Fred Duesenberg

By Sigur Whitaker
 
Fred Duesenberg had a love affair with racing. It didn’t matter if it was bicycles, speed boats, or automobiles. His racers obtained great success.
 
Without a formal education in mechanics, Fred Duesenberg worked as an apprentice on racing bicycles for Thomas Jeffrey, builder of the Rambler bicycle. The Rambler bicycle was expensive, at $80 in 1897, which today would be over $3100. Around 1900, the Duesenberg brothers opened a bicycle shop in Rockford, Iowa. During this time, Fred was a successful bicycle racer and broke two world records for speed. To pace his bicycle training, Fred built a racing motorcycle.
With lawyer Edward R. Mason providing the financing, Fred and Augie founded the Mason Automobile Company in Des Moines, Iowa in 1906. Equipped with a two-cylinder engine, advertising claimed the car could go 475 miles on 18 gallons of gasoline, approximately 26.4 miles per gallon. To introduce the car, it was driven up the 47 steps of the Iowa state capitol building on August 16, 1906.
 
In 1909, Frederic Maytag purchased the company and started making the Maytag-Mason. The Duesenberg brothers left the company to pursue making race cars. After sales slumped, Maytag sold his interest in the company in 1911. Without the Duesenbergs, the company continued its downward trend and declared bankruptcy in 1913. The last Mason was produced in 1915.
 
In 1912, Fred and Augie entered a Mason in the Indianapolis 500 but it failed to qualify.
 
The Duesenberg brothers first appearance at the Indianapolis 500 was in 1913. At the time, they were involved with the Mason car. Willie Haupt drove a Mason to ninth place while Bob Evans finished thirteenth. Billy Knipper with a Knipper chassis and Duesenberg engine finished sixteenth.
 
In 1913, Fred and Augie founded the Duesenberg Motor Company, Inc. in St. Paul, Minnesota, to build engines for race cars.
 
Eddie Rickenbacker, who becme America’s “Ace” during World War I and the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was the Duesenberg team captain in 1914. In the 1914 Indianapolis 500, he finished 10th with an average speed of 70.827 mph. Willie Haupt in another Duesenberg finished twelfth, and George Mason, who exited the race after a piston failure, finished twenty-third.  On July 4, Rickenbacker piloted the Duesenberg racer to victory in the 300-mile race at Sioux City, Iowa, with an average speed of 78.8 mph. It was a spectacular finish. Just 30 yards from the finish line, his right rear tire burst, and he won the race on the rim. In third place was Ralph Mulford in another Duesenberg.
 
By 1915, they were racing under their own name. As Henry Ford watched, Eddie O’Donnell finished fifth in the Indianapolis 500 and Tom Alley eighth. O’Donnell’s car was approximately thirty-three minutes slower than Ralph DePalma's record time. A Duesenberg driven by Ralph Mulford went out of the race in the 125th lap because of a broken rear axle. While in Indianapolis, Ford visited the new Ford automobile plant which assembled, sold and repaired Ford automobiles.
 
J. R. Harbeck, president of the Loew-Victor Engine Company, contacted Fred Duesenberg shortly after the Disturber IV became the first hydroplane to go over 60 mph. Loew-Victor specialized in marine engines. What began in 1916, as some contract work for Loew-Victor resulted in the 1917 merger of Loew-Victor and Duesenberg  Motors. The company was renamed the Duesenberg Motor Corporation. Fred was the chief engineer and Augie was the assistant chief engineer. The company produced the Duesenberg Patrol Model, six- and eight-cylinder engines used in a variety of boats ranging from fishing boats to luxury cruisers and navy ships.
 
In the 1916 Indianapolis 500, which was shortened to 300 miles, Wilbur D’Alene finished nearly two minutes behind Dario Resta. Tom Alley finished eleventh of the field of 21. Three Crawford chassis powered by Duesenberg engines finished eighth (Art Johnson), ninth (Billy Chandler), and fourteenth (Dave Lewis whose car had a fuel tank issue on lap 72.)
 
