1936 Auburn 852

The Auburn Automobile Company was established in 1903 and by 1931, was the 13th largest American automaker. As the Great Depression continued, sales fell drastically in 1932 and 1933.

Errett Loban Cord took over the unprofitable company from a group of investors in 1924 and revitalized sales simply by repainting the unsold cars in brighter colors. After the Auburn business stabilized, Cord expanded his empire with some of the most expensive and prestigious cars the world would ever know. Among the creations were the Cord L-29, the Duesenberg Model J, and the streamlined Auburn 851 Speedster of 1935.

Auburn handed the leadership of Auburn to Duesenberg president Harold T. Ames, who brought Gordon Buehrig along with him to help update Auburn's existing model lineup and design a car that would lure customers into the showrooms and improve sales. Buehrig and his design crew made a few styling updates while also maintaining some of the original work of Alan Leamy's designs. The result was the Auburn 851 Speedster that was designated as the 851 SC for 1935. It was given a long and low appearance with a sharply angled grille flanked by bullet-styled headlamps, 'vee'd' front bumper, pontoon-style fenders, boattail rear end, and an angled V-windshield. There were flexible exhaust pipes that existed through the driver's side and down under the car. The effect had been used successfully on the supercharged Duesenberg Model J, and it was equally as successful on the Speedster.

Power was from a Lycoming straight-eight engine and when paired with a Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger designed by Kurt Beier, the 115 horsepower output rose to 150 bhp. The supercharger option added $250-325 to the price of an eight-cylinder Auburn, about $9/horsepower. The engine was backed by a Columbia dual-ratio two-speed rear axle which offered six forward speeds, lower gearing for quicker acceleration, and a higher final drive ratio for improved top speed. Famed racecar driver Ab Jenkins became the first American to average a speed of over 100 mph for 12 hours in a factory stock 851 SC Speedster. All Speedsters that followed wore a dash plaque engraved with Ab Jenkins' signature. The new Auburn Speedster sold for $2,245 when a new Ford could be had for just $560. Even at this price, Auburn lost money on each example sold. In 1936, the Speedster became the 852 SC and very few were built.

The Auburn offered good performance and great styling at a reasonable price, yet the effects of the Great Depression continued to wreak havoc. This fact, coupled with management turmoil and E.L. Cord's complex business affair led to the company's demise in 1937.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019