Istorie
The first Auburn Speedster was introduced in 1928 as an open two-seater version of the Auburn 8 model, whose name was inspired by the 8 cylinder 4.2 liter engine. The design had a narrow two-passenger body ending in a boat tail fluid rear end. The Speedster's distinctive presence is attributed to Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a pioneer of streamlining, and to Alan Leamy. This particular car is an Auburn 852 Speedster Supercharged (1936) replica.
Full description
Established in 1903 by brothers Frank and Morris Eckhart, the Auburn Automobile Company produced some of the most-desirable, aesthetically striking and technologically innovative automobiles.
The first Auburn Speedster was introduced in 1928 as an open two-seater version of the Auburn 8 model, whose name was inspired by the 8 cylinder 4.2 liter engine. The design had sharply raked doors and windshield and a narrow two-passenger body ending in a boat tail-like fluid rear end. The Speedster's distinctive boat tail is attributed to Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a pioneer of streamlining, and to Alan Leamy, the Cord L-29 designer.
It set a new one-mile speed record of 108.460 mph for stock cars at Daytona Beach. While this feat brought people into the showroom, only 226 Auburn Speedsters were produced in 1928. Production continued into 1929 but was dropped for 1930, during the first full year of the Great Depression. The Speedster was softly redesigned and got back in the lineup late 1931. A V12 Speedster range, using a 6.4-litre engine, was a failure, and 1934 marked its demise.
Top designer Gordon Buehrig was brought in to give the Auburn line a facelift. Buehrig designed a new hood and massive radiator shell and grille and Auburn was to enjoy a memorable final fling with the 851 Speedster (1935). In 1936 came the 852 Speedster, identical to the earlier models with the exception of the '852' badge on its grille. A supercharged version of the 150 HP 8-cylinder engine was installed in the revamped Speedster. Each Speedster was equipped with a plate on the dash stating that the car had been driven 100-plus miles per hour. This was a sales gimmick, as the plaques were attached to the dashes prior to assembly. It is not known how many 1935–36 Speedsters were produced, but estimates range from 150 to 500.
Glenn Pray's Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company put the Auburn Speedster back into production in 1968. His cars were referred to as Auburn 866 Speedsters. The "8" was in keeping with Auburns original 8 cylinder series of cars and the "66" from the year 1966 when the engineering started on the New Speedster. 866 Speedsters were built from 1968 through 1981. Pray refers to his 866 Speedsters as Second Generation Auburn Speedsters and states that his cars were never meant to be Replicas of the originals. His cars are modern day versions of the original Auburn Speedster. Luxuries such as power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and modern V8 drive trains with independent suspensions were not available on the original cars, but they were on his cars.
Due to the success of the 866 Speedster, new replication companies were started. These new players were soon offering their versions of Glenn Pray's Auburn. At the peak of the Auburn Speedster Replica wave, there were many Speedster variations being offered by 9 manufacturers. Many of these companies lasted into the early to mid eighties, but some original Speedster replicas continued to be built even after the year 2000.
This example is an Auburn 852 Speedster Supercharged (1936) replica built in 1970. It was made on a Ford mechanical platform, with a V8 Ford engine. The car has covered 71 miles (approx 114 km).
