Auburn 851 Speedster: the last and most famous Auburn

The Auburn 851 Speedster is the car most people picture when they think of Auburn: a low, boat-tailed two-seater with a vee windscreen, external exhaust pipes and a supercharged straight-eight under a long bonnet. Introduced in 1934 for the 1935 season, it was styled by Gordon Buehrig and was the manufacturer’s last production model. The 852 of 1936 was identical apart from the badge on the radiator grille.

Auburn 851 at a glance

History of the Auburn 851

Auburn’s Speedster line dated back to 1928. Errett Lobban Cord, a successful automobile salesman, took over the distressed company in 1924 and brought in James Crawford to design and develop a new range of vehicles. Other companies had already produced cars with boat-tail styling — Peerless, Packard and Hudson among them — but Auburn wanted an image leader in the segment. The result was a pure two-seater: fixed windscreen, no side windows, no interior door release, an optional roof and a cockpit for two in an aerodynamic body. Between 1928 and 1936 a total of 887 cars were manufactured across three series, the first two styled by Alan Leamy.

The third series arrived in 1934 as the 1935 Speedster 851, which would be the final production model of the manufacturer. Buehrig’s bodywork was ingeniously constructed and cost-effectively built, with sandwiched front and rear fenders, a backswept radiator and external side-threaded exhaust pipes; the 851 Speedster is the iconic Auburn “Hollywood car”. Its flat-head straight-eight was powerful, reliable and of a strong and solid design. The sweeping body lines concealed some innovative and advanced technical features, above all the Columbia dual-ratio rear axle, which interposed an epicyclic gear train between the axle and the crown wheel: engaged, the final drive became a “fast” 4.5:1, disengaged by a steering-wheel mounted lever, it became a more leisurely 3:1. Together with the three-speed synchromesh gearbox this gave a six-speed transmission.

The 852, introduced in 1936, was identical but for the “852” badge on the radiator grille. The final year of production was 1937, when Auburn ceased car production altogether. A total of 143 supercharged 851/852SC boat-tail Speedsters were made. Al Jenkins broke 70 American speed records in the 1935 car. Evocation of the Speedster’s iconic boat-tail would make a rare appearance in later decades; two notable examples are the 1963–1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe and the third-generation 1971–1973 Buick Riviera.

Design and features

• Buehrig bodywork: sandwiched fenders, a backswept radiator and side-threaded exhaust pipes gave the 851 its unmistakable silhouette.
• Supercharged straight-eight: 4,585 cc, aluminium cylinder head and a centrifugal supercharger for 150 bhp at 4,000 rpm.
• Columbia dual-ratio axle: an epicyclic gear train between axle and crown wheel added a second final drive, 4.5:1 or 3:1, and with the three-speed gearbox made six ratios.
• Genuine 100 mph car: a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) in 1935, with Lockheed hydraulic brakes to stop it.
• Two seats, no side windows: a fixed windscreen, an optional roof and a boat-tailed body for two only.

Auburn 851 versions

• Speedster 851 (1935): the Buehrig-styled boat-tail that opened the third series.
• Speedster 852 (1936): identical except for the grille badge.
• 851/852SC supercharged: the blown version, of which 143 boat-tail Speedsters were built.

The 851 was the last Auburn before the company stopped car production in 1937; the V12 cars of the early 1930s are described in the Auburn 12-160. More cars are in the Auburn collection.

Video: Auburn 851 Phaeton 1935 – We go for a ride! Real 30’s glamour!

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Auburn Speedster, English Wikipedia: history, design, 851/852 details and statistics
• Auburn Automobile Company, English Wikipedia: company history and the end of production