It's a "Doozy!"

Tweet

Have you ever heard that expression before? Sometimes, when a person is describing something that they think is extraordinary they use that expression. I don’t hear it as often as I used to, but I do still hear it occasionally. Where did the expression come from? You might be surprised at the answer. This description came from the 1930s here in the USA to describe an automobile called the Duesenberg. It was one of the most luxurious and powerful automobiles ever designed. When someone said something was a “Duesy” it meant that it was the best. This automobile was designed by two brothers who had a bicycle shop in Iowa. They also built airplane engines during World War 1. The brothers were Fred and August Duesenberg and their first car, the Model A, was introduced in 1920. It had a straight eight-cylinder engine with four-wheel hydraulic brakes. Unfortunately, the car did not bring in a lot of sales, so the brothers sold their company to an industrialist named E. L. Cord, who was determined to produce the world’s best automobile. Eventually, the Duesenberg J was built and it could reach speeds of 116 miles per hour. The styling was elegant and became the favorite automobile of many movie stars, royalty and the rich and famous. It was interesting the way the car was sold. Cord’s company sold the chassis, engine and grille for $8,500. The buyer then had to order the body from a custom builder, with the total cost amounting to more than $15,000. Then, the Depression era hit the USA and the company went out of business. Today, you can still purchase a vintage Duesenberg if you can FIND one for sale and if you have about a million dollars. Another small note: Duesenbergs won the Indianapolis 500 three times in the 1920s.