The Duesenberg brothers introduced the first successful straight-8 racing engine in 1920. Their engine placed third, fourth and sixth at the Indianapolis 500. The following year one of their cars won the French Grand Prix. The straight-8 was the engine design of choice from the late 1920s until the mid-1950s. Bugatti, Duesenberg, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz and Miller built successful racing cars with high-performance straight-8 engines in the 1920s and 1930s.