1909 Auburn Model G

Before the existence of the Auburn Automobile Company, it began as the Eckhart Carriage Company of Auburn, Indiana, founded in 1874 by Charles Eckhart (1841 - 1915). Experimentations and testing of the horseless carriage by his two sons, Frank and Morris, eventually led to automobile production and the formation of the Auburn Automobile Company in 1903. Initially, their automobiles were powered by flat-mounted single-cylinder engines capable of producing ten horsepower. Paired with a two-speed planetary transmission, power was sent to the rear wheels. The steel frame was suspended via half-elliptic springs, and the total weight of the vehicles was about 1,500 pounds. A touring model was added in 1904, and a year later, the cars were offered with two-cylinder engines.

The automobiles they produced gained a loyal following, and as production increased and after absorbing two other local carmakers, the company moved into larger facilities in 1909. The company's advertising slogan for 1908 proclaimed the Auburn automobile as 'The Most for the Money,'. Priced at twice the average American worker's annual income, the 1908 Auburn wore a new hood profile and body moulding, rested on a 100-inch wheelbase, and its 215.5 cubic-inch, horizontally-opposed two-cylinder engine produced 24 horsepower. Single and twin engines were used exclusively until 1909, when the first of the fours were introduced, and they would become the foundation for the new models going forward. An inline six-cylinder was introduced in 1913, and it became the sole powerplant by 1917.

New ownership of the Auburn Company in 1919 ushered in few changes but the acquisition of the company by E.L. Cord in 1924 heralded real changes. The following year, Lycoming straight eight engines were added and the company would then go on to produce its Boattail Speedster until Cord's empire imploded in 1936.

The 1909 Auburn Model G

The 1908 Auburn Model G Tourer rested on a 100 inch wheelbase platform, was priced at $1,250, and was powered by a two-cylinder, opposed-type, mid-mounted engine producing 24 horsepower. Engine lubrication is by a spring-belt six-feed Hill Precision Oiler. The transmission had two forward gears, plus reverse and the company advertised the automobile as able to achieve speeds of up to 40 mph in high gear. Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a center chain drive.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2024