Carl Fisher was concerned that the war raging in Europe would impact auto racing, scheduled the Harvest Classic, an afternoon of racing at IMS on September 9, 1916. Crowds were disappointing for the three race card. Duesenberg entered four cars, piloted by Tommy Milton, Wilbur D’Alene, George Buzane, and Charles Devlin. Milton and Devlin ended up driving other entries.The three races were dominated by Johnny Aitken who pocketed $4,600. Buzane was the only Duesenberg in the 20-mile race and finished seventh of the ten racers, some 1 minute 34 seconds behind Aitken. D’Alene and Buzane were in the 50-mile race with D’Alene finishing fourth and Buzane seventh out of a field of nine. Buzane was on the pole for the 100 mile AAA championship race. Wilburn D’Alene finished third and Buzane fourth out of a field of thirteen.
 
Between 1916 to 1918, Loew-Victor became a major contractor for marine and airplane engines sold to the United States and its allies.
 
When the United States entered World War I, the Duesenbergs  brothers relocated to Elizabeth, New Jersey, Loew-Victor financed a manufacturing facility to build airplane engines, marine engines and four-cylinder passenger car engines. They won a very lucrative contract from the Bolling Commission to build sixteen-cylinder aircraft engines designed by Ettore Bugatti and modified by American Charles B. King. The Bugatti U. S. Model production began in January 1918. Within a month, the factory had more than 1200 employees.
 
They also produced four-cylinder engines for ReVere, Biddle and Romer automobiles. In 1917, Fred and Augie opened a second shop in Newark, New Jersey, where they developed their first single overhead cam straight engine, which would later power the Model A Duesenberg.
 
When World War I ended in November 1918, there was little need for the Duesenberg marine and airplane engines and the partnership was dissolved. The Elizabeth, New Jersey factory was sold to John North Willys, president of Willys-Overland Motors, for a short period of time the second largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. The designs for the four and six-cylinder passenger car engines were sold to the Rochester Motor Company.
 
Freed from military work, the Duesenberg brothers decided to resume building their racing engine, but this time with a straight eight. They also completed the design of the first Duesenberg passenger automobile, today known as the Model A.
 
Part two.
 
On the packed sands of Daytona Beach, Tommy Milton earned the title of “speed king” after breaking multiple speed records. On April 25, 1920, he broke Ralph DePalma’s record for one kilometer, three miles, four miles, and five miles. He also broke his own record for a half mile and a mile. On April 27, 1920, driving the Duesenberg Special, which had two 300-cubic inch eight-cylinder engines coupled side by side, he set a new world record at 156.04 mph. At the finish, his car was in flames and he drove it into the ocean. Remarkably, the car was repaired, and he set another new record for a half mile and a kilometer. Milton was unable to try for a new world record for 20 miles because his eyes were injured by the fire. This record stood until it was broken in 1927 by Malcolm Campbell.
 
In 1920, the Duesenberg brothers were in the process of moving their engine business from New Jersey to Indianapolis. Gaston Chevrolet, who stopped twice for fuel the second time on lap 197, drove away from the Indianapolis 500 field with an average speed of 88.618 mph, beating René Thomas with an average speed of 86.992 mph. The Duesenberg racers finishing in the top ten were third (Tommy Milton), fourth (Jimmy Murphy), sixth (Eddie Hearne), ninth (Ralph Mulford), and tenth (Pete Henderson). Eddie O’Donnell’s Duesenberg racer had an oil line failure on the 150 lap, and William Haupt was still running when the race was called, finishing sixteenth.
 
