FREDERICK S. DUESENBERG - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 08/16/1927 - HFSID 280905
Price: $3,250.00
FREDERICK SAMUEL DUESENBERG
Car designer Frederick Samuel Duesenberg wrote this letter on Duesenberg, Inc.
stationery in 1927, one year after E. L. Cord and Auburn Auto Co. acquired his company,
to a North Chicago engineer regarding improvements to engine valves. Accompanied by
original mailing envelope
Typed letter signed "F. S Duesenberg". 1 page, 8¼x10¾, on stationery of Dusenberg, Inc. in
Indianapolis, Indiana. Aug. 16, 1927. Mr. E. S. Palmbla c/o The North Chicago Machine
Company, North Chicago, Illinois. In full: "Your letter of August 12th received and beg to
advise that we are always interested in new developments. About nine years ago, we built a
motor which had a common intake and exhaust valve using a rotary distributor above. You
will remember, no doubt, the motor was made by Mr. Able, which had a positive open-ing
and closing device for this valve. The system we had was a little bit more efficient but possibly
harder to construct. The bad part about all of these valves as we have seen is that some of
the burnt charge is left in the port and mixes with the intake when it opens and goes back
into the cylinder. Under certain conditions this is a decided advantage while in others it is not.
If you had a sketch of your device so that we could see what it is like, it might be that you
could overcome this. We still have the motor that we built and it had some decided
advantages over the present type of motor but we have never thought well enough of it to
continue experimenting with it. If we could get something good from you it might be well for
us to take it up with you. Yours very truly, DUSENBERG, INC. FSD F". Lightly toned,
foxed, creased and rippled. Staple holes in top left corner. Mounting remnants on verso (no
show-through). Light tear at left and right edges. Folded once horizontally and twice vertically.
Otherwise in fine condition. Accompanied by: Original mailing envelope on "Duesenberg
Straight 8" stationery. Postmarked Indianapolis, Indiana, Aug. 16, 1927 Addressed to Mr. E.
S. Palmbla c/o The North Chicago Machine Company, North Chicago, Illinois. Fragile.
Lightly toned, foxed, soiled and creased. Missing corners. Light tears at top and bottom edges.
Torn open at right edge. Paper loss on verso (no show-through). Otherwise in fine condition.
E. S. PALMBLA received a patent in 1915 for internal combustion engine improvements,
which included improved engine valves. Written one year after E. L. Cord, the President of
the Auburn Auto Co., purchased the Duesenberg's automobile company. From 1929 until
his death in 1932, Duesenberg worked on what Cord called "the biggest, fastest and most
powerful stock automobiles the world has ever seen" and producing the J and SJ models,
which became luxurious status symbols to the rich and famous. In 1927, Dusenberg
introduced the Model X, an upgrade from his already extravagant Model A. Reportedly,
only 13 Model X's were ever manufactured, with only four surviving examples of this model.
German-born FREDERICK SAMUEL DUESENBERG (1877-1932) and his brother
August (1879-1955) founded the Duesenberg Company after first building cars for Mason
Motors in Des Moines, Iowa. Frederick, the engineering specialist of the two, patented the
Duesenberg motor in 1913. In 1921, the Duesenberg automobile won the French Grand
Prix at Le Mans - the first win in European racing for an American automobile
manufacturer. The Duesenberg, driven by Jimmy Murphy, had a three-speed gearbox and
four-wheel brakes. Prior to 1921, all cars were equipped with brakes only on the back wheels;
due to the success and increased safety factor, four-wheel brakes were later adopted for
passenger cars. Duesenbergs also won the Indianapolis 500 in 1924, 1925 and 1927. Two
items.
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