1935 Auburn Model 851 Boattail Speedster

The Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster had 150 horsepower which was sent to a Columbia dual ratio rear axle, standard equipment on the supercharged models, which provided two ratios for each gear, one low and one high. The driver could change the ratios as often as desired, while at very low speeds or at a stop, by moving the switch in the center of the steering wheel. This made the vehicle suitable for driving through crowded cities and sweeping down country lanes.

Inside each Speedster on the dashboard was a plaque inscribed, 'This certifies that this AUBURN AUTOMOBILE has been driven 100.8 miles per hour before shipment.' It was signed by David 'Ab' Jenkins, the speed record driver who achieved some of his greatest successes at Bonneville behind the wheel of a late Auburn Speedster.

This example is one of a believed total of about 150 last-generation Speedsters built. It has its original frame and body, and still carries its original chassis tag applied by the factory in 1935.

It is believed that this example was shown at the New York Automobile Show. The car was purchased by a gentleman from Long Beach, California who used it until his passing several years later. It then passed through owners in California and Washington before Doug Doyle of Oregon acquired it in May of 1957. The car had been restored by then-owner Hal Resch in 1950. At the time, the damaged original engine had been replaced with a new one supplied by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company.

In the 1970s, the Auburn was acquired in a trade by Luigi Chinetti. The car was sold by Chinetti Jr. in 1984 to the Imperial Palace of Las Vegas, and it went shortly thereafter to Peter Kaus for his Rosso Bianco Museum in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The car was part of that museum until its dispersal in the early 21st century, at which time it was acquired by Ton Meijer for his daughter. Ownership later passed to a prominent collection in Texas, from which the car was acquired by its present owner. In the current ownership, the car underwent an extensive ground-up restoration. It is finished in a period-correct Ivory, while the interior was re-upholstered in maroon leather with a complementing new black top.

In 2013, the car was offered for sale in Scottsdale, Arizona, by RM Auctions. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $517,000, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2013