1932 Auburn 12-160A Speedster

Frank and Morris Eckhart of the Eckhart Carriage Company were responsible for founding the Auburn Automobile Company in 1900, and by 1903, they produced their first car. It was a small center-engine chain-driven one-cylinder runabout with nothing but the basics, though it did ride on pneumatic tires. The company grew gradually going from two- to four- to six-cylinders, and by 1918, it offered four body styles, all six-cylinders. Hit hard by the post-War depression, Auburn was facing insolvency by 1924. Along came Errett Loban cord. Cord arrived in Chicago in 1919 with just $45 to his name. He was hired by the Quinlan Motor Company to sell Moon automobiles; quickly rising through the ranks becoming general manager and ultimately purchasing an interest in the company. Now with $100,000 in his pocket, he was hired by Auburn as general manager whereby he purchased a controlling interest in the company. By 1924 he became president of the company and bought the famous Duesenberg marque as his crowning jewel.

A young designer named Alan Leamy, himself arriving at Duesenberg when he was just 25 years old, was the man responsible for penning the Auburn Speedster just three years into his career at the age of 28. George Kublin, Auburn's chief engineer, designed the 160 horsepower Lycoming-built V-12 which powers this Speedster. Auburn built just 59 Speedsters, including 37 highly appointed 12-160A models like this at a base price of $1,425. Included was a newly developed Columbia 2-speed rear-end, effectively giving the car six forward speeds, as well as cockpit adjustable shock absorbers and Startix automatic re-start. Today it seems hard to believe that a car this stylish was America's lowest price V-12 when new.