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The Auburn story

Name: Auburn 8-98 1931
Brand: Auburn

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Created on November 31, 1979

Text:

Halwart Schrader

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

David McNeese - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Michael Furman - Courtesy RM Auctions

Simon Clay - Courtesy RM Auctions

Bonhams

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Jesse James Allen - Courtesy RM Auctions

Jeff Creech - Courtesy RM Auctions

Petra Sagnak / classiccar-photo.de

Bernard Canonne - Courtesy RM Auctions

Ronnie Renaldi - Courtesy RM Auctions

Tommy Lee Byrd - Great Race

Remi Dargegen - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Ryan Merrill - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Erik Fuller - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Rafael Martin - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Teddy Pieper - Courtesy RM Auctions

Steven Burton

Theodore W. Pieper - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Detlef Huke

Erik Fuller - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Nathan Leach-Proffer - Courtesy RM Auctions

Stephen Kim - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

David McNeese - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Michael Furman - Courtesy RM Auctions

Simon Clay - Courtesy RM Auctions

Bonhams

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Jesse James Allen - Courtesy RM Auctions

Jeff Creech - Courtesy RM Auctions

Petra Sagnak / classiccar-photo.de

Bernard Canonne - Courtesy RM Auctions

Ronnie Renaldi - Courtesy RM Auctions

Tommy Lee Byrd - Great Race

Remi Dargegen - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Ryan Merrill - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Erik Fuller - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Rafael Martin - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Teddy Pieper - Courtesy RM Auctions

Steven Burton

Theodore W. Pieper - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

Detlef Huke

Erik Fuller - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Nathan Leach-Proffer - Courtesy RM Auctions

Stephen Kim - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Archiv

Auburn 8-100 (1932) - Speedster with soft top fitted

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Auburn 8-98 (1931) - as a four-door phaeton

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Auburn 8-98 (1931) - View of the chassis

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Auburn 8-98 (1931) - Sedan with optional wire wheels

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Auburn 115 (1930) - freewheel transmission, USD 250 surcharge

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Auburn 653 (1935) - with closed bodywork

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Auburn 654 (1936) - as a six-cylinder phaeton with four doors

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Auburn 850 (1931) - with in-line eight-cylinder engine

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Auburn 851 (1935) - as a four-door saloon

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Auburn 851 (1935) - the Speedster was one of America's best-loved cars

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Auburn 851 (1935) - Speedster with boat tail

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Auburn 851 (1935) - Speedster with elegant bodywork by Gordon Buehrig

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Auburn 852 SC Boattail Speedster (1936) - offered as lot 149 at the RM Auctions sale in London on October 31, 2012

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Auburn 8-105 Salon Retractable Hardtop Convertible (1933) - offered by RM Auctions in Arizona on January 18, 2013

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

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Auburn Twelve Custom Speedster (1933) - offered as lot 114 at the RM Auction "Art of the Automobile" on November 21, 2013 in New York

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Auburn Twelve Custom Phaeton (1932) - offered as lot 48 at the RM auction on January 16/17, 2014 in Arizona

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Auburn Twelve Salon Speedster (1934) - offered as lot 159 at the RM Auction Amelia Island 2014

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Auburn Eight Custom Coupe (1935) - as lot 116 at the RM Auction Motor City on July 26, 2014

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Auburn Eight Custom Phaeton Sedan by Limousine Body Company (1932) - as lot 157 at the RM Auction Motor City on July 26, 2014

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Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster (1936) - under the hammer as lot 146 at the RM Auction in Monterey on August 15/16, 2014

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Auburn 8-100 Boat Tail Speedster (1931) - at the Concours d'Elégance Jewels in the Park on the occasion of the Classic Days Schloss Dyck 2014

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Auburn 12-165 Salon Speedster (1933) - Special Award Winner at the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach 2014

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Auburn 120 Eight Speedster (1929) - as lot 175 at the RM Auction London on September 8, 2014

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Auburn Twelve Salon Cabriolet (1934) - as lot 121 at the RM auction in Arizona on January 15/16, 2015

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Auburn Twelve Salon Speedster (1934) - as lot 121 at RM Sotheby's Motor City auction on July 25, 2015

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Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster (1935) - as lot 338 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Monterey on August 13 - 15, 2015

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Auburn Eight Custom Cabriolet (1932) - as lot 159 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2015

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Auburn Twelve Salon Speedster (1934) - offered as lot 122 by RM/Sotheby's in Arizona on January 28/29, 2016

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Auburn Twelve Salon Phaeton (1934) - offered as lot 195 at the RM/Sotheby's sale in Amelia Island on March 12, 2016

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Auburn Speedster - sultry elegance from the USA - at the 2nd TCS Youngtimer and Classic Meeting in Pratteln in 2016

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Auburn 12-161A Salon Phaeton (1933) - offered as lot 104 at Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction on August 19, 2016

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Auburn as towing vehicle, special on the trailer - Impressions of the Römö Motorfestival 2016

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Auburn Boattail Speedster (1931) - Great Race Rally USA - June 24 to July 2, 2017

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Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster (1936) - as lot 124 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Monterey 2017

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Auburn Eight Custom Phaeton Sedan (1936) - as lot 160 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2017

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Auburn Eight Custom Cabriolet (1936) - as lot 269 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2017

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Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster (1935) - as lot 125 at the RM/Sotheby's Arizona auction on January 18, 2018

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Auburn 852 Cabriolet (1933) - in the special show of the Veteran Club Romands (OTM Fribourg 2018)

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Auburn 866 Speedster by Glenn Pray (1974) - as lot 3071 at the RM Auction Fort Lauderdale on April 6/7, 2018

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

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Auburn Eight Custom Speedster (1935) - offered as lot 261 at the RM/Sotheby's Amelia Island auction on March 8/9, 2019

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Auburn Eight Supercharged Phaeton (1935) - offered as lot 275 at the RM/Sotheby's Amelia Island sale on March 8/9, 2019

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Auburn Eight Supercharged Cabriolet (1935) - offered as lot 152 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Essen on April 11/12, 2019

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Auburn 8-100A Cabriolet (1932) - offered as lot 72 at the Bonhams Goodwood Members Meeting Auction 2019

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Auburn Eight Custom Cabriolet (1935) - sold as lot 381 at the RM/Sotheby's auction of the Guyton Collectoin on May 5, 2019

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Summary

Auburn is a car brand that, although it has not been active for years, has retained a special sound to this day. It was founded by the grandson of a German immigrant and the vehicles it produced were highly sought after by the rich and famous of the pre-war era. This article tells the story of Auburn, showing famous models of the time in photos and sales literature

This article contains the following chapters

All beginnings are difficult
A savior named Cord
Six and eight-cylinder
The famous Speedster with boat tail
Quality before quantity
The most interesting automobiles in America
From the eight-cylinder to the twelve-cylinder
Drastic drop in sales
Narrowly escaping bankruptcy
One of the most popular cars in the USA

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The grandson of German immigrants, Karl Eckhart - who later called himself Charles - began building coaches in Auburn, Indiana, in 1874 and installed a gasoline engine in one for the first time in 1900. These were the beginnings of a company whose automobiles would one day achieve world fame. The first single-cylinder engine that Charles Eckhart used to get one of his horse-drawn carriages moving at the turn of the century produced a full two horsepower. And it actually worked. Wealthy merchants took an interest in the vehicle of the German-born farmer in Auburn, a tiny series production began - and three years later, the Auburn Automobile Company was finally launched.

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