THE AUBURN SPEEDSTER

In the days when Bugattis crossed France and 4½-Litre Bentleys tore through the British countryside, the American equivalent was the Auburn speedster. The 1935–1936 speedsters were designed by the legendary Gordon Buehrig. Audacious by the standards of their time, they featured curvaceous bodywork with a straight hood line shooting back from the radiator to a sharply vee’d windshield, down between pontoon fenders, over gently sloping doors, and descending in a graceful taper to the rear bumper.

Underneath, the speedster shared the same exciting mechanicals as other supercharged Auburn models. The glistening chrome side exhaust heralded the presence of a Schwitzer-Cummins blower, which boosted the horsepower of the Auburn straight-eight to 150 from a normally aspirated reading of 115. The 150 horsepower was sent to a Columbia dual-ratio rear axle, standard equipment on the supercharged models, which provided two ratios for each gear, one low and one high. The ratios could be changed as often as desired while at very low speeds or at a stop by moving the switch in the center of the steering wheel. This provided the supercharged Auburn with much greater flexibility, making it a true “driver’s car,” ideal for both purring through crowded cities and roaring down country lanes.

THE FIRST

Serial number 851 32050 E, the car offered here was the first of these justifiably iconic automobiles to be produced, carrying body number U47-200 and supercharger number 1001, as well as the very early frame number 1050 and engine number GH 3341—reportedly a very early production block design. Like the other early 851 speedsters, it utilized a leftover 1932–1933 speedster body, identified by its body number prefix of U47; the rear of the body was extensively reworked to the new Buehrig lines. According to speedster historian and restorer John Ehresman, a later owner of this example, among numerous early-production details, the first 16 speedsters had more enclosed pontoon-style front fenders, and only the first four cars had the pipes emerging through the hood louvers—features both, of course, present on this example.

The car is believed to have spent its early years in New York and Rhode Island, eventually making its way to Massachusetts, where following an accident it was rescued in the early 1950s by Martin S. Papazian of Worcestershire. In 1956 the Auburn was sold by Mr. Papazian to Paul Walker of West Brookfield, who held on to the car for 30 years and undertook an amateur restoration, installing a new frame to replace the damaged original.

In 1986 the Auburn was acquired by John Ehresman of Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, a well-regarded restorer and authority in this generation of speedster—in particular, the early production cars, of which he has owned many of the surviving examples. Mr. Ehresman had the Auburn certified by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club at that year’s National Reunion, recording all of its numbers, with Certification Chief Paul Bryant’s notation that “this unusual speedster shows several unique features, which indicate that it was built as the first 1935 851 model speedster…a very interesting and well-preserved automobile.”

Mr. Ehresman eventually sold the Auburn to Johnny Pascucci of Connecticut, after which it passed into the hands of Bob Levine of West Orange, New Jersey. While owned by Mr. Levine the car was fully restored by RM Auto Restoration of Blenheim, Ontario, in its present ivory hue with correct leather interior. Following the completion of the restoration in 1994, it went on to receive the Roy Faulkner Award for Best Auburn at the ACD Club National Reunion and later became a Primary First Prize winner with the Classic Car Club of America in 1995.

The speedster was acquired for the collection of the present owner in February 2001 and has remained a long-term resident of his distinguished stable alongside some of the most significant Full Classic automobiles extant. It has been seldom shown in its ownership and thus awaits a well-deserved return to both ACD circles and to the modern concours world, where its fascinating, excellent provenance and authenticity will likely win new fans and new honors.

Simply put, it is one of the most historic, significant surviving Auburn automobiles.