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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster - A luxury sports car for Hollywood stars

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Created in 2019

Reading time 5min

Written by:

Daniel Koch

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Courtesy Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Kimball Studios / Courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Petra Sagnak / classiccar-photo.de

Steve Burton - Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance

Neil Rashba

Bonhams

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Courtesy Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Kimball Studios / Courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Petra Sagnak / classiccar-photo.de

Steve Burton - Courtesy Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance

Neil Rashba

Bonhams

Archiv

Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Für viele eines der schönsten Autos der Dreissigerjahre

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Imposante Front mit mächtigem Kühlergrill

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Der Auburn ist eine Skulptur

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Die Lackierung unterstreicht die Tropfenform

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Das markante Heck gab dem Auburn seinen Namenszusatz "Boattail"

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Hoher Kühlergrill und klassische Kotflügel

Bild von Partner Planai Classic 2025 Inline 1

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Am ganzen Auto findet man wunderschöne Details

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Sportliches Cockpit mit etwas Patina

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Auburn Kühlerfigur - Fussgängerschutz war damals noch kein Thema

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Auch der Scheinwerfer ist ein Designerstück

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Auburn Schriftzug im Rücklicht

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Der Auburn wurde vor der Auslieferung auch auf die Höchstgeschwindigkeit getestet - sie betrug 110.8 mph, was fast 180 km h entspricht

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Ja, sie waren wunderschön, die Motoren ohne Kunststoffabdeckung

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Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster (1935) - Reihen-Achtzylinder Motor mit 4558 ccm Hubraum

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Auburn 851 Cabriolet (1935) - Oldtimer in Obwalden OiO 2011

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Auburn 851 Speedster "Marlene Dietrich" (1935) - am Concours d'Elegance "Jewels in the Park" im Schloss Dyck - Class F "Nobless Design" (C23)

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Auburn 8-100 Boat Tail Speedster (1931) - am Concours d'Elégance Jewels in the Park anlässlich der Classic Days Schloss Dyck 2014

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Auburn 12-165 Salon Speedster (1933) - Gewinner eines Special Awards am Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance 2014

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Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster (1935) - am Amelia Island Concours d'Elégance am 13. März 2016

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Auburn Speedster - schwülstige Eleganz aus den USA - am 2. TCS Youngtimer und Classictreffen in Pratteln im Jahr 2016

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Auburn 652Y Roadster (1934) - Epoche 1 - Ennstal-Classic 2018

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C1-5 1935 Auburn 85§ Supercharged Speedster, Concours Winners 2018, 2nd Place - Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance 2018

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Auburn 851 Speedster Replica (1935) - als Lot 63 angeboten an der Bonhams Goodwood Members Meeting Versteigerung 2019

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Summary

The manufacturer Auburn is known for its luxury vehicles of the 1930s, which Hollywood stars and other wealthy buyers in particular could afford. This report presents what is probably Auburn's most famous model, the Supercharged Boattail Speedster. This is a fast, wickedly expensive sports car from 1935.

This article contains the following chapters

Expansion of the company
Difficult environment
Beautiful rarity
Elegant sports car
Robust technology with an innovative gearbox
No lightweight
Record hunter
Few examples left
Prominent previous owner

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The manufacturer Auburn from the city of the same name in the US state of Indiana was founded in 1900 and produced automobiles from 1903. Auburn was initially only moderately successful on the market until a group of investors from Chicago bought the brand in 1919. The new owners did not achieve the expected success, and in 1924 Errett Lobban Cord took over the Auburn manufacturer. From the mid-1920s, Auburn concentrated on the production of luxury vehicles that Hollywood stars and other wealthy customers in particular could afford. E.L. Cord worked closely with the well-known racing manufacturer Duesenberg, which set several land speed records and won the French Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 three times. Finally, in 1926, Cord also took over Duesenberg, which is why the vehicles were henceforth called "Auburn Cord Duesenberg" or "ACD" for short.

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