In 1921, Duesenberg entered four cars in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans but the cars almost didn’t get to participate in the race. Having arrived late, they were assessed a hefty fine which was paid by spark plug manufacturer Albert Champion. The drivers were Albert Guyot, Joe Boyer, André Dubonnet, and Jimmy Murphy. In the race, one of the Duesenberg’s front brakes locked up and the driver and his riding mechanic were ejected from the car. A second Duesenberg suffered a damaged radiator. On the next to final lap of the 30-lap race, Jimmy Murphy’s car’s radiator was pierced by a sharp object. With a sizeable lead, he was able to pit for additional water and went on to win the race by nearly 15 minutes over Ralph DePalma who was driving a Ballot. Murphy’s Duesenberg was equipped with a straight-eight engine producing 183 cubic inches of power and hydraulic brakes which improved the car’s braking performance. Goux finished third. While Dubonnet finished fourth and Guyot sixth out of a field of about 12 racers. This was the first American car to win the French Grand Prix.
 
Murphy bought the chassis from the Duesenberg brothers, installed a Harry Miller engine, and won the 1922 Indianapolis 500. In winning the race, he established a new speed record of 94.48 mph, shattering the 89.62 mph record established by Ralph DePalma in 1915. But that is only part of the story of the 1922 Indianapolis 500. The other part is that of the 10 top finishers, Duesenberg had seven including Harry Hartz in second, Ralph DePalma in fourth, Ora Haibe in fifth, Jerry Wunderlich in sixth, Isaac Fetterman in seventh, Ira Vail in eighth, and René Thomas in tenth. Hartz, DePalma, and Haibe all had rides faster than the old record.
 
After a good showing in 1922, Duesenberg had only one car in the 1923 race. Wade Morton completed all two hundred laps and finished 10th. He was well off the pace set by winner Tommy Milton in a Miller.
 
While Miller racers dominated the 1924 race with eight of the top 10 finishers, L. L. Corum’s Duesenberg won with an average speed of 98.234 mph. He was relieved on lap 106 by Joe Boyer. Earlier in the race, it was felt that Boyer’s car didn’t have the power to be competitive.  Pete DePaolo placed sixth. Joe Boyer’s original mount was involved in an accident on lap 177. The fourth member of the team, Ernie Ansterburg, had an accident on the second lap.
 
Duesenberg repeated as winner in 1925 with Peter DePaolo at the wheel with an average speed of 101.13 mph. He was relieved for a short time by Norman Bratten. He dominated the field, leading 115 laps. Phil Shafer finished third and Peter Kreis finished eighth. Wade Morton, who crashed on lap 157 finished 23rd served as a relief driver for Shafer.
 
With only two cars participating, the 1926 Indianapolis 500 must have been a disappointment for the Duesenberg brothers. The Duesenbergs were notoriously slow in getting their racers completed. DePaolo received the car from the Duesenberg factory on Sunday with the race to be run the next day. He decided to be conservative for the first half of the race, and then to open it up for the second. Starting at the back of the field, he moved up to fifth place at 400 miles. Although he was seven laps down from the leader, his effort to make up the difference fell short.  The top Duesenberg finisher was Pete DePaolo in fifth place in a rain shortened race of 160 laps. The other Duesenberg, driven by Ben Jones, smacked the wall on lap 55 and finished 18th out of a field of 28.
 
The 1927 Indianapolis 500 was won by George Souders in a Duesenberg with an average speed of 97.451 mph. Having started from the 22nd position, he was in second place at the end of 300 miles and leading the field at the end of 400 miles. He handily beat the second-place finisher, Earl DeVore by over 12 minutes. Souders was an unlikely winner. Blaine Patton, Indianapolis Star sports editor, described him as “fresh from his studies at Purdue university, outdrove, outsmarted, outendured, outlucked and outgeneraled a field of the greatest pilots in the world in his maiden appearance at the wheel of an Indianapolis-made Duesenberg.” Benny Shoff, who finished thirteenth, came very close to finishing second. He was in second place with five miles to go when the drive shaft broke. Dave Evans finished fifth, and Wade Morton fourteenth and Babe Stapp thirty-first in a field of 33.
 
