Customer Reviews

Duesenberg

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 ?

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.

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 . . .

Bought this after coming back from a visit to the Dusenburg Museum in Indiana.
Even a bad book about Dusenburgs is wonderful, and this is a very good book.
Photography is superb, and the test and captions are informative.

Dennis Adler's Duesenberg follows his basic formula for a book, a very competent photo album with little or nothing in the way of historical insight. He regurgitates information found in other sources and often repeats erroneous information. He performs no primary research nor provides information to make this book an important addition to an automotive library.

While it is rare that an author must defned his work, it is worthy of note that a great deal of time went into the research and preparation of this book, including digital re-mastering of over 100 archival photos from the ACD museum archives. The content is based on 30 years of articles, and while there is no doubt that a few historical errors handed down over the years have been perpetuated here, and facts that have been in question for decades brought to the attention of critics once more, the work stands on its own as the first book of its kind in over a quarter of a century. It is also worthy of note that the author had the entire manuscript read and checked by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum research staff before it went to print. As a reference, there are other equally informative sources regarding Duesenberg (with their own errors). As an archival and graphic history, there has never been a book done on Duesenberg of this type.

Beautiful photos of truly classic American cars. The book has narrative about the makers, the history of Fred and Augie Duesenberg and how they started out in 1913, the evolution of the Duesenberg from the Model A all the way through the 1934 Town Car. Very few were made; almost all of them were custom made for the buyer. They were expensive, elegant, fast and real status symbols. I have been a fan of this car for many years. I'm not an auto historian or expert, so I can't really comment on the accuracy or technical specs, I bought the book purely for the photos.

There are some really beautiful color shots of these cars next to old stately homes, some in Jay Leno's collection, and some from the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg museum. Some nice shots of the engine. I was hoping for more interior shots. The book is heavy & awkward to hold, I rated it three stars because of the lack of photos on the covered cars (less than 10% of the book- 27 pages) of the 1934 town cars, and interior photos. The book just sort of ends, kind of like the company. It's a good review of a classic, there's an intro from Jay Leno, a section on some of the vehichles from the museum in Indiana and an appendix listing all of the model J chasis & engines built.