Auburn Speedsters.com was created due to my seemingly life long enthusiasm with the Auburn 851 and 852 Speedsters. The flowing lines of a Boattail Speedster, whether it be an original 1935/1936 or one of the Second Generation Cars, is the quintessential example of Classic Automobile Art and Design. Since I would never have the $300-$500 thousand needed  to purchase an original 1935/1936 Auburn Speedster, I went with Plan B... I purchased a wonderful "Second Generation" Speedster in the winter of 2000. It is a great car and is still a pleasure to own, drive and maintain.

The Love affair started for me in 1974, at that time I was a Junior in High School. I ran across a series of ads depicting Classic Cars for Walkers De Luxe Straight 8. One of the cars used in the ad campaign was a Cigarette Cream 1935 Auburn Speedster. I thought that car was the most beautiful automobile that I had ever seen in my short 17 years of existence. I had never heard of an Auburn automobile nor had I ever seen one. "Rip", the ad came out of the magazine and was immediately posted on my bedroom wall. Believe it or not I still have that ad. In the fall of that same year, while at the Hoosier Auto Show and Swap Meet, I actually saw an Auburn Speedster, or at least a very close facsimile. It was a Replica / Recreation. There were several Speedsters being displayed. They were produced by Elegant Motors of Indianapolis, Indiana. I could not get enough of them that day. I had nothing but a photo ad from Walkers De Luxe to compare them with, but I was very impressed with the Elegant Motors cars. I always was, and still am, a Sucker for Free Stuff. I put quite a dent in their box of sales catalogs that day.

It was not long before I decided that I needed another Boattail Speedster Fix. With my stash of sales catalogs I now had a company's name and an address of a place that was building Auburn Speedsters. I called my buddy, Dave, and talked him into taking a two hour drive with me to visit Elegant Motors. At that time Elegant Motors was operating out of an original Stutz Showroom in downtown Indianapolis on Meridian Street. I remember the showroom as being large and very impressive. The showroom had several cars on display. The salesman was great, knowing that two seventeen year old kids definitely would not be buying an Auburn that day. He took us through the showroom answering all of our questions. He then showed us their shop where Auburns were being assembled. My buddy and I had quite a day with plenty to discuss on the drive back.

Once home, I immediately sent a letter off to Elegant Motors requesting to be put on their mailing list. Their sales information started arriving on a regular basis... I was totally Hooked. By the mid seventies the Replicar industry was Big. More than just Auburns were being offered, but that is another story. Replicar company ads started popping up in all of the car collecting magazines. I stayed busy for the next several years pretending to be a potential buyer so that I could be placed on all of the Auburn Speedster manufacturers mailing list. Needless to say, my collection of sales catalogs took off. Company's such as California Custom Coach, Glenn Prays Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company, Southeastern Replicar and The Classic Factory to drop a few names filled my parents mailbox with wonderful material to Read and Dream about.

Fast Forward 26 years to September of 2000. After returning from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Clubs National Meet in Auburn, Indiana, I couldn't wait any longer. I started searching for a car. After a lot of research I decided that I wanted a Glenn Pray built car. I called Glenn and he told me of a few cars that he knew of that were for sale. I studied Hemming's Motor News and Surfed the Internet in search of the right car. I narrowed my search to two cars, both Red, one in Detroit Michigan and one in Turlock California. The Detroit car was a four speed car and the California car was an automatic. Being six foot two and knowing how little cabin space is available in a Speedster I opted for the California trip. Again I talked my buddy Dave into going with me... he is always easy when it comes to a Road Trip. Twenty six years later and boxes full of Auburn Speedster catalogs I was finally able to purchase my  Auburn Speedster.


Enjoy the website,  Mark Tyra

Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs Rolled into Auburn, Indiana

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club hosted their Annual National Meet in Auburn, Indiana this past Labor Day Weekend. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club's Car Show and the Parade of Classics was held Saturday. What started as an annual event for the club over 50 years ago has become part of the World's Greatest Classic Car Show. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival now draws well over 200,000 enthusiast from around the world. 2008 Festival Events included the 38th Annual Kruse Collector Car Auction with 5000 cars being offered for sale along with the their huge Kruse Auction Park   Swap Meet. The ACD Museum and the NATMUS Museum were open throughout the weekend. There was a   Car Cruise on Friday night in Historical downtown Auburn.  The now annual, Kruse Auburn Concours de' Elegance was Sunday.  Make your plans now to attend    next years Greatest Classic Car Show. Read about this years show and View our Photo's.

Meadow Brook and Keeneland Concours d' Elegance - Two Classics

Honoring and Rewarding the Best. Read about our two most recent Road Trips and view the photo's of these two must attend events on our Road Trips page. Check out many Event Reviews and Photo's.

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum name change

The Museum announced last year that it was planning a name change. It is official. The museum will now be known as the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. The addition of "Automobile" is believed to enhance the museums ability to reach more enthusiasts. The museum is now 10,000 times more likely to connect with people through automotive searches on the internet.  Also new is the Gordon Buehrig Gallery of Design. I have been told that it is a "Must See". I'm sure that it's a Duesy!

AACA recognizes Second Generation Auburns

The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) starting in 2008 will be recognizing Second Generation Collector Vehicles. Second Generation Vehicles, per the AACA rules, are cars that are over 25 years old and were factory built to recreate the original looks of Antique and or Classic Cars. These vehicles can have recreated bodies in fiberglass and have modern drive line and interior amenities. This new classification of vehicles will be accepted for display at AACA shows. Factory Assembled is the criteria for acceptance. Entry's must provide documentation such as manufacturing orders, build sheets or certificates of origins. Contact the Antique Automobile Club of America for full requirements. www.aaca.org

The Batmobile is Here!

New Arrival from Gotham City!  This is the Batmobile we all remember from 1966. Available in 1:18th scale diecast. $48 Available in our cyber Swap Meet in the Automobilia Tent.

The Man Who Brought Legends to Life

Glenn Pray's book, "The Man Who Brought Legends to Life", has gone into it's third printing. This new edition has added a collage of photo's depicting Glenn, his family, his cars and his airplanes to the inside front and rear covers. The Book is a Great read for anyone with an interest the Glenn Pray Story; his purchase of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company and putting the Cord and Auburn Speedster back into production. These Books are now available on our website. They are $60, includes shipping and insurance within the Continental USA. email us for your copy.

New 1:18th scale Cord Phaeton available

New Release! A Limited Edition 1:18th scale diecast model of the 1937 Cord 810 Phaeton produced by Signature Models. The car is a metallic green with a saddle interior. This is the first top down version from Signature Models. Only 5000 pieces were produced in this color. We are offering these Cords and many other Cords, Auburns and Duesenbergs scale models for sale in the our cyber Swap Meet. Visit the Auburn Building for a Good  selection of ACD diecast model cars.

ACD Club launch's internet Gift Shop

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club has created a Gift Shop on their website. Take a tour of the ACD site. There are lots of things of Interest "for those who have never relished the commonplace." Consider joining the ACD Club. Your Auburn is always welcome at club events and the monthly publication  and website is very informative. Visit www.acdclub.org to check it out.

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