It was the kind of challenge the Duesenbergs loved, and the result was the Model J Duesenberg introduced in December, 1928 at the New York Automobile Salon. It had a whopping 3,619 mm (142.5 in.) wheelbase, and even longer wheelbases would be offered later. Weight varied with the type of coachwork, but was in the 2,268 to 2,722 kg (5,000 to 6,000 lb) range. Duesenbergs were bodied in a wide variety of styles by some of the finest coachbuilders of the era, including Murphy, Locke, Derham and Le Baron.
The J had a race-inspired straight-eight engine with chain-driven double overhead camshafts actuating four valves per cylinder. It displaced 6.9 litres (420 cu in.) and was rated at 265 horsepower at 4,200 rpm. The J was fitted with hydraulic brakes, which Duesenberg had pioneered in the Model A Duesenberg; they were vacuum assisted to help haul the heavy car down from high speeds.
Performance was prodigious. In November 1956, Road & Track magazine carried a simulated road test of a 1930 Duesenberg J coupe. It was not based on the test of an actual car, but relied on past associations with Duesenbergs, plus earlier published data and some educated “guestimates.”
The magazine estimated that the J could accelerate from zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 8.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 185 km/h (115 mph) in third (high) gear, with 153 km/h (95 mph) available in second. The high-gear top speed seems in line with other reports, although the second-gear speed and acceleration times may have been a bit optimistic.
What was more important in that pre-automatic transmission era was the ability to accelerate and climb hills in high gear. Road & Track estimated that the engine’s high, flat torque curve could propel the car from 16 to 129 km/h (10 to 80 mph) in high in just 22 seconds.
The J was joined in 1932 by the even mightier supercharged Duesenberg SJ, rated at 320 horsepower. This was said to be capable of 167 km/h (104 mph) in second gear and 225 km/h (140 mph) in high. Racing great Ab Jenkins hit 258 km/h (160 mph) in an SJ.
Unfortunately, the Duesenberg J was introduced shortly before the onset of the Depression. In spite of this, Duesenbergs continued to be produced and sold until 1937, then disappeared with the death of the Cord empire. A total of 470 Js and SJs had been built.
Thankfully, many of these super automobiles have been preserved to remind us of an era when American cars were the equal of the world’s best.
