For those who have ever
Relished the Auburn
Speedster

Auburn Speedsters.com was created due to my seemingly life long love of 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 today.

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

"Love Among the Steele"

In the NBC Television Series, Remington Steele, an Auburn Speedster starred in several episodes. The Auburn appears to have been built by California Custom Coach . The Remington Steele series was a Crime and Mystery / Romantic Comedy. It aired from 1982 -1987. Private Investigator, Remington Steele was played by Pierce Brosnan in his pre-"Bond... James Bond" days. He co-starred with Stephanie Zimbalist who played the role of Laura Holt, the owner of the Detective Agency. The Auburn was introduced in Season 2, Episode 7: "Love Among the Steele". The Auburn is a mysterious car that tries to run them down. The car is later found to be tied to  murder and mystery. The car is stolen, chased, shot at and disassembled in this episode. Remington Steele being a Nostalgic Hollywood Movie Buff  falls for the Deco Styled Auburn and it is purchased for the detective agency. The Auburn would later appear in many future episodes.  The Remington Steele series is available on DVD or can be viewed for free on internet Television and Movie sights such as www.hulu.com

Speedster Motorcars Builds
the Green Machine

The Green Machine is the Worlds First Electric Cord. The Green Machine utilizes Speedster Motorcars New Coffin Nose Cord replica body, inspired by the 1937 Cord. This is the company's first electric vehicle. The Cord is powered by a TransWarP 11 Electric Motor and uses Speedster Motorcars Generation III chassis. There is no doubt that this Cord will draw a lot of attention and questions where ever it goes. Speedster Motorcars, Jeff Akins, has provided plenty of photo's chronicling the Electric Cord project. Follow the build of this very unique Cord by visiting their website: www.speedstermotorcars.com
 

This Month's Auburn Speedster belongs to Sam Ross from Acton, California. Sam has been following Second Generation Auburns for some time. Last year he made the plunge and purchased this Fabulous looking Elegant Motors Auburn 856 Speedster. Sam also has a weakness for Corvettes. I know exactly where he is coming from, I love Corvettes myself. Very Nice Auburn Sam!

At the March Board of Directors meeting of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club. A motion was made and voted on to rename the "Replica" classification for shows. Replica ACD cars displayed at the 2009 Auburn Indiana National Meet will now be referred to as "2nd Generation" Cars.

The Antique Automobile Club, last year, also created guide lines for a 2nd Generation Car classification. AACA guide lines are more defined than the ACD clubs at this time.


This years ACD Club's National Meet and the ACD Festival will again be held over the Labor Day Weekend in Auburn, Indiana. It is not too early to start planning your trip. Hotels fill up fast in Auburn but there should still be plenty of vacancies in nearby Fort Wayne. There is no other show quite like Auburn. The event takes place over 5 days, the ACD Clubs Classic Car Show is Saturday. Bring your car... better yet drive it to Auburn, display it in the show, drive it in the Parade of Classics. Visit our Road Trips & Travel page to view photo's from last years show. Use the following links to start planning your trip now.

ACD National Meet Information   /    Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival   /   Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum

Auburn Speedsters in the Movies

If you are like me, you just can't get enough of a Good Thing. I like Driving Auburn Speedsters, I like seeing other Speedsters displayed at shows, reading about them and drooling over photo's of them. Thanks to all of the research that has gone into a really neat website,  www.imcdb.org. I am now able to track down the movies that Auburns have appeared in, dating back to when they were New Cars.  The website, "Internet Movie Cars Database", allows you search by vehicle to see what movies they have been used in. Needless to say ACD cars have appeared in many movies, past and current. Just be warned, once you find the movie listings you will then start searching for these old movies to add to your collection... It is a sickness I know. I just hope that they never find a cure for it.

Barn Find Speedsters

Everyone dreams of finding that Rare and Valuable Old Car that has been locked away and long forgotten about in someone’s barn or warehouse. You would think by now that all of these treasures would have been discovered… well that is not the case with two recently discovered Auburn Speedsters.

Mark Hyman of Hyman Lt. Classic Cars made one such Speedster discovery while on a trip to California. He discovered and purchased an early 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster. The Auburn has had two previous owners and is said to be in very original condition. Now he only has to decide what the future holds for this find. You can view his Rare and Exceptional Classic Cars that he offers for sale in his 35,000 sq. ft. St. Louis Showroom and Restoration Facility at www.hymanltd.com


Another Auburn Speedster Barn find was recently purchased by Johnny Pascucci, of Johnny P Classic Cars located in Meriden, Connecticut. This particular Auburn is a 1936 852 Speedster. This car has not seen the light of day since the mid 1950’s. Johnny Pascucci has owned many Speedsters over the years so he is more than familiar with his recent find. You can view over 30 photo’s of this Auburn  on his website. www.johnnypsclassiccars.com. The last time we spoke, Johnny had plans to refurbish the Auburn as a Survivor and enjoy it for a while as is, “A Barn Find”.

1937 Cord Back Home Again!

After seventy years, Errett Lobban Cord's 1937 Cord 812 Beverly Sedan has returned to the former Auburn Automobile Company in Auburn, Indiana, now the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. This Cord is believed to be the last Cord delivered by the Auburn Automobile Company.

It was delivered to E.L. Cord's Beverly Hills, California Estate, "Cordhaven" in November of 1937. Mr. Cord used the car throughout the 1950's before giving it to his son, Charlie Cord. Charlie Sr. later passed the car to his son, Charlie Cord Jr. The car remained in the Cord family until the decision was made to donate it to the ACD Museum this past November. This 10,131 original mile Black Supercharged Cord will now be permanently and proudly displayed in the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum.

ACD Club's Car of the Year for 2009

The Cord L-29 will be the Featured Car for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club's 2009 Annual Meet, held each year in Auburn, Indiana. The Cord L-29 was introduced by Erret Lobban Cord as America's 1st front Wheel Drive automobile. The Cord L-29  became available in the summer of 1929 and production continued through 1931. An estimated 5000 cars were produced.  Cord historians feel that only 4-5 percent of these Beautiful Classic Cars have survived.  Mark your calendars now and make plans to attend this years event. View the L-29 Cords along with hundreds of other Auburn, Cords and Duesenbergs. Event information is available on the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club website, www.acdclub.org

.Visit The Swap Meet and Save 15% on our 1:18th scale Diecast Cars and 1:25th scale Dealer Promotional Models. Free Shipping on orders over $100*

*Go to The Swap Meet for details...

ACD Museum can benefit from your Web Surfing

I ran across an interesting article in a past issue of Old Cars Weekly. "The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum can now earn a penny each time hobbyist search the Internet.

GoodSearch.com is a search engine company that donates half of it's revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities it's users designate. The search engine is powered by Yahoo and will pull up the same quality search results that you are use to, only the museum is earning money every time you search the web."

Go to www.goodsearch.com and enter the ACD Museum as the charity that you would like to support. Just 500 people searching through GoodSearch.com four times a day will raise about $7300 in a years time for the Museum.

AACA recognizes Second Generation Auburns

The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) starting in 2008 will now recognize Second Generation Collector Vehicles. Second Generation Vehicles, per the AACA rules, are cars that are over Twenty Five 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

"Click Here for Archived News of Interest Relating to ACD Cars"

The Man Who Brought Legends to Life

Glenn Pray's book, "The Man Who Brought Legends to Life", has is now 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.