Established in 1903, the Auburn Automobile Company matured into a well-respected builder of reliable cars, but it was not until E.L. Cord assumed the company’s presidency in 1924 that its market stature grew. In fact, as the once-buoyant auto market collapsed following Black Tuesday, Auburn’s sales continued to increase. By 1931, Auburn was the 13th largest American automaker, but the triumph was short-lived, as sales fell drastically in 1932 and 1933.

Auburn sales had remained strong thanks to its smartly styled, well-engineered and well-built products. In 1931, Auburn enjoyed its best-ever sales year, while other marques saw sharp declines in their sales and profits. By 1933, however, Auburn proved fallible when it began laboring under a growing tide of red ink. Far from giving up, E.L. Cord saw the answer in a revitalized product and, of course, a new marketing push. The result was one of the most exciting products in Auburn history.

Introduced in 1935, the all-new 851 featured beautiful Gordon Buehrig-penned styling and offered an optional Switzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger, which boosted output by 30 percent to 150-hp. Developed by Kurt Beier at Schwitzer-Cummins and adapted to the Auburn-Lycoming inline eight-cylinder engine by Augie Duesenberg and Pearl Watson, the supercharger ran at six times engine speed and generated useful boost from 2,000-rpm upwards.

The Auburn 852 was the last hurrah for the Auburn Automobile Company. As was the case with many of the independent manufacturers, their final products were often among their best. The styling, introduced in 1935, was the last Gordon Buehrig designed Auburn line to see production. Sales of the Alan Leamy designed Auburns were sluggish, and production of the 1934 line was ended mid-year. Gordon Buehrig was given the task of designing and implementing the new 1935 line with a budget of just $50,000. Using the basic design of 1934, Buehrig changed the front end and the hood removing the Auburn design hallmark of the hood molding. The result was the elegant, graceful, and clean design that was carried through to the 1936 Auburn line. The 851 returned for 1936 and was re-designated the 852. While E.L. Cord’s industrial empire fell soon thereafter in 1937, the 851/852 remains an inspired milestone of engineering and styling prowess.

The beautiful supercharged 852 Phaeton Sedan offered here has been driven and enjoyed by its owner, an enthusiastic Auburn resident, on several regional ACD Club tours. Reliability has been excellent, and the car runs beautifully and performs well at highway speeds, with the optional “Dual Ratio” rear axle functioning properly, as confirmed by recent road testing by an Auctions America specialist. No less beautiful cosmetically, it is in “high-end driver” condition, with excellent chrome, interior, and top, and only slight age showing to the rich green paint. It would continue to be an outstanding tour car and welcome at ACD events, as one of the most driveable and enjoyable of all Full Classics.