1928 Auburn Model 115

The Auburn Automobile Company was a small, struggling automaker based in Indiana when it was acquired by businessman Errett Lobban Cord, who soon brought it national prominence. His creation of the Auburn Speedster was sold in limited numbers, but its racy bodywork, styled by Alan Leamy, drew people to the showroom and attracted new customers. The dramatically tapered rear end and angled doors of the Speedster were adapted from a Duesenberg show car bodied by McFarlan. Auburn advertised its new performance icon as 'the biggest package in the world for the price.' It offered a remarkable top speed of 100 mph and was priced at just under $2,000.

The legacy of the Auburn Automobile Company was rooted in the Eckhart Carriage Company, established during 1874 by Charles Eckhart. The first automobile was built in the early 1900s by Charles's sons Frank and Morris Eckhart and the Auburn Automobile Company was organized to bring it to production. Like many automobile companies of its era, Auburn progressed through two-cylinder models by 1905, a four in 1909, and a six by 1912. The company's success was modest at best, eventually leading to the Eckharts selling out to a group of Chicago investors that included the famed chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr., in 1919. The new group was quick to introduce a restyled and attractive line of automobiles, but sales remained stagnated due to the post-World War I recession. To help with the vast inventories of unsold cars, E.L. Cord was signed on as general manager in 1923. Cord had the unsold cars repainted in bright and attractive colors, adding a bit of 'sizzle' to appeal to the buying public, and before long, had cleared out the inventory.

While under E.L. Cord's leadership, Auburn would gain a strong following of loyal customers due to their attractive coachwork, advanced engineering, and tremendous value. Eight-cylinder engines from Lycoming were installed for 1925, resulting in the Auburn 8-63 and 8-88 with prices starting at $1,985, an outstanding value proposition for an eight-cylinder car. The Lycoming Motor Company had been making engines for cars and planes since 1907, and by 1920 were producing 60,000 engines a year. Eventually, Lycoming became Auburn's principal supplier, and in 1927 Errett Lobban Cord (who had become president of Auburn in 1926) bought the company. Among the engines Lycoming would produce for the E.L. Cord empire was a double overhead camshaft straight 8 used in the Duesenberg J series and an L-head straight-eight engine of 298.5 cubic-inch displacement produced for Cord automobiles.

A gifted stylist named Al Leamy was hired in 1928, just a year after launching his automotive career with Marmon. Leamy assisted Cord with the design of the new Cord Front Drive models as well as contributed to the upcoming Duesenberg Model J and Auburn's 1929 models. A styling feature of the 1929 AUburns was a subtle reveal molding that gracefully flowed from a peak at the front of the hood to the sides of the cowl, complimented by a streamlined radiator shell.

The 1929 Auburn models received newly developed hydraulic shock absorbers, a Bijur centralized chassis lubrication system that kept all points properly maintained, and the Lockheed system of hydraulically operated internal expanding brakes.

Another integral ingredient of Auburn's success was its performance, established on racing circuits in Europe and North America, where the cars competed successfully. Wade Morton and Eddie Miller set several new speed records from coast to coast. Creativity and the leadership of E.L. Cord, performance, attractive styling, value, and engineering were many of the ingredients that helped boost sales of 1929 Auburn models to nearly double those of 1928 figures, earning the company its best year ever with 23,509 units produced.

The 1928 Auburn
Auburn's first model developed under the direction of E.L. Cord was the 8-88 series, introduced in 1925, and firmly established Auburn as a marque of distinction. The company would offer six- and eight-cylinder models through 1930, with eight-cylinder engines solely powering the 1931 models before being joined by a twelve-cylinder unit in 1932.

The first-generation Auburn Speedster was built in 1928 and available with two different 8-cylinder Lycoming engines, one rated at 88 horsepower and the other at 115 horsepower (8-88 and 8-115, respectively). Its distinctive boattail design is attributed to both Alan Leamy and Count Alexis de Saknoffsky, with dual side-mounted spare tires, a removable fabric top, and dual golf club doors.

Along with the Speedster, body styles included a roadster, cabriolet, sedan, sport sedan, and phaeton. The second series Model 88 vehicles of 1928 ranged from $1,495 for the roadster and rose to $1,895 for the phaeton. The Model 115 was priced at $1,995 for the roadster and topped out at $2,395 for the phaeton. Both the 88 and 115 continued into 1929, becoming the 8-90 and the 120 for 1929.

The Cord empire would ultimately be comprised of nearly 150 corporations, including Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Lycoming, Checker Cab, Stinson Aircraft Company, American Airways (later American Airlines), shipbuilding, and radio stations. The company continued to have success but the Great Depression finally closed them down in 1937. The arrival of E.L. Cord at Auburn certainly represented a turning point for the company, which went from having total sales of approximately $2 million dollars to nearly $80 million dollars by 1929. Auburn expanded its operations to Connersville, Indiana, where production began on January 15th, 1929.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2022