In 1928, the Duesenbergs fielded a four-car team. Once again, the race was dominated by Miller cars with Louis Meyer winning. The top finisher driving a Duesenberg was Fred Frame in eighth place who drove the Duesenberg with which Souders won in 1927.  It was a heart-breaking loss for Jimmy Gleason who finished fifteenth. With a mere nineteen laps to go, he was in a duel for the lead with Tony Gullota. His day ended with six laps to go with engine trouble.  After crashing into the south retaining wall on lap 115, Ira Hall finished 21st. Benny Shoaff hit the wall on lap 36 and was awarded 26th place out of a field of 29.
 
Jimmy Gleason was the top Duesenberg finisher in the 1929 Indianapolis 500 in third place. Freddie Winnai finished in fifth. Ernie Triplett had a rod break on lap 49 and finished in 26th place while Babe Stapp had rear end issues that ended his day of racing on lap 41. He finished 28th. Bill Spence died from injuries suffered after crashing into the wall on lap 10. He finished 32nd.
 
By the 1930s, dominance of the Indianapolis 500 had been ceded to cars with Miller engines which powered the top four finishers in 1930. The top Duesenberg finisher in fifth place was rookie Bill Cummings, relieved by Freddie Winnai. Their Stevens chassis racer was powered by a Duesenberg engine. Driving for the Duesenberg team, Bill Denver finished 22nd after a rod broke on lap 42. Another rookie, Joe Caccia crashed on lap 43 and finished 25th followed by teammate Cy Marshall who crashed in Turn 3 on lap 30. Deacon Litz crashed in Turn 3 on lap 22 and finished 30th. Babe Stapp crashed in Turn 3 on lap 19 and finished 31st. In a car with a Stevens chassis, Peter DePaolo finished 33rd. Finishing in last place (38th) was Chet Gardner who spun in Turn 1 on the second lap.
 
In the 1931 Indianapolis 500, Duesenberg again fielded a large team with seven racers. Fred Frame drove to second place losing to Louis Schneider by less than a minute. Both Schneider and Frame had only one pit stop. Jimmy Gleason finished sixth, Ernie Triplett seventh, Dave Evans in a racer powered by a Cummins diesel engine finished 13th, and Al Aspen finished 14th. Deacon Litz crashed on lap 178 for a 17th place finish. Phil Pardee wrecked with Freddie Winnai on lap 61 and finished 30th. Stapp’s Rigling chassis finished 35th after an oil leak on lap 10.
 
The top Duesenberg finisher in 1932 was Freddie Winnai in eighth place followed closely by teammate Billy Winn in ninth. Deacon Litz finished 18th after a rod broke on lap 153. Johnny Kreiger also had a rod break on lap 31 for a 34th place finish in the 40-car field. Ira Hall finished seventh in a Stevens chassis powered by a Duesenberg engine and Joe Russo finished 24th after his Rigling chassis racer suffered a broken rod on lap 108. Al Aspen finished 34th after his Studebaker powered car suffered a broken rod on lap 32 and Wesley Crawford finished 36th after his Miller chassis car lost its crankshaft on lap 29.
 
Ira Hall’s racer was owned by Fred Duesenberg’s son Denny. Before the race, Fred Duesenberg declared, “I’m through, boys. Let Denny run the show. I’m going to sit in the grandstand and enjoy myself.” He went to the grandstand for only a short time when Ira Hall took the lead after Billy Arnold went out of the race. When Hall pitted Fred was in the pits with the  water bucket. The track announcer told those gathered at the race, “Car No. 33, a Duesenberg, Ira Hall, in the pits, three minutes for gas, oil and water. Fred Duesenberg put in the water.” The crowd cheered.
 
Fred Duesenberg died on July 26, 1932, after suffering a broken shoulder and several broken ribs in a July 2 automobile crash on Ligonier mountain in Pennsylvania. While hospitalized, he developed double pneumonia. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
 
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