California Custom Coach Reinvents the 1930s Auburn Speedster
Culture
Classics
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American
Ninety years ago, Indiana-based auto designer Gordon Buehrig—working out of a tiny room—created one of the most beautiful cars of his generation: the Auburn Eight. It was later called the 851 Speedster. A gorgeous 1936 so- called second-generation example recently sold on eBay Motors.
With its aerodynamic profile and unique boat-tail rear, Buehrig’s design was an instant success, igniting a fire under Errett Lobban Cord’s fledgling company and moving Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg to the forefront of the industry. Sadly, it was an uphill battle for the producer of hand-built technologically advanced automobiles. The Great Depression took its toll. In 1936 Auburn ceased production, with Cord following a year later.
In a mash-up of quite old and somewhat new, the 1936 Auburn listed on eBay was actually built in 1978. Here’s how that came to be. In 1960, the Auburn factory sold its original parts inventory. Pasadena-based California Custom Coach purchased the shop drawings and jigs for the Auburn 851 Speedster and began to produce them in limited number. The car on eBay was constructed using the original Auburn jigs, with its underpinnings from a contemporary Lincoln Town Car. A 400 cubic-inch V-8 engine rated at 166 horsepower with 319 pound-feet of torque is mated to a three-speed automatic transmission.
Unlike the Auburn 876 fiberglass kits that California Custom Coach produced between 1976 and 1979, the company built the 851 Speedsters in its own factory, located in a restored Packard dealership on Colorado Avenue. What the secondary-generation Auburn Speedster lacks is the legendary Lycoming engine of the original, known to go up to 100 miles per hour. A three-speed synchromesh and dual-ratio rear axle gave the original model’s transmission six speeds.
On the flip side, the newer Lincoln powertrain has obvious advantages, with a top speed eclipsing 100 miles per hour, as well as modern steering and suspension. The Auburn in the listing has 12,000 original miles on the odometer.
Richard Teague, the legendary auto designer, said this about Gordon Buehrig:
The mark of the really exceptional car designer is the degree to which his creations are coveted and revered long after they were built. Many of Gordon Buehrig's cars are in this class-true collector items. They were considered classic cars when introduced, and the feeling about them, the sense of distinction and value, has increased with the passage of time.
The timeless appeal of Buehrig’s design is undeniable. First-generation cars are regulars at Amelia Island and Pebble Beach. A 1936 852 model offered for sale at the 2015 Mecum auction in Monterey was valued as high as $1,000,000, having received the 2007 AACA Senior National first prize.
The model on eBay has all the same beauty of the original Speedster: a long flowing hood, raked grille, suicide doors, sweeping fenders, and a luxurious cockpit to pilot this fine automobile.
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