Officially known as the Duesenberg Straight Eight, the Model A was first shown in late 1920 in New York City.

Production was delayed by substantial changes to the design of the car, including a change in the engine valvetrain from horizontal overhead valves to an overhead camshaft; also during this time, the company had moved its headquarters and factory from New Jersey to Indiana.

The main reason for the delay was Fred Duesenberg's decision to redesign several aspects of the car, including the valvetrain.

[11] The headquarters and manufacturing facilities of the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company were relocated from Newark, New Jersey, to Indianapolis, Indiana during this time.

[12] The Straight Eight was the first car in series production in the United States with a straight-eight engine.

[5][6] While the prototype Straight Eight shown at the model's introduction had horizontal valves of the type used in earlier Duesenberg-designed marine and racing engines,[1][13] the model that entered production had a shaft-driven[5] single overhead camshaft[1][5][6] which used rockers to operate two valves per cylinder[6] in a hemispheric combustion chamber.

[6] The Duesenberg Straight Eight was the first production automobile to use Lockheed Corporation Hydraulic brakes on all four wheels.

By the end of 1922, after slightly more than a year of production, fewer than 150 Duesenberg Straight Eights had been built.