Starting in 1913 the Duesenberg Motor Company was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, by the brothers Fred and Augie Duesenberg where the manufacture of  automotive and marine engines plus race cars commenced.

After building a factory in Elizabeth, NJ, they became the first auto maker to develop a straight 8-cylinder engine. In 1926 the company was taken over by Erret Lobban Cord. Fred stayed on a VP of Engineering, designing the famous "J" model for 1928.

The featured example is a 1931 model with a coachbuilt speedster body designed by Joseph Figoni. The description "True Speedster" refers to it not having side windows. Its 420 cubic inch inline 8 engine developed 265 horsepower at 4250 rpm.

Top speed was said to be 116 mph, and the vehicle could reach 89 mph in second gear of its 3-speed manual transmission. It has long been said that if one single automobile that was ever built in America was to be singled out as the most glorious achievement in America's car making history, that car would have to be the Duesenberg.

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