Stabilator dampers front and rear, with a tubular beam axle at the front and a live axle and radius rods at the rear. [6] The standard wheelbase was 134 inches (3,400 mm), [4] [5] [6] with a wheelbase of 141 inches (3,600 mm) available for seven-passenger bodies. [4] The front and rear tracks were both 56 inches (1,400 mm) wide. [6] Center-locking wire wheels with 5" x 33" tires were used front and rear. [6]
The Duesenberg Straight Eight was the first production automobile to use Lockheed Corporation Hydraulic brakes on all four wheels. [1] [14] [15] The brakes on the front wheels were 16 inches (410 mm) in diameter and were finned to dissipate heat. The fluid used in the system was a mixture of glycerine and water. [1]
The initial production target was 100 cars per month. By the end of 1922, after slightly more than a year of production, fewer than 150 Duesenberg Straight Eights had been built. [16] [17] Production of the Straight Eight continued through several changes in management, [17] [18] placement of the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company into receivership in January 1924, [2] [17] [19] and the restructuring of the company into the Duesenberg Motor Company in February 1925, [2] [17] [20] until the purchase of the company by E. L. Cord in October 1926. [2] [14] [21] About 650 Straight Eights had been built when Cord ended production in 1926. [2] [22]
The Duesenberg Model X, a derivative of the Straight Eight, had a short production run in 1927. About twelve were built. [2] [22] The Model X had an engine with the same bore and stroke as the Straight Eight [23] but with a non-crossflow head. The engine delivered 100 horsepower (75 kW). The chassis had a wheelbase of 135 inches (3,400 mm). [2]
Despite its regional and worldwide automotive firsts, the Straight Eight has been obscured by the later Model J. [24] It is no longer widely known by the Straight Eight name under which it was marketed and sold, having been renamed the "Model A" after the introduction of the Model J. [2] [3] [25] [26]
The straight-eight engine or inline-eight engine is an eight-cylinder internal combustion engine with all eight cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase. The type has been produced in side-valve, IOE, overhead-valve, sleeve-valve, and overhead-cam configurations.
Cord was a brand of American luxury automobile manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company of Connersville, Indiana, from 1929 to 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937.
Crosley was a small, independent American manufacturer of subcompact cars, bordering on microcars. At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati, Ohio, firm was active from 1939 to 1952, interrupted by World War II production. Their station wagons were the most popular model, but also offered were sedans, pickups, convertibles, a sports car, and even a tiny jeep-like vehicle. For export, the cars were badged Crosmobile.
Du Pont Motors was founded by E. Paul du Pont to produce marine engines for the Allied nations during World War I. After the war, Du Pont Motors produced extremely high-end automobiles. The cars were manufactured in Wilmington, Delaware.
Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. was an American racing and luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the straight-eight engine and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. A Duesenberg car was the first American car to win a Grand Prix race, winning the 1921 French Grand Prix. Duesenbergs won the Indianapolis 500 in 1922, 1924, 1925 and 1927. Transportation executive Errett Lobban Cord acquired the Duesenberg corporation in 1926. The company was sold and dissolved in 1937.
The Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was Chrysler's top-of-the-line vehicle for much of its history. Models were produced with the Chrysler name until 1954, after which it became a standalone brand; and again from 1990 to 1993. The company positioned the cars as a prestige marque to rival Cadillac, Continental, Lincoln, Duesenberg, Pierce Arrow, Cord, and Packard. According to Antique Automobile, "The adjective 'imperial' according to Webster's Dictionary means sovereign, supreme, superior or of unusual size or excellence. The word imperial thus justly befits Chrysler's highest priced model."
The Ford Model N is an automobile produced by Ford Motor Company; it was introduced in 1906 as a successor to the Models A and C as the company's inexpensive, entry-level line. It was built at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.
The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company built the brass era and vintage Premier luxury automobile in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1903 to 1925.
The first Cadillac automobiles were the 1903 Model built in the last quarter of 1902. These were 2-seater "horseless carriages" powered by a reliable and sturdy 10 hp (7 kW) single-cylinder engine developed by Alanson Partridge Brush and built by Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Company of Detroit, of which Henry Leland was founder, vice-president and general manager.
The Studebaker Big Six was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana between 1918 and 1926, being designated the Model EG (1918–21), the EK (1922–24) and the EP (1925–26); its name was due to the 127" wheelbase in comparison to the Studebaker Special Six at 120". In 1927, it was renamed the President (ES) pending introduction of a smaller and smoother straight-eight engine for new top-of-the-range models after January 1928.
The Studebaker Special Six was an American automobile built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1918 to 1927.
The Hudson Greater Eight is a luxury car that was produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan during 1931 and 1932.
The Union automobile was a vehicle manufactured by the Union Automobile Company from 1902 until 1905. It was designed by John William Lambert, who had developed the three-wheel Buckeye gasoline buggy in 1891. Over the next decade, Lambert substantially refined the vehicle, with modifications including an additional wheel, a more powerful engine, and a new transmission system. The Union Automobile Company was formed as a subsidiary of Lambert's Buckeye Manufacturing Company solely to manufacture the Union, which took its name from Union City, Indiana, the city where it was built and which endorsed its production. In total, the company built over three hundred Union automobiles, before development shifted to the Lambert automobile, the Union's successor.
The Austin was a brass era American automobile manufactured in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 1901 to 1921. The company, founded by James E. Austin and his son Walter Austin, built large, expensive and powerful touring cars with an unusual double cantilever rear spring arrangement placing the rear wheels behind the passenger compartment, for a longer wheelbase to improve rider comfort in an era of rough roads as well as a unique two-speed rear axle.
The Partin Manufacturing Company was a brass era American automobile manufacturer, headquartered at 29 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois from 1913 to 1917. The Partin-Palmer automobile and Pioneer cyclecar were produced.
The Cole Motor Car Company was an early automobile maker based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cole automobiles were built from 1908 until 1925. They were quality-built luxury cars. The make is a pioneer of the V-8 engine.
The Mormon Meteor I and III were two land speed record cars built in the 1930s by Ab Jenkins.
The Cord 810, and later Cord 812, was a luxury automobile produced by the Cord Automobile division of the Auburn Automobile Company in 1936 and 1937. It was the first American-designed and built front wheel drive car with independent front suspension. It was preceded by Cord's own 1929 Cord L-29, and the French 1934 Citroën Traction Avant front wheel drive cars, but the 810 / 812 was commercially less successful than these.
The Duesenberg Model J is a luxury automobile made by Duesenberg from 1928 to 1937. Intended to compete with the most luxurious and powerful cars in the world, it was introduced in 1928, the year before the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. The Model J, available with a supercharger after 1932, was sold until Duesenberg Motors Company went bankrupt in 1937.
The Kessler Motor Company was a short-lived American manufacturer of aircraft engines and automobiles. The brand name for engines and automobiles was Kessler; also Kess-Line for some cars.