It is ironic that Auburn produced what many consider to be its ultimate masterpiece in 1935, just as the end was drawing near: the supercharged 851. Auburn had invested heavily in the largely new Al Leamy designed 1934 models. Although they sold better than the 1933s had, they were not the salvation the company needed. Worse still, Harold Ames, E.L. Cord’s right hand man, hated the look of the cars. As a result, Ames’ boss, Manning, decided he was just the man to solve the problem and sent him to Auburn, putting him in charge of the company.

Clearly, a new look was desperately needed. With little money available, a completely new car was out of the question. Once again, Ames called upon Gordon Buehrig to pull the figurative rabbit out of the hat. And once again, he delivered. Buehrig redesigned the front end of the cars, with a new grille and hood line. Auburn’s signature new feature for 1935 was supercharging on the top-of-the-line models, so Buehrig incorporated the external exhaust which the American public had come to identify with supercharged engines, largely because of the mighty Model SJ Duesenberg.

Although the new 851models were certainly flashy enough, the “new” was more than skin deep. The chassis was mostly carried over, although some updates were made. The car was fitted with a Lycoming-built straight-eight engine equipped with a new supercharger designed by Kurt Beier from Schwitzer-Cummins. In addition, the trusted and durable Columbia two-speed rear axle was fitted, allowing lower gearing for quicker acceleration, combined with a higher final drive ratio for improved top speed.

With a convertible coupe bodystyle, the 851 embodies the character of the Auburn body and the high performance of its supercharged 851 series 150 horsepower engine. Considered a Full Classic by the CCCA, this 851 supercharged cabriolet has been restored and is finished in maroon with a darker shade in its integrated body moldings, plus its interior tone. The wire wheels match this color scheme also. Among the features are whitewall tires, black canvas top boot, laydown windshield, rear-mounted spare with hard cover, rumbleseat, clock and hood side horn trumpets.

An excellent example in every respect, it is one of only about 100 such cars in this body style built with a factory supercharger.