Respected Auburn designer Al Leamy left Auburn in 1934, as he was saddled with undeserved responsibility for the company’s disappointing sales figures. With few available funds and little time, Gordon Buehrig and his small design staff kept the best elements of Leamy’s 1934 designs. Buehrig’s team concentrated on the frontal area by skillfully revising the grille and adding a pair of handsome “semi-pontoon” front fenders.

Meanwhile, Augie Duesenberg and Pearl Watson adapted the Kurt Beier-designed Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger to the Lycoming GG-series straight-eight engine and used an innovative planetary drive system. The resulting supercharged GH-series engine, rated at 150 hp, became the standard engine for the legendary speedster, and it was available on the 851 line, and later the 852 line, for an additional $220. However, despite great styling, good performance, and bargain pricing, the combined effects of the Great Depression, management turmoil, and E.L. Cord’s complex business affairs led to Auburn’s demise in 1937.

The elegant phaeton offered here is a supercharged model with the two-speed dual-ratio rear axle, enabling excellent high-speed cruising. Formerly owned by well-known Auburn historian Michael Schinas and collector Michael Calore, its fine restoration was honored in both AACA and CCCA National competition, achieving, respectively, a First Prize and Senior First Prize (badge no. 1605). Notable features include an Auburn radio, glovebox-mounted clock, heater, and rear trunk. It is still a beautiful automobile, with the owner noting that it has been exceptionally well-maintained mechanically and is an excellent driving automobile, perfect for tours and CARavans.

Few Full Classics are as enjoyable to drive and return as modern performance as a supercharged Auburn. This is a superb example.