Red Schafer in his 1921 Duesenberg special, powered by the 8 "walking beam" engine. Duesenberg had been racing since 1913, but 1921 coincided with their first production car built in Des Moines (the Duesenberg Bros were from Rockford IA) #DavesCarIDService https://twitter.com/TracesofTexas/status/1284592761845485570

Fred & Augie Duesenberg were 2 NW Iowa farm boys who founded the Mason car co. in 1906, later purchased by Iowa washing machine magnate Fred Maytag in 1909 and renamed Maytag-Mason. Built in Des Moines and Waterloo.

The early Iowa built cars won many hill climbs, and the brothers began building race cars under their own name in 1913, in a shop in St Paul MN. One of their early drivers was later WW1 ace Eddie Rickenbacker, who drove a Doozy at Indy in 1914.

Here's Eddie Rickenbacker in a Duesenberg beating Barney Oldfield at the Sioux City 300 in 1914

The Duesenbergs made a few engines for other car makers, notably Revere and Rochester, but in 1921 began making their own production car. This is the oldest known Duesenberg passenger car, a 1921 Model A.

The above car was purchased new by Hawaiian cane sugar baron Northrup Castle (the C in C&H sugar), and remained in the Castle family until very recently. It's now at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn IN.

The Duesenberg factory was in Indianapolis, and it soon gained a reputation as the biggest, fastest, most luxurious car brand in America (if not the world), a 300 hp supercar for playboy moguls and Hollywood stars like Gable and Cooper.

The Duesenberg was so mindblowing at the time, it sparked the phrase "it's a doozy." Its reputation was a combination of Rolls Royce and Ferrari. You bought one like a suit, the chassis from Duesenberg and tailored body from one of their coach builders like Rollston.

Duesenberg was a casualty of the Depression tho, and went out of business in 1937; a handful of non production one-offs were made until 1940. I think this 1940 SJ Rollston is the last know Doozy, on a 1937 chassis.

Now a bit about that smiling race car driver in the original pic: like the Duesenberg Brothers, Phil "Red" Schafer was an Iowa boy, and lived his entire life in Des Moines. Not only did he race Duesenbergs, but also Millers.

Shafer competed at Indy 7 times, with a high finish of #3 in 1925. He later made his own race cars in Des Moines, powered by a Buick Fireball 8. I got to see one at Corky Coker's garage in Chattanooga last year.

Duesenbergs were dominant in the early 20s Indy 500, winning 8 of top 10 in 1922. Soon they were eclipsed by Miller. Here's the 1931 Jack C Carr Special, I think the last Duesenberg powered Indy car, tho it raced until 1937. On right, Dana Mecum's 1931 Miller V16.

Unlike the Duesenberg Brothers, Harry Miller never seriously tried to create a passenger car company, and focused on racing. Sadly, Miller cars were also a casualty of the Depression. But between them they created the 2 greatest American car companies that will ever be.

In conclusion, I like cars.