For a constructor which had such a short lifespan – comparatively speaking, anyway – the Duesenberg Auto Company had a heck of an influence not only on the way we drive, but on the way we appreciate cars and even on the English language. If you think next time you use the phrase “That’s a doozy!” that it actually came from the short lived and much missed Duesenberg company’s advertising campaign for their Model J luxury automobile, then it shows you just how many people the company has reached, in some cases without them even knowing it. There can be few companies more entitled to a place in history than the Duesenberg. Along with the Auburn Automobiles and Cord Automobiles companies, the Duesenberg had a heavy influence on the Indiana city of Auburn.
Although the respective companies above struggled and failed to make it through the pre-war Depression era, their influence has lived long in the memory, to the point where there is now a Museum to their achievements in the city. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is housed now in what used to be the company’s communal headquarters.
The man who brought the three companies together was Errett Lobban (E.L.) Cord – a man with many diverse interests and a business brain that allowed him to hold interests in shipping, aviation and taxis as well as the private automobile, and added to this several radio and television stations at state level, both in California and then in Nevada where he lived for the second half of his life. His achievements are given a touch of mystery by the knowledge that he took over as an interim state legislator, did an excellent job and when called on to run for governorship turned the opportunity down. It is safe to say that without his influence, the American transport industry would look radically different.
Between the successes of Cord - who was approached to take over the Auburn Company, bought out the Duesenberg and founded the Cord Company - and those of the brothers Duesenberg who founded the second of those two, there is a lot to view at the museum which was founded six months after the death of E.L. Cord in 1974. And clearly the American Association of Museums agrees, as it has given the accreditation to this Museum which is denied to 95% of the others in the United States. This accreditation is a mark of continued commitment to excellence – it can be withdrawn, but the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum has retained it since its initial award in 1997 – and guarantees a greater number of visitors for any American museum.
Simply put, if you are interested in the great American automobile and are anywhere in the state of Indiana, it is worth a trip to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum to see how the history of the medium was influenced by the three companies who make up the museum’s name. You will join nearly two million people who have already visited, and will not leave disappointed.
