1933 Auburn Model 12-165

It had been just nine years since E.L. Cord had been given the General Manager position at Auburn, and his leadership had brought about an improvement in sales. The Great Depression weakened the company's economic strength during the early 1930s, but the styling leadership by Design Chief Alan Leamy kept the Auburn Company at the forefront of modern designs.

Auburn's model lineup for 1933 included the Model 8-101 (and Model 8-101A) powered by a Lycoming eight-cylinder engine and rested on a 127-inch wheelbase (the seven-passenger sedan used a longer, 136-inch platform.) Prices ranged from $745 to $945 for the Model 8-101 and $895 to $1,095 for the Model 8-101A. The 'A' Series had a dual-range overdrive rear axle.

The Model 8-105 was the most deluxe 8-cylinder offering within the Auburn lineup, wearing stylized fenders and lighting and using the same engine and wheelbase platform as its 8-101 sibling. New features included hydraulic brakes, a 'V' windshield, a glove box in the dash, unique propeller-styled bumpers, and a downdraft carburetor.

The top-of-the-line Auburn was the 12-161 (and 12-161A) and 12-165 which used a 133-inch wheelbase and was powered by a 391.6 cubic-inch horizontal valve V-12 engine offering 160 horsepower and paired with a three-speed manual transmission and Columbia electric overdrive. The front used a solid axle while the rear had a live axle setup with semi-elliptic leaf springs and live rubber air cushions all-round. The frame had been strengthened with a new front A-member and features included Houdaille double-acting shock absorbers, a tubular cowl frame structure, and Bijur chassis lubrication. Four-wheel adjustable vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes provided the stopping power.

The Dual Ratio rear end was controlled via a dash-mounted lever that would toggle between either a 4.5 or 3.0 ratio for each of the transmission's three gears. It allowed the owner to select the perfect setting for high-speed cruising, reduced fuel consumption, and helped reduce the strain on the engine.

Special body trim included a radiator cap concealed by the hood, stylized 'ribbon' bumpers, headlamps with unique convex lenses, and a painted radiator shell that vee'd out at the bottom.

The coupe listed for $1,145, $1,195 for the Brougham, $1,245 for the sedan, $1,295 for the cabriolet, and $1,345 for the Speedster and the Phaeton. It is believed that just fourteen examples of the Speedster were built in 1933 on the Twelve cylinder line. The 'Custom Dual Ratio' setup added approximately $150 to the base price.

The Model 8-101 (and 8-101A), 8-015, 12-161 (and 12-161A) were offered as a Speedster, Cabriolet, Phaeton, Brougham, and Sedan.

The Salon Twelve was actively built only in 1933 and while it remained part of the 1934 catalog, the cars sold that year were retitled 1933s.

Due to the Great Depression and Auburn's financial difficulties, the list of available body styles decreased in 1934, with most models offered as a cabriolet, brougham, and sedan. A six-cylinder option was added in 1934 with prices that began at $695 as Auburn attempted to appeal to a greater audience of consumers. A Phaeton and Coupe was added to all the models in 1935 (the phaeton had been offered in 1934 on select models) and continued into its final year of 1936.

As luxury marques throughout the industry had 'dropped the gauntlet,' introducing potent vehicles propelled by advanced engines that continued to grow in size. The largest was from Cadillac and Marmon who introduced sixteen-cylinder models around the same time (Cadillac was the first). Other luxury makers responded, mostly with twelve-cylinder models. Auburn's twelve-cylinder model was priced at under a thousand dollars, making it the lowest-priced 12-cylinder vehicle ever produced. A comparable Cadillac V-8 costs twice as much as a twelve-cylinder Auburn. However, Auburn's low price negatively impacted its sales, as many people featured that the quality of the engine or the vehicle was reflective of the price. Thus, sales were not as strong as intended. By the end of 1932, the company had lost over a million dollars.

The low price of the Auburn Twelve was reflective of the Great Depression and Auburn's attempt to outsell its competition. Its performance was proven by a number of speed record runs by factory driver Eddie Miller. He set 31 American stock car speed records at Muroc Dry Lake in December 1932 in trials observed by the AAA, including covering 500 miles at an average of 113.57 mph, which was faster than Fred Frame's winning speed at the Indianapolis 500 that year.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2011