A website 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 851 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 Ride!
Mark Tyra

This Month's Speedster was photographed in Auburn, Indiana at a past ACD Club Annual Reunion. At that time I believe the car belonged to Timothy Bowling from Ohio. It appears to be  an Elegant Motors body.
 

News of Interest Relating to ACD Cars

Another Twenty Grand

The year is 1933, the place is the Chicago's Worlds Fair, "A Century of Progress". The exhibit garnering all of the excitement was coming from the Travel and Transportation Buildings where millions of people viewed what is considered to be the most stunning Duesenberg ever built,  the 1933 "Twenty Grand". Designed by Gordon Buehrig and produced by coach builder Rollston Body Company, exclusively for the 1933 Worlds Fair, the Platinum Silver Sedan was priced far beyond the reach of most all who saw it. The price tag was a bold $20,000, thus earning it's name, "The Twenty Grand". It was the only Arlington Torpedo bodied SJ Duesenberg Sedan ever produced.

The Twenty Grand is now the center piece of the J.B Nethercutt Collection in San Sylmar, California. I was very fortunate to have been able to view the Twenty Grand and this wonderful collection back in the late 1980's. Since then the collection has continued to grow in stature and size and now houses 130 Classic Automobiles as part of the Merle Norman Nethercutt Museum.

Owning the original Twenty Grand will definitely not be happening for most of us, but there is a chance of owning a Beautiful recreation of it, the Twenty Grand II. This Stunning, one of one, recreation will be offered later this month at the Russo and Steele Collector Car Auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona January 18th - 22nd. To read more about the the New Twenty Grand and the people behind the project visit www.1933twentygrand.com

A New Years Resolution

One of my New Year resolutions  is to avoid doing stuff that I don't enjoy... Yeah I know, Good Luck with that one. Part of that plan though is to do more of what I do enjoy, you guessed it - Car Stuff! To start things off I decided one evening to just lounge around my very traditional, yet totally inefficient, energy wasting, all masonry stone fireplace, while using my laptop to do a little web surfing as I  burn lots of dead trees.

I managed to visit most of my usual Favorite Places, eventually landing at www.youtube.com YouTube is a great web stop for Car Guys who just can't get enough of a good thing. Using YouTube is easy;  just type into the search window key words like, "Auburn Speedster", "Cord 810" or "Cord 812", "Duesenberg", "Auburns For Sale". Your search will result in a variety of amateur and professionally shot videos ranging from a mere 15-30 seconds up to 3 minutes and more.

The resulting video's will include local and major Car Shows, Collector Car Auctions, Concours events, Restoration's in progress and Proud owners taking you along for rides in their ACD Cars, the subject matter is endless. How about a "Turbine Powered" Auburn Speedster test run, you probably will not find it anywhere else.

Another good web stop is www.imcdb.org "Internet Movie Cars Database", The site allows you to search by vehicle to see which movies they have appeared in. Auburns, Cords and Duesenberg's have shown up in many movies, new and old. The 1937 movie "Love is News" has a great chase scene with a 810/812 Cord and an Auburn Speedster. A clip of this chase can also be found on YouTube.

    ON SALE!  Auburn Speedster Kits  Just $9.00

1935 Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster 1:24th scale plastic kits produced by Lindberg. These kits are no longer being produced. These are New Old Stock items. Regular Price $14, Now Just $9 plus shipping  email us to order

Advertise your Auburn, Cord or Duesenberg in the "Speedster Market Place". Cost per ad is $39.00 for three months or $59.00 for a Run until you Sell listing. Advertise your Auburn, Cord or Duesenberg Car and or your ACD Parts today. If you are looking for an Auburn, Cord or Duesenberg Car or a particular Part, try a placing a "Wanted" ad. Visit the Speedster Market Place for ACD Cars being Offered For Sale

December 2012

California Custom Coach
at Vegas SEMA Show

If you fortunate enough to have attended the (SEMA) Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association  trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada last month, hopefully you stopped by and said "Hi" to Alex and Pat Christodulidis, the new owners of California Custom Coach. I heard that they were busy discussing and demonstrating all of the new features of their totally reengineered Auburn 876 Speedsters. Their new Auburn's are now being produced in Texas. www.cccspeedster.com

