Duesenberg [Hardcover]

Dennis Adler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2004

With only 435 cars still in existence, the Duesenberg--"the Rolls Royce of American automobiles," is demanding a hefty price tag, selling for upwards of $1 million! Many of these surviving cars--each custom crafted, a unique statement of elegance, luxury, and hand-built quality--are captured here in full-color, landscape photography by leading professional photographer and widely recognized author, Dennis Adler. This book is a high-end, top quality treatment of the timeless style of the 1930's most expensive car. It features the entire history of the car company, from its beginnings in 1899, when Fred and Autie Duesenberg built their first bicycle, up until 1937, the time when E.C Cord was forced to sell the nearly bankrupt company. Plus, includes archival photos of the people, places, factories, celebrities, and racing cars that helped make the Duesenberg a legendary automobile.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (July 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873493885
• ISBN-13: 978-0873493888
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,250,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice book, but...., February 12, 2005

By 

Eddy (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duesenberg (Hardcover)

Quite a heavy and cumbersome (due to its shape) book to read whilst sitting in an armchair. Some superb photos, lots of info on Fred & Augie, EL Cord and the personalities involved, the coachbuilders, etc. But nowhere does it tell us aspiring Duesy owners what they're like to drive, is the gearbox really a pig, are the controls light, and how quick they are, etc. Or does nobody actually dare to drive them these days ?

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Duesenberg Book Needing Serious Competent Editing., November 4, 2006

By 

James D. Crank "Car Historian" (Redwood City, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Duesenberg (Hardcover)

Adler's book is so full of technical errors that it is only worth buying for the glitzy photos.

Examples: The Duesenberg racing cars at Indy did not use Roots blowers as he states and goes on to describe in faulty detail, they used centrifugal superchargers. Hundreds of photos exist of these cars and engines.
Also used on some Model A cars, which he doesn't mention.
The Model A gets very short representation.
The stock J engine never developed 265 hp, more like 165-182 hp on observed dyno tests of four engines.
The SJ also never put our anything like 320 hp, even with the dual carburetor setup. 215 hp on a personally observed dyno test of a perfectly restored engine.
There is a decided lack of photos of WW-I aircraft engines and the plant interiors, which are available.
The engineering aspects of the Duesenberg cars, race engines, and their good engineering, gets short shift.
There is a notable lack of any accurate technical information, only the gee-whiz factor.

This book need some very serious editing and revisions by someone who really knows what the Duesenberg cars were all about. As a history book on the Duesenberg cars, it is sadly lacking.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The glory days, August 29, 2005

By 

Chris Sterling "Castle maven" (Annandale, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Duesenberg (Hardcover)

While a number of books have been done on this most classic of all American cars, this is surely the best. Adler does fine photographic work as is abundantly evident here, and the combination of wonderful color photos and a solid text provides a good record of the Duesenberg output, from the little-remembered Model A of the early 1920s to the quintessential Model J (and later SJ) of 1929 to 1937 when the whole firm was shut down as part of the wrapping up of E.L. Cord's auto empire. While they would probably be bears to drive compared to the power-everything we have these days, no current car has the cachet of these huge and heavy but lovingly designed and built motorcars. And they could move---over 100 mph with motors seemingly offering too little horsepower. The handsome coach work pictured on these pages (none of it, of course, the product of the Indanapolis-based Duesenberg factory which provided only the chasis---and that for about $8,000 pre-Depression dollars) really underlines what bygone days these are. In all, a handsome record of a glorious car . . .