1935 Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster
The automotive landscape of 1930s America saw the emergence of a remarkable vehicle that combined style, power, and innovation. This car was the 1935 Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster, also known as Model 851.
Gordon Buehrig, a noted designer of the time, created the Speedster’s eye-catching exterior. Its flowing lines began at the radiator grille and swept gracefully over pontoon fenders.
The car’s most distinctive feature was its tapered rear, which led to its popular “boattail” nickname. This bold design set the Auburn apart from other cars of its day.
The heart of the Speedster was a 280 cubic inch L-head inline eight-cylinder engine. A Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger boosted its output to 150 horsepower, a significant jump from the 115 horsepower of the non-supercharged version. Gleaming chrome side exhaust pipes hinted at the power lurking under the hood.
Power reached the wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. The Speedster featured an innovative Columbia dual-ratio rear axle, standard on supercharged models.
This system provided two ratios for each gear, allowing drivers to switch between high and low settings using a control on the steering wheel. This feature improved the car’s adaptability to different driving conditions.
The Speedster’s cabin blended sporty elements with luxury touches. A notable feature was a dashboard plaque stating that each car had been driven to 100.8 miles per hour before delivery. While more marketing tactic than fact, this detail highlighted the performance-oriented nature of the model.
Auburn built the Speedster on a 127-inch wheelbase chassis. Solid front and rear axles with semi-elliptical leaf springs made up the suspension system. Four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes provided stopping power, necessary for a car with such performance potential.
In the U.S. market, the Auburn Speedster competed against high-end European sports cars. While Bugattis and Bentleys dominated roads across the Atlantic, the Speedster offered American buyers a domestic alternative with comparable style and performance.
Auburn’s decision to produce the Speedster was bold, given the economic challenges of the Great Depression. Many luxury car manufacturers struggled during this period, but Auburn pushed forward with this high-end model.
Despite showcasing the company’s technical and design abilities, the Speedster couldn’t prevent Auburn’s eventual financial troubles.
Credit: RM Sotheby’s