October 2011

Tremendous, Colossal, Lavish and Monumental

The Red Baron has very little to do with Auburn Speedsters... unless they are offering one for auction, but it is such a fun and unique place that whenever I am in the Atlanta, Georgia area I have to stop in and view their latest treasures. The inventory at the Red Baron is always so over the top you never know what you will find. I just missed their most recent auction, October 13-15th, not that I would be buying anything, but copies of the auction catalogs were still available. The catalog cover reads; "Tremendous, Colossal, Lavish, Monumental, Copious, Huge and Great" as some of the descriptors used to promote the items that were recently auctioned. That pretty much described everything found in the multiple buildings and outdoor areas at the Red Baron. As always I was packing the camera so I clicked off a few photo's. If you happen to be in the Roswell / Sandy Springs area of Atlanta and love looking at the toys of the Rich and possibly the Famous, then take a couple of hours and visit the Red Baron. www.rbantiques.com

We need your Auburn Speedster

We need photo's of your Auburn Speedster. Please send us some picture's for our Photo Gallery. Everyone enjoys looking at pictures of the Auburn Speedster... YOU certainly do or you would not be on the website right now. Show Cars, Drivers, Projects Started,  Projects Abandoned, Wrecks... We love them all. If you have an unusual Auburn related item that would work in the AUBURNmobilia Gallery send us photo's of it too! Your Auburn Speedster could be selected as the next Speedster of the Month!

October 2011

AACA Hershey Fall Meet - It was Sweet!

They say Hershey, Pennsylvania is the "Sweetest Place on Earth" if you Love Chocolate and Old Cars... They, (who ever "They" are...) also say that "All Roads Lead to Hershey". From the thousands of Old Car Enthusiasts that show up each year I believe it.

My 1st trip to Hershey was in 1973. My Dad had purchased a new Cadillac Sedan DeVille earlier that year and he was anxious to get it out on the Road. That sounded like a good idea to me. I was 16 years old and armed with a fresh Drivers License. I could hardly wait to get behind the wheel of the Caddy. Our Nations New 55 mph Speed Limit was in effect and while everyone else in the country was cursing the new law, driving at 55 mph was pretty exciting for a 16 year old kid. Upon arriving in Hershey we were greeted with Rain, lots of Rain. The forecast for the entire weekend was Rain. Our First day was spent waiting for a break in the weather, which never happened. By day Two, my Dad and I could not stand it any longer. Armed with umbrella's only, we experienced our 1st Hershey Show... in the Rain and Mud, lots of Mud. 

I have attended Hershey many times since and have experienced every thing that Mother Nature has to offer, Good and Bad. This years Show was Blessed with Sunshine,  a Clear Sky and Wonder Fall Temperatures. Hershey was definitely the "Sweetest Place on Earth" this year. As always, I snapped plenty of Sweet Photo's. Take a Look!

October 2011

California Custom Coach - The Tradition Continues

California Custom Coach, creator of the Auburn 876 Speedster, built turn key cars and offered kits in the 1970's and 80's. They were located in the Pasadena, California area. During that time a young man living in Geneva, Switzerland, Alex Christodulidis, was quite taken by the California Custom Coach 876 Speedsters Classic Car styling and the modern  conveniences that were being built into them. He dreamed of someday owning an 876 Auburn Speedster, but he never dreamed of one day owning the Company.

Fast Forward to 2010, Alex would learn that the California Custom Coach company, with it's patterns, molds, hundreds of blue prints and a large inventory of unused parts was being offered for sale. He did not hesitate, he bought all of it and immediately started a plan to put his dream car back into production.

The tradition continues, but now in North Texas. California Custom Coach (CCC) is back. They are again offering factory built Speedsters and parts for owners of existing 876 Auburns.

From recent conversations with the new owners I can tell that they are excited and very enthusiastic with the companies start up. Their goal is to offer a world class automobile. You can read more about the New California Custom Coach company and their New Auburn at www.cccspeedster.com They have just recently added a video of their new car in motion. It looks Great! Check it out.

September 2011

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club's 56th Reunion

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club celebrated it's 56th Annual Reunion  in Auburn, Indiana over the long Labor Day weekend. This year also marks the 75th Anniversary of the 810 Cord. The Iconic American Classic's popularity is probably stronger today than it was 75 years ago. Front Wheel Drive, Unit-Body Construction, No Running Boards, Hidden Radiator, Disappearing Headlights  and a Gordon Buehrig Styled body were just a few of the Modern if not Futuristic Styling and Mechanical features of the 1936 and 1937 Cords. Many of these new Cord features would not be seen on other cars for decades.

