Duesenberg Model A
| Duesenberg | |
|---|---|
 Duesenberg Model A with touring car body by Leon Rubay, 1923
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| Model A | |
| Sales designation: | Duesenberg Straight Eight |
| Production period: | 1921-1926 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Touring car |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 4.2 liters |
| Length: | |
| Width: | |
| Height: | |
| Wheelbase : | 3404-3581 mm |
| Empty weight : | |
| successor | Duesenberg Model X |
The Duesenberg Model A was the first mass-produced automobile with hydraulic brakes and the first mass-produced car with an eight-cylinder in-line engine in the United States. Under the official name Duesenberg Straight Eight , the Model A was first introduced in New York City in late 1920 . Production was delayed due to substantial changes to the design of the engine, which got a king-shaft driven overhead camshaft instead of a walking beam valve control . The company also moved its headquarters and factory from New Jersey to Indiana. The Model A was manufactured in Indianapolis by the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company from 1921 to 1925, and by the restructured Duesenberg Motor Company from 1925 to 1926 in the same factory . The company began to refer to the model as Model A with the introduction of the successor Model J.
background
Fred and August Duesenberg built aircraft and marine engines during the First World War and used this experience to develop and build racing engines and to develop a car. The Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company was incorporated in Delaware and incorporated for the purpose of manufacturing and selling automobiles. The independent company Duesenberg Brothers , however, was responsible for racing cars and motors.
Introduction and delay
The Duesenberg Straight Eight was unveiled at the Commodore Hotel in New York City in late 1920 , but production didn't start until late 1921. The main reason for the delay was Fred Duesenberg's decision to change several parts of the vehicle, such as the valve timing. The headquarters and factory of the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company were meanwhile moved from Newark to Indianapolis. The move was completed in May 1921, while the changes to the vehicle were not yet completed.
Development and technology
Powertrain
The Straight Eight was the first series-produced eight-cylinder in-line car in the United States. The engine block and removable cylinder head were made of cast iron , the lower crankcase half and oil pan were made of aluminum. The crankshaft ran in three main bearings. The prototype of the Straight Eight had walking beam valve control with horizontal valves and long rocker arms, as used in earlier Duesenberg engines, while the later produced model had hemispherical combustion chambers and a king-shaft driven overhead camshaft that operated two valves per cylinder.
The engine had a rising current carburetor ; Stromberg's early models and Schebler's later models . The carburetor was on the right side of the engine, the fuel mixture was fed through the engine block to the inlets on the left side of the engine. The ignition coil , ignition interrupter and distributor were from Delco .
With a bore of 73 mm in diameter and a stroke of 127 mm, the engine had a displacement of 4,261 cm³. With a compression ratio of five to one, the engine developed a maximum of 66 kW at 3600 rpm and achieved a maximum torque of 230 Nm at 1500 rpm.
Via a single dry , an unsynchronized three-speed transmission and a drive shaft driving the motor at the rear wheels.
chassis
The chassis was a box frame made of pressed steel with a tubular cross member. There were semi-elliptical leaf springs and Watson shock absorbers on both axles . The front axle was tubular and a drawbar axle was built in at the rear . In the standard version, the car had a wheelbase of 3,404 mm, in the version for seven people 3,581 mm. The front and rear track width was 1,422 mm. The front and rear of the car had 5 "x 33" spoked wheels with central locking.
The Duesenberg Straight Eight was the first mass-produced car with brakes on all four wheels. They were hydraulically operated drum brakes. The front brakes had a diameter of 406 millimeters and cooling fins on the brake drums for heat dissipation. A mixture of glycerine and water served as the hydraulic fluid.
production
The initial production target was 100 vehicles per month. By the end of 1922, after a little over a year of production, fewer than 150 Duesenberg Straight Eights had been built. Production of the Straight Eight continued despite some management changes and the restructuring of the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company into the Duesenberg Motor Company in February 1925 until the company was bought by Errett Lobban Cord in October 1926. By the end of production by Cord in 1926, around 650 Straight Eights had been built.
Afterlife
The Duesenberg Model X , a variation of the Straight Eight, was produced for a short time in 1927. About twelve vehicles were built. The Model X had an engine with the same bore and stroke as the Straight Eight, but with a countercurrent cylinder head . The engine delivered 75 kW. The chassis had a wheelbase of 3,429 mm.
Although the Straight Eight was produced earlier, the later produced Model J is better known. Under the name Straight Eight , under which the vehicle was originally sold, it is now hardly known. The name Model A , used later, is more common.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Cyril Posthumus, John Wood: The story of Veteran & Vintage Cars . Hamlyn / Phoebus, London 1977, ISBN 0-600-39155-8 , pp. 74-85 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Mike Mueller: American Horsepower 100 Years of Great Car Engines . Motorbooks, St. Paul, MN 2006, ISBN 978-0-7603-2327-4 , pp. 49–54 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Graham Robson: The Illustrated Directory of Classic Cars . MBI Publishing, St. Paul, MN, ISBN 0-7603-1049-1 , pp. 180–181 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Beverly Rae Kimes: The Classic Car . Ed .: Classic Car Club of America. Des Plaines, IL 1990, ISBN 0-9627868-0-2 , pp. 229-269 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dennis Adler: Duesenberg . Krause Publications, 2004, ISBN 0-87349-388-5 , pp. 53–82 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ a b c d e f Griffith Borgeson: Errett Lobban Cord: His Empire, His Motor Cars: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg . New Albany, IN 2005, ISBN 0-9711468-7-X , pp. 40–47 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
- ↑ Michael Sedgwick: Early Cars . Octopus Books, 1972, ISBN 0-7064-0058-5 .
- ↑ Motoring Memories: Duesenberg Model A ( Memento from January 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on January 20, 2014 (English)
