1931 Auburn 8-98A Boattail Speedster

268ci Lycoming Inline 8-Cylinder Engine
Single Carter Carburetor
98bhp at 3,200rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes

*A rare example of Auburn's most legendary body style
*Lovingly preserved older restoration
*CCCA Full Classic®
*Documented in 1970s and '80s ACD club magazines

THE AUBURN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY

One cannot mention Auburn without conjuring up images of their Boattail Speedster. So intermeshed is the Auburn make and their famous Boattail Speedster body style that one often forgets that they had a whole line of quite sensible cars offered alongside the racy roadsters.

While the American automobile industry's development in its formative years had been guided by the typical inventor/engineer, its progress between the wars was shaped not so much by technicians as by entrepreneurs. One such businessman was Auburn boss Errett Lobban Cord, who once admitted to having made and lost $50,000 three times in the course of his business dealings, and all before reaching the age of 21!

When Cord joined Auburn as general manager in 1924 the company was in the doldrums, making more cars than it could sell and heading for bankruptcy. After some Cord-inspired restyling, Auburn sales picked up and the stage was set for the creation of a glorious new automotive empire.

The Lycoming developed eight cylinder would become the basis for the 1925 Model 8-88. In 1928, Auburn replaced the 8-88 with the 8-115. The Speedster, making its debut on the 8-115, was like nothing else at the time. A sharply raked V-type windshield sat atop a long hood and high beltline, ending in a tapered tail. Sitting still, it looked fast. And that was the factory body, not a special one-off from a coachbuilder! Hydraulic brakes made their debut as well, bring the whole affair to a swift stop. All of this, and for only $2,195—in contrast to nearly $5,000 needed to put a Stutz Black Hawk in your garage. One of the original owners of the 8-115 was Malcolm Campbell, who was certainly one for swift machinery!

Sales boomed and in 1929 Auburn sold 22,000 cars, a 1000% leap from before Cord was brought on. The start of the Great Depression caused a dip in the sales totals in 1930, but 1931 proved to be a record year with 28,103 cars sold. Primary to that success was the 8-98.

The 8-98 featured a more economical 268.6-cid version of the venerable Lycoming straight eight producing 98hp. On top, even more raking and sporting bodywork was fitted. Underneath the skin, the first use of X-bracing on a rear-wheel drive car was featured, along with Bijur lubrications, Lovejoy hydraulic shocks, semi-elliptical suspension all-around, and an optional L.G.S. Freewheeling unit. Priced from $945-1395, it is little wonder that Fortune magazine went on to call it "the biggest package in the world for the price."

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

The Boattail Speedster offered sits on the shorter, 127" wheelbase onto which all Speedsters were fitted. The earliest history of this Speedster is not recorded, but it is understood to have been in the collection of Adrien Hudler of Forest Grove, Oregon before joining the collection of San Rafael, California collector Walter Milani in the early 1960s (copies of California registrations date from 1972 to 1985). A passionate enthusiast, copies of old California registrations document his ownership going back. Regulars seen at Bay Area Auburn Cord Duesenberg events, he and his car appeared in numerous copies of the ACD Club Newsletter in 1975, 1976, 1978, and 1981. It appears the car was either restored early in his ownership or just prior given how it is illustrated and described in the Newsletters as well as how it presented today with a clearly enjoyed patina to its several decade old restoration.

In 1989 the Auburn was purchased by a Swiss collector who entrust Pebble Beach judge Mac Murphy to inspect the car prior to acquisition. A 1992 letter on file details the acquisition. The Speedster would remain in Switzerland until it was acquired by the current owner about three years ago.

Believed by historians to be an authentic example of Auburn's legendary Boattail Speedster, it has an undeniable presence. Today, the car's restoration has mellowed considerably to take on a lovely luster. Reported by the seller to run well, it is the perfect car to maintain as is and drive or with which to begin a complete restoration. A rakish mount in which to tour or show, then as now there are few more stylish and sporting machines one can get for the money!