Earlier this year invitations went out to owners of 1936 and 1937 Cords to participate in the “Back Home Again to Indiana” Convoy. This all Cord touring event was coordinated by Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club Members Bob Coleman and Josh Malks,  The tour was designed to be able to leave from Any Place USA and join the Back Home Again Convoy at designated meeting points. Participating Cords all arrived at this years Reunion together.

Read more about this years ACD Festival and view a few hundred photo's of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Clubs 56th Annual Reunion and associated events

September 2011

Honoring Glenn Pray in Auburn

The Glenn Pray Auburn Cord Group paid tribute to the late Glenn Pray over the Labor Day weekend at this years Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival. There was a Thursday evening get together at Oscar Roberts restored Sinclair Service Station / Museum and an early Friday night dinner with Glenn's family before heading downtown to the Auburn Hotel and Town Square for the traditional ACD Club's 9th Street gathering. On Saturday morning many of Glenn's Second Generation Auburn's and Cords were displayed in Eckhart Park along with hundreds of Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles as part of the ACD Clubs 56th Reunion. The Saturday Car Show and Parade was open to the public again this year.

To learn more about the Glenn Pray Auburn Cord Group you can contact Felix DeGeyter. email Felix at: felixdegeyter@yahoo.com

World Wide Auctions offered for sale two of Glenn's cars that same weekend.  At auction was his Restored 1930 L29 Cord and his Beautiful 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster.

August 2011

More Shows and Road Trips

We have just returned from the Classic Car Capital of the World; Auburn, Indiana where we participated in the Auburn Cord Duesenberg (ACD) Festival and the ACD Club's National Reunion. I will be posting photo's just as soon as I can catch my breath.

I have been fortunate (and Busy) to have been able to attend so many Great Collector Car events this year. Last month myself and a long time buddy traveled to the Cadillac & LaSalle Club's Grand National Meet  which was held in Columbus, Ohio. Not yet seeing any official numbers... I think that I am safe to Guesstimate 300-400 Cadillac's and LaSalle's were in attendance. The meet began mid-week with the Car Show and a Swap Meet being held throughout the day on Saturday. The weather for the Car Show was blessed with being just about perfect! I know the Big Guy has to drive an Auburn Speedster "Up There" but his back up car must be an Old Cadillac.

The weekend before the Cadillac Meet I was in Michigan taking in two more shows. One being the Lincoln & Continental Owners Club's (LCOC) National Meet that was being held in Pontiac and the Concours d'Elegance of America that took place in Plymouth. The LCOC offered two days of  road tours which included Automobile Museums, a Ford Assembly Plant tour and a trip to the Ford Proving Grounds. The meet concluded with a Saturday morning Car Show. Approximately 125 Classic Lincolns and Continentals were proudly displayed.

The Concours d'Elegance of America was held at the Inn at St. Johns. World Class Auburn's, Cord's and Duesenberg's were just a few of the marques that were displayed on the fairways and greens of the Inn. This is the new location for the Concours d'Elegance of America. For more than 30 years the Concours was held at Meadow Brook Hall in Auburn Hills, Michigan. I have attended the Meadow Brook Concours for years and had reservations about anyone making changes to an already Successful Event. My fears were soon put to rest upon arrival. The Inn at St. Johns sits on 197 acres and is rich in history. Before the attaching luxury hotel and resort status, St. Johns was a Catholic Seminary in the 1940's. The Seminary closed in 1988. Ten years later $11 million was spent to bring the Inn up to its current condition. I am sure that the decision to move the event did not come easily, but the new location not only offers handsomely landscaped grounds but provides an on site hotel, restaurant, conference center and room for future expansion.

Visit our Road Trips page for photo's of our most recent travels, listed above, and many others.

Next Stop is Hershey, Pennsylvania for the Antique Automobile Club of America's Fall Meet.

