|
Check out our Auburn Cord Duesenberg
Weekend
Photo Gallery
Worlds Greatest
Classic Car
Show and Festival
Auburn, Indiana August 28th - September 2nd 2008
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club celebrated
their 52nd Annual Club Reunion,
 Dean
Kruse and his Auction Company celebrated it’s 38th
Anniversary of selling Collector Cars in Auburn and this was my 30th
Anniversary Trip to Auburn for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg (ACD) Show and
Festival. The weather seems to always be perfect for Saturdays Show in
Eckhart Park. God must own an ACD car is all that I can figure. I can
remember very few Saturday shows in
Auburn that we have had rain.
Our Road Trip started early Thursday morning. The Auburn was loaded (does
not take much to fill it up), We had a full tank of gas and a half pack of
cigarettes… wait, that sounds like a movie… scratch the cigarettes. We had
a full tank of gas, fluids and tires checked, we were ready to go. About
four – five hours of road time lay ahead of us. The Auburn left with the
top up. It does not look as cool that way, but it does make four hours at
75 mph a little easier. The car with the top down as you well know is a
WIND MACHINE. I guess back in the thirties people were smaller, therefore
sitting much lower behind the Speedsters cut-down windshield. They most
likely were not driving at today's interstate speeds. Probably the only
guy driving 75-100 mph back then was Ab Jenkins.
We arrived in Auburn, Indiana without any problems. First stop was 1600
Wayne Street to visit the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. Things were quite
there, so
 we
cruised over to the Kruse Auction Park. I wanted to hit the Swap Meet in
case there was something there that was calling my name. I am glad that
there wasn’t because I have precious little cabin space in the car to
take anything extra home. We combed the vendor spots and then headed to
the auction area. It looked like it was going to be a Great Weekend. We
left the park, grabbed dinner and went downtown to historic Auburn
Square. At the corner of Main and Ninth Street is the Historic Auburn
Hotel. I do not know what year it was
built but I am sure it was operating as an "old hotel" when E.L. Cord and Gordon Buehrig lived in
Auburn. The Auburn Hotel is owned by an ACD Club member. It use to only be
opened Labor Day weekend for the clubs reunion, but I believe it is open
year round now. I do know that it is really tough to get a room that
weekend. I have tried, but have never been so lucky. Maybe someday… It’s
not that it is plush or even nice. It is just Cool. It reaps Nostalgia
with it's 1930's looking lobby decor and lighting. No air conditioning
here! This is where the Real Die-Hard ACD Guys stay. The hotel guests get
to use Ninth Street to park and display their Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs. At
night the hotel is the official "Un-official" meeting place for all of the
clubs members and their cars. The cars are fantastic to view under the
street lights. The car party goes late into the night. You really do not
sleep much during this event, but you can do that at work when you get
home.
Early Friday Morning is the ACD Clubs Swap Meet, members only, for Auburn
Cord and Duesenberg parts. It is held in the side parking lot of the ACD
Museum.
 It
starts at 6:30 am and goes till 2:00 that
afternoon. There are Tech and Judging Seminars offered throughout the day
at the Museum along with ACD Pre-Certification Checks for authenticity. The Museum parking lot has a continuous flow of Classic ACD
Cars in and out most of Friday. The Kruse Auction runs from Thursday
through Monday. The Auction Park opens early in the morning and runs till
late at night. Like I said you do not sleep much in Auburn. The Auburn
Hotel remains the evening Hot Spot through Saturday night.
Eckhart Park, named after the Eckhart family who founded the Auburn
Automobile Company, is where you want to be for the
 Clubs Saturday Car
Show and Judging. This is a member only event (Automobile ownership is not
a requirement to join the ACD Club). You can expect three - four
hundred Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs to turn out for the show. Bring
your Camera! The show ends around noon and the cars line up by make and
roll into town to join the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival’s Parade of
Classics. The parade ends downtown at the Court House. The ACD cars park
throughout the downtown area where thousands of anxious people have been
waiting for the arrival of the ACD cars. The entire 5 day event is
estimated to draw 250-300,000 car enthusiasts. It does not take long to
understand why this is billed as the Greatest Classic Car Show and
Festival in the World. If you have never attended the ACD Festival you
must do so.
Sunday morning came early. We checked out of the Non-Historic
Non-Nostalgic, Not so Cool, but Plush and Comfortable Courtyard Marriott
after filling up on the Managers Special Breakfast. I did buy a few things
from the Museum, but I was able to squeeze them into the Auburn. You would
think that something would fit in that Boattail rear end wouldn't you...
With Top Up and lots to talk about we hit I-69 and started our Road Trip
back to Reality…
Be sure to check out the
Auburn 2008 Photo Gallery. If you
survived reading the above, the pictures will be easy.
Later Guys!
Mark
Start planning your trip to the Auburn /
"What, Where and When..."
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club / www.acdclub.org
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival /
www.acdfestival.org
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum /
www.acdmuseum.org
Kruse Auction /
www.kruse.com
August /September 2008 |
