By the early 1920s, The United States had overtaken Europe as the largest producer of automobiles in the world. But unlike Henry Ford, who had pioneered mass production, the motoring magnate E L Cord put the onus on quality, not quantity. It was his dream to create an American car that would put the great European marques of Hispano-Suiza, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce in the shade and be acclaimed as the best car in the world. It is ironic, then, that this almost patriotic duty was entrusted not to his own company, Auburn, but to two German-born brothers named Duesenberg. It was a case of if you can't beat them, borrow them.
The Duesenberg brothers, Fred and August, had moved to Iowa when they were children and, by 1913, had established their own company under the family name, quickly gaining a reputation for engineering excellence. After the First World War, the pedigree of the brand was established as Duesenbergs won the French Grand Prix at Le Mans and three victories at Indianapolis.
Their first passenger car, the Model A, was a technological marvel, featuring a straight-eight engine inspired by Bugatti and was the first American car to feature four valves per cylinder and hydraulic brakes. But the brothers' engineering brilliance was not matched by business acumen. While they were in pole position on the racetrack, they struggled to compete on the road. Despite celebrity endorsements from glamorous stars such as Rudolph Valentino, their target of producing 100 cars a month was hopelessly optimistic and, after six years, only 650 were made.
But Cord had not become one of his country's most successful industrialists by chance; he saw the brilliance behind the balance sheets and acquired the company in 1926. He challenged the brothers to make the fastest, most powerful, most expensive car in the world. It took them more than two years to meet this design brief and the result was unveiled at the 1928 New York motor show. It was, Cord observed, well worth the wait. The "J" featured a four-metre chassis incorporating one of the most advanced engines ever designed, producing 320hp in supercharged "JS" form, despite having much smaller capacity than all of its competitors. At a time when 100mph (160kph) was still considered extraordinarily fast, it powered to a breathtaking 140mph. Despite weighing almost three tonnes and being hampered by a clunky non-synchromesh gearbox, it could reach 60mph in an improbable eight seconds.
Of course, anyone buying what claimed to be the best car in the world would expect to pay a premium: the final bill for a Duesenberg J was around US$25,000. That was approximately 10 times the annual salary of an average New Yorker at the time. But despite the outlandish price tag, the car was a success, with celebrities such as Clark Gable and Al Capone among the first to take the wheel. Indeed, the brand soon became a byword for elegance and quality, so much so that the advertising didn't feature any specifications or pictures of the car at all, just a screen siren declaring "I drive a Duesy". Cord must have taken particular pride when European playboy prince the Duke of Windsor placed an order.
But the unchecked capitalism and conspicuous consumption of the Roaring Twenties was fated to come to a spectacular crash. Duesenberg had only delivered 200 cars before Wall Street came tumbling down to leave the US and the world staring into the abyss of a great depression. Hollywood became the only market, where the stars of the silver screen were perhaps the few people left on Earth who could afford such luxury. As the Thirties progressed, the economy stuttered into recovery but the world was a different place and the value of money would never again be treated so lightly.
Cord, astute as ever and sensing that great wealth could be found elsewhere, pulled out of the motor industry in 1937, laying the Duesenberg brand to rest. In total, less than 500 J types were made. Remarkably, more than half are still being displayed or driven today. It is not surprising perhaps, given their pedigree and rarity, that they are one of the most collectable classic cars in the world and that their price at purchase is a mere fraction of what they command today. A model owned by none other than Hollywood actress Greta Garbo sold for US$1.4 million (Dh5.1m) in 2008.
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
ARGYLLE
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
New Zealand T20 squad
New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
TO%20CATCH%20A%20KILLER
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Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