August 2011

ACD Club's Reunion Ambassadors

New for this years ACD Club National Reunion was the addition of "Reunion Ambassadors". For those who have never attended the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival / Reunion or those who have missed the last several meets the many available events can seem overwhelming. Now there are multiple Collector Car Auctions and New Swap Meets spread across the city of Auburn. Other events include an Antique Show, a Cruise Night in downtown Auburn, the traditional Friday morning ACD Club Parts Swap Meet held on the grounds of the original Auburn Automobile Company and the Saturday morning ACD Club's Car Show and Parade. The Reunion Ambassadors can help you plan your trip and hopefully answer some of your event questions. There are Ambassadors for the owners of the following cars; the 810/812 Cords, L29 Cord's, Auburn, Duesenberg and the Second Generation Auburn's, Cord's and Duesenberg's.

Myself and my "Better Half", Shirley, were asked to be Ambassadors to this years Reunion for the owners of the Second Generation Cars. I hope that we were of some assistance to those that we spoke with. We enjoyed meeting and talking with everyone Saturday morning at Eckhart Park.

If you missed this years show and have questions about next years Reunion please feel free to email us. Use this link, What Where and When, to start planning for the 2012 Reunion. While you are making plans... plan on bringing your Auburn Speedster! Tooling around Historic Auburn, Indiana in your Speedster adds a whole new dimension to the enjoyment factor.

August 2011

Keeneland Concours d'Elegance

Last month we traveled the Keeneland Concours d'Elegance, which is held in Lexington, Kentucky. I do not need to remind anyone that it has been a hot summer, so I felt blessed to start the day with cloudy sky's and an actual breeze.

The Keeneland Concours d' Elegance celebrated it's 8th year, with Alfa Romeo as this years featured Marque. The event was held at Historic Keeneland Race Park. Keeneland itself Celebrated it's 75th year as a Premier Thoroughbred Horse Racing Course. Alfa Romeo's from across the United States were invited to participate. The Alfa Romeo Owners Club wisely selected this event to coincide with their 2011 National Convention. Along with the Alfa Romeo's, owners of other Classic and Exotic Cars from around the country brought their cars to be judged and displayed at this years Concours. There were 16 Classes with hundreds of cars competing for those coveted Blue Ribbons. Next Years Event will return to Keeneland, July 19th-22nd 2012, with Packard being the featured Marque.

As always I have added (lots of) photo's of this years event to our Road Trips and Travel page.

July 2011

Once in a Life Time Trip - All 9716 miles...

How’s this mix for a Road Trip; use one perfectly restored 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster add two very enthusiastic Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club members (man and wife at that) given the mission of "Crossing the USA and Back", sound like Heaven or … I would say Heaven. It is obvious that Mike and Joan Huffman felt the same way. They have owned their Auburn Speedster, known as "Blackie" for many years. Mike is responsible for the Beautiful Condition that the car is in today. Their Auburn is a regular at many ACD Club events throughout the year.

The trip began in their home state of Michigan on April 5th at 9:00 in the morning, it would be completed 52 days and 9716 miles later. The Florida ACD Club Citrus Meet being their first planned stop. Their next destination was to travel northwest so that they could take in the St. Louis ACD Club meet. Using back roads, including the Mother Road - Historic Route 66 when ever possible, Mike and Joan continued west with plans to see Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Redwood National Parks along with stops in Reno, Vegas and the Bonneville Salt Flats. With a trip like this it's a no-brainer to visit as many Automobile Museums along the way and they did just that. Visits included; The National Automobile Museum's Harrah Collection, The Blackhawk Museum and The Imperial Palace Auto Collections.

One of the many unique elements of this trip was that Joan kept a travel log, with photo’s, and posted it on the ACD Clubs website as the trip progressed. You can read in detail about their journey and view the many great photo’s of Joan, Mike and Blackie along the way by visiting the ACD Club website.

Actually a trip like this for Mike and Joan is not unusual. It was not too long ago they used there Beautifully Restored L29 to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the introduction of E.L Cords new Cord Automobile, the L29. The Huffman's recreated the L29 Promotional Drive from Auburn, Indiana to Beverly Hills, California. The Huffman's Cord Trip is another Great story.

