1930 Auburn Model 125 Cabriolet

Auburn, like so many other premium carmakers, was feeling the Great Depression pinch during the 1930s. Production was down 32% from 1929, to 14,380 cars in 1930. 4,658 of those were the top-of-the-line 125 Custom Eights, including this cabriolet. The Series 125 rests on a 130-inch wheelbase and is powered by a 125 horsepower, 298 cubic-inch straight-eight engine from Lycoming.

Industrialist E.L. Cord took over the Auburn Automobile Company in the mid-1920s and invigorated its product with lively performance, creative use of color, and trend-setting styling. The design of the 8-125 remained virtually unchanged from its inception in 1925 as the 8-88. It was considered especially chic, sporting a design way beyond its time. The basic body was offered as a Phaeton, Sedan and Sports sedan as well as this Cabriolet. Powered by a spirited 125-horsepower Lycoming straight-8 engine and priced hundreds of dollars below similar offerings, the Auburn was a huge success. It was one of the few marques to report sales gains following the 1929 stock Market crash.

This Series 125 Cabriolet was part of Harrah's Automobile Collection in Reno, Nevada, from the 1960s until the collection's mid-1980s liquidation. The current owners acquired the car from Harrah's in 1986. It has participated in four Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Hoosier tours. On one of the tours, it received a damaged bumper, which led to a complete frame-off, two-and-a-half-year restoration.