Car of the Week: This 1935 Auburn Once Rivaled Bugattis and Bentleys. Now It’s up for Grabs.
Few annual automotive events can boast a nearly 70-year history. Once again, the Eastern Division AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) National Fall Meet takes place in historic Hershey, Pa., with one of the largest automobilia shows and flea markets in the world. RM Sotheby’s has presented the event’s official auction for nearly two decades and, on October 9 and 10, will return to The Hershey Lodge with a roster of vehicles from the veteran and Brass eras to postwar classics.
Some of these cars have endured the test of time as collectors’ favorites. Along with Cord and Duesenberg, Auburn is one of the most celebrated American marques of the prewar era. By 1926, Errett Cord owned all three companies, and the most sporting model among his brands was the Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster. Its looks alone ensure its popularity, and its performance and elite position in automotive history only serve to embellish its credentials.
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Introduced just as stateside automakers teetered at the abyss of the Great Depression, it was the equal of the most spirited Bugatti or “Blower” Bentley. Its rakish style had a lot to do with the model’s critical acclaim, and the Speedster, derived from a Duesenberg show car, was a hit from the start.
Although the model was built by the Indiana-based Auburn Automobile Company from 1928 to 1936, the examples made during the final two years of production were the most notable. Those were penned by legendary automotive designer Gordon Buehrig, well known for his innovative front-wheel-drive Cord 810/812 models. An icon of an ambitious age, the Speedster looked fast just standing still, with its low, V-shaped windscreen and a tapered “boattail” that gave the model the name by which it’s usually referred.
Buehrig’s 851 Speedster was a transformational design that looked nothing like its predecessors. Its 4.5-liter, straight-eight engine makes 150 hp, which allowed one example of the sleek convertible to top 100 mph, uninterrupted, for 12 hours—the first American production car to do so.
On the dashboard of each Speedster is a plaque engraved, “This certifies that this Auburn Automobile has been driven 100.8 miles per hour before shipment,” signed by David “Ab” Jenkins, whose successes at Bonneville behind the wheel of an Auburn Speedster are legendary. Underneath the curvaceous bodywork were some advanced technical features, including a supercharger and a Columbia dual-ratio rear axle that essentially provides six gear ratios from the three-speed synchromesh gearbox.
This 1935 Speedster has a known ownership history going back to Tom Barrett (of Arizona auction fame), followed by a few well-known collectors, and was acquired by the consignor in 2021. Certified by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club as a Category 1 original example, it’s recorded with the present engine, a correct replacement unit from later in the production run.
One of only about 150 Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedsters produced between 1935 and 1936, its combination of a black exterior with a red interior accentuates the enduring appeal of this classic from America’s golden age of automotive. The car is estimated to fetch as much as $850,000.
Click below for more photos of this 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster.
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