June 2011

Hot Red Heads at Ault Park Concours

This years Ault Park Concours d' Elegance celebrated it's 34th Anniversary. "Red Hot Rides" was theme this year with Ferraris leading the pack. The event was again held in one of the Queen Cities Crown Jewels -Ault Park. The show benefits the 13,000 children with Juvenile Arthritis in the Cincinnati area through the Arthritis Foundation. Sunday, the day of the Concours, 
was Blessed with Gorgeous weather; Sun, a Light Breeze and in the 70's. Guest enjoyed a display of 200 plus Collector Cars from across the United States and Canada. On exhibit were Classic Cars, Sports and Exotic Cars, Muscle Cars and Motorcycles. Special Displays included Antique Fire Engines, the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Indianapolis 500, the 50th Anniversary of the XKE Jaguar and an  85th Anniversary Iconic tribute to Route 66 with the most American of vehicles, the Station Wagon, entitled "Wagons Ho".

Before the Sundays Concours, there is the Friday Night Country Club dinner and a Charity auction, Countryside Touring begins at noon on Saturday and ends with a Garage Party and Silent Auction that evening. Next Years featured Marque is "All-American Muscle", showcasing Vintage and Classic Muscle Cars along with a display of Vintage Dragsters and Wooden Boats. Mark your Calendars for the 2nd weekend in June for the 2012 Ault Park Concours d' Elegance.

Until then, you can view photo's from this years event on our Road Trips and Travel Page.

May 2011

Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Co.
Parts Inventoried

After 50 years Glenn Prays collection of NOS Parts at his Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Co. has finally been sorted and inventoried. Glenn bought the "Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Co." from Dallas Winslow in 1960 with the intention of having an endless supply of parts for his Auburn and Cord restoration business. Mr. Winslow had purchased the Auburn Automobile Company in 1937, which included Cord and Duesenberg. Glenn Pray's purchase of the company is a story in its self. The book; "Glenn Pray - The Man Who Brought Legends to Life" tells it best.

When Glenn Pray bought the ACD Company he not only purchased an estimated 600,000 - 700,000 pounds of original parts he also acquired the rights to three of the most recognized names in the world of Collector Cars; Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg. Tons of small parts were wrapped and packed into thousands of beer boxes. The boxed parts, sheet metal and trim were shipped from Auburn, Indiana to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Pray had set up a building (a former Pickle Factory) in Broken Arrow to start his newly acquired company.

Parts were sold and used as needed for restorations, but the spare time and manpower needed to actually inventory everything that had been purchased was never available. Glenn's long time friend, Felix De Geyter, was hired in 1963 as the parts manager. When Felix left in 1966 he estimated there were still 400-500 boxes that had never been sorted. By then Glenn had started building the Second Generation Cords and his Auburn 866 Speedster was already in the planning stages. Again, the time needed to inventory parts wasn't there.

At Glenn's 50th Anniversary Celebration, held in May 2010 at the Factory, renowned Duesenberg Historian - Randy Ema and Doug Pray...

Read More and View Photo's of the Factory being Inventoried

The Man Who Brought Legends to Life; Glenn Pray, President and Owner of the Auburn - Cord - Duesenberg Company for the past 50 years, passed away on March 23rd. Services were held at Christ United Methodist Church, 3515 S. Harvard, Tulsa, Oklahoma on Monday March 28th at 11:00 am

April  2011

1936 Auburn Speedster
By Russell G. Simmons

My father said he would buy me a car if I would not smoke or drink until I graduated from Augusta Military Academy in Fort Defiance, Va., in 1946. I passed the test, so for $600 he bought me a 1936 Auburn Speedster from a neighbor across the lake in the Guilford College area, where I grew up.

The Canary Yellow Speedster was built by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Co. of Auburn, Indiana. My neighbor had bought it for his wife and said it had once belonged to actor Tyrone Power, who starred in films such as "The Mark of Zorro" in 1940.

I drove the supercharged Auburn around town. It had a straight-eight engine and could go well over 100 mph. It went with me to the William R. Moore College of Technology in Memphis, Tenn., where I went to study the lumber industry in 1948. When I joined the Navy in 1950, I drove the Auburn to Atlantic City, N.J., where I was stationed.

In 1954, I wanted to get married and needed $600 to purchase the engagement ring. So I sold the Auburn for the same price my father had paid for it. I now refer to it as the “triple faux paux,” as I no longer have the car or the wife, and missed out on $250,000, the amount an Auburn sold for at a recent auction.

