The first Dursenberg sports car was built by two self taught German born engineers in 1913 using the Duesenberg Automobile & company Inc brand name in Des Moines, Iowa USA. This hand built cars were in the league of the most desirable sports cars when they were introduced. In fact, the Dursenberg car won a number of races that includes the Indianapolis 500 and the French grand prix between 1921 and 1927. Even though this classic car model was a marvel during its hay days, it failed the mass production test because the company had no profitable sales volume so it became bankrupt and closed up.
The classic Dursenberg was later bought out by Auburn Automobile Company among many others who used the advanced Dursenberg Brothers engineering know how to produce several luxury sport cars using the Dursenberg brand name. The model J was the first Dursenberg luxury car design to be rolled out after it was bought out. It was released during the 1928 New York car show. This vehicle model had all the markings of a high-end luxury sports car. It boasted of unheard top speeds of 119 miles per hour with high gear acceleration rates that could shoot to 94 mph when moved to gear two. Beside that, it had a supercharged 256 horsepower engine that supported eight straight dual camshaft overheads.
However, while the engine work was done by Dursenberg all the bodywork was subcontracted to specialized car chassis builders form North America and Europe who gave the Dursenberg luxury car its elegant finish. The chassis value when adjusted for time plus inflation in 2004 went for 8500 dollars with the complete model going for 13000 dollars. However, users had to get a top of the range Duesenberg model for $20,000. Between 1913 and 1927, before the original company went bankrupt, the Duesenberg luxury sports car brand manufacturers presented model A and X. But after Cord Corporation bought it out in 1929, it released sports cars under the model J series until 1937 when they started getting fazed out of the market gradually.
Another notable achievement in the history of this classic high-end luxury car was in 1932 when the Duesenberg SJ model was launched. A three hundred and twenty five supercharged horsepower engine that could achieve high speeds of close to one hundred and thirty five miles per hour powered this classic sports car. With this new sports car edition, the Duesenberg vehicle became a household name across America among the rich and famous. Some of the most prominent individuals of that era who are known to have owned or driven the Duesenberg SJ model include the Duke of Windsor and Clark Gable.
However, this success story of Duesenberg did not last beyond 1937. This is largely because production of this luxury car ceased when the business empire of their new owners was burst with the worldwide economic depression of 1930s. Currently, only 481 Duesenberg model J and SJ can still be traced with auction values of $2 million and beyond.
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