In the tradition of great artists who became truly famous only after their death, Alan Leamy of the Auburn Automobile Company left behind 33 brief years of startling innovation in body contours — a portfolio that was appreciated in its time, but which only became legendary decades after his passing in 1935.
Leamy’s finest design at Auburn was the company’s second-generation “Boattail” Speedster. The original model, introduced in 1928, had been a smash sensation with its angled door lines, two-tone color scheme and swept-back pointed tail that practically commanded the owner to test its 100-mph top speed. Leamy’s successor model featured more rounded, graceful lines with a blunted tail, creating a sensuous curve that wrapped around the rear of the car.
One of Leamy’s seminal creations is offered here. It was restored in the current Salon Speedster configuration in the early 1950s while owned by the very early Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club member Harold Smith of Eastlake, OH. He exhibited the Auburn at many club events well into the 1960s. Mr. Smith reportedly began with an original 8-cylinder Speedster retrofitted with Salon trim and a Lycoming fire-truck V12, nearly identical to the original Auburn Twelve engine design. Subsequently, the car was upgraded with what is believed to be an original but non-Speedster Auburn Twelve frame, and the engine restamped with the correct Auburn “BB” numbering. Later it was owned and further improved by the respected Michigan-based collector Bill Chorkey, from whom the present owners acquired it in 1991. Following additional restoration work, it received a Primary award at the ACD National Reunion in 2004.
Offered for the first time in over three decades, this marvelous Auburn is sure to make a showstopping addition to countless vintage tours and concours.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1933 Auburn 12-160A Salon Speedster |
| Years Produced: | 1933 |
| Number Produced: | 14 |
| Chassis Number Location: | Plate attached to floorboard |
| Engine Number Location: | Stamped on driver’s side of engine block, just below head by #1 cylinder |
| Club Info: | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) |
| Website: | http://www.acdclub.org |
| Alternatives: | 1930-37 Cadillac V12, 1931–38 Pierce-Arrow Twelve, 1933–39 Packard Twelve |
This car, Lot 251, sold for $385,000, including buyer’s premium, at RM Sotheby’s Hershey, PA, auction on October 5, 2023.
Under the inspired leadership of industry wunderkind Errett Lobban Cord, the Auburn Automobile Company, located in rural Indiana, offered very stylish cars at affordable prices. The company’s flashy Boattail Speedsters epitomized Cord’s philosophy of offering mid-range cars that looked far more expensive than they were. Auburns were optionally equipped with upmarket niceties such as Columbia 2-speed (Dual-Ratio) rear axles, Bijur chassis lubrication, Startix (a device which restarted the engine if it stalled), LGS free-wheeling and both straight-8 and V12 engines from Lycoming, a Cord industrial empire subsidiary and respected aircraft-engine supplier.
The stunning boattail undoubtedly drew showroom traffic. Auburn offered the Speedster in three different designs from 1927 until the firm’s demise in 1936. Auburn’s unique formula for success with this model combined the work of a great designer with the prowess of a noted racer. Alexis de Sakhnoffsky designed the first-iteration Speedster (although Alan Leamy is often credited and it’s likely that both men were involved), and race driver Wade Morton set many speed and endurance records.
Alan Leamy designed the second-series Speedsters and Eddie Miller performed the high-speed feats. In December 1932, Miller broke 40 American and international speed records and averaged 113.57 mph for 500 miles. At that pace, a 160-hp Auburn V12 could have won the Indy 500.
In 1935, Gordon Buehrig (who also designed the iconic Cord 810 and 812) created the final iteration, while the legendary Ab Jenkins drove the newly restyled and more-curvaceous Speedsters to still more impressive feats on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Try to find one…
By 1933, many people probably thought the Great Depression would be ending. In a spirit of optimism, Auburn had launched its lofty Salon series, priced above the Standard and the Custom, and gilding the lily with numerous artistic touches including a new grille-shell design that discreetly omitted the Auburn badge and radiator cap. Dramatically flared front fenders, convex-lens headlamps and a flashy “wing spread” front bumper lifted an already bold design to the next level. Auburn even had a muffler bypass so drivers could intimidate would-be competitors. Always a tease, this supremely stylish runabout did nothing to save the company.
Compared to rival 12-cylinder cars from Cadillac and Packard, and priced at nearly double that sum, the Salon Speedster’s $1,885 price tag must have been tempting, but it was $400 higher than the company’s custom Speedster — a significant barrier. Meanwhile, Auburn was bleeding red ink. Sales fell to $5.4 million with a $2.5 million loss. Comparatively few Salon Twelve Boattail Speedsters were built, and Auburn had an unsalable surplus of 400 V12 engines.
The first and last year for the Salon Twelve Speedster was 1933, although a few leftovers may have become 1934 models. Spurned when they were new, the passage of time and the advent of better economic conditions ensured that the few survivors attained collector-car status. Little wonder some of these cars were replicated.
Faux-worthy, show-worthy
This stunning Speedster immediately caught my eye at RM Sotheby’s Hershey sale. It was prominently displayed in a Hershey Lodge hallway with several other auction star cars. Auburn Speedsters were rarely finished unobtrusively. This example’s striking colors consist of medium metallic blue over a silver hood and beltline, accented with red pinstriping. The interior is trimmed in patinaed black leather. It has all the distinctive Salon features, including the Art Deco instrument panel, the curvaceous front bumper with V12 insignia, along with sweeping front fender lines trimmed in chrome, dual sidemount spare tires, and chromed headlights, side lights and taillights. The Salon Series was the best Auburn offered.
But it’s not a “real” Auburn Salon V12, you say. No, it’s a brilliantly executed re-creation, using all authentic original Auburn parts. That’s why it sold for considerably less than an authentic original V12 Salon Speedster. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club recognizes it as an authentic Auburn, and would judge it as such, but it might lose points for a few details. It’s a “stories car,” but it’s exactly like an original Salon Speedster. The winning bidder had asked the ACD Club’s Chief Judge Allan McCrary to inspect it, prior to the sale, and his verdict was that “whoever did this car did a very nice job,” adding, “RM Sotheby’s was totally forthright about the car’s origin, and the buyer knew exactly what he was getting.”
A happy buyer
I spoke with the winning bidder, Thomas Craig, who was delighted with his purchase. He owns a V12 Salon phaeton and he’d been searching for a comparable Speedster. Subsequent close examination showed that all the unique Salon features are present, including the special bracing behind the instrument panel. It’s virtually impossible to tell this car from a factory original.
Given the scarcity of Auburn Twelve Salon Speedsters — just 14 were built — and the beauty and accuracy of this restoration, the new owner is understandably pleased. Since an authentic Auburn Twelve Speedster has sold for seven figures, and this result was less than one-third that sum, I’d say this sale was fair for both the seller and buyer. ♦
(Introductory description courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.)