Russell G. Simmons leans on the 1936 Auburn Speedster that his father bought for him in 1946. The above story Courtesy of the News and Record (Greensboro, N.C.). I found it on one of their websites, TriadCars.com. Russell G. Simmons, 84, still lives in the Guilford College area of Greensboro.

Does anyone know who may own Mr. Simmons Speedster now?

April 2011

"Back Home Again To Indiana"

An Invitation to Cord 810 and 812 owners; The 1936 Cord model 810 celebrates 75 years. Being coordinated by Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club Members Bob Coleman and Josh Malks, “Back Home Again to Indiana” will be a convoy of 810 and 812 Cords to Auburn, Indiana for the ACD Clubs National Reunion held over the Labor Day Weekend, September 1^st thru the 4th 2011. The tour is designed to leave from any place, USA and join the tour at designated meeting points. Participating Cords will all arrive at this years National Meet together. For those Cord owners Who Have Never Relished the Common Place, More Cord Convoy information is available at: www.cordconvoy.com

March 2011

Night at the Museum

New for 2011, The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is offering “Night at the Museum”. Each Thursday they will offer extended evening hours and Free Admission to a Car Club each week. It was only fitting that on January 6th the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club was the first club to be offered this special invitation by the Museum. www.automobilemuseum.org

March 2011

Feeling Like a Million Bucks... We Arrived in Style... Once Again...

View Chrysler's Latest Commercial on You-Tube. I liked it, I bet you will too!

February 2011

Miami Beach Art Deco Weekend

I reluctantly had to  turn down two WARM invitations to Florida during the COLD month of January, both offers were to Miami. One of the Miami trips included  the Miami Beach Art Deco Weekend celebration. I have been wanting to attend this event for the last couple of years. As always, too many places to go and too little time (and money) to do it all.

"Selling Glamour and Style", was the theme for the 34^th Annual Miami Beach Art Deco Weekend held January 14^th – 16^th 2011. A couple of my friends did make the trip and were kind enough to share their photos.

The event takes place on South Beach in the Historic Art Deco District between 5^th and 15^th street on Ocean Drive. Lining Ocean Drive over looking the Atlantic Ocean are Beautiful examples of Art Deco Hotels and Restaurants. The events include hotel tours, live music, vendors, guest speakers, a parade,  and a Car Show on Sunday courtesy of the South Florida Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA).

Art Deco is considered a 20^th Century Architecture style that later expanded into the design of our everyday products.  (read more)

For More News of Interest Relating to ACD Cars  "Click Here"

Your Auburn Speedster Projects and Garages

We have added some new pages to our website. They are part of our revised, Auburn Speedster Photo Galleries page. These new and revised pages will again feature photo's of your Auburn Speedsters along with photo's of your cars in various stages of build, rebuild  and or  restoration. Even if it is just a modification that you would like to share we are interested. email photo's of your current and or past Auburn Speedster projects. Please include a short description of your car and what work is being performed. We can all learn from your shared experiences. If you have a Neat Garage that you would like showcased email us at least three quality photo's. We will be glad to post them in the new Garage and Man Cave Gallery. What else is sharing parking space with your Speedster? Send us your Photo's. Visit our New Photo Galleries!

We still need more Photo Gallery pictures

Be sure to send us photo's of your Auburn Speedster for the Photo Gallery. We need some new additions. Everyone enjoys viewing photo's of the Auburn Speedster. You do or you would not be on the website right now. Show Cars, Drivers, Projects Started,  Projects Abandoned, Wrecks... We love them all. If you have an Un-Usual Auburn related item that would work in the AUBURNmobilia Gallery send us photo's of it too! Your Auburn Speedster me be selected as the next Speedster of the Month!

Auburn Speedster Parts and Collectibles

Visit our Swap Meet's "Auburn Building" and The Speedster Market Place for Parts and Collectibles relating to Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs.

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 available on our website. They are $60 each, includes shipping and insurance within the Continental USA. email us for your copy.

Also available in Paper Back for $24.00 includes Shipping and Insurance

Glenn Pray 50th Anniversary Merchandise

Glenn Pray's Auburn Cord Duesenberg Co. 50th Anniversary Merchandise is still available. Follow the link to view Souvenir Hats, Shirts, Ceramic Cups and more. Glenn Pray Anniversary Merchandise