{"id":498370,"date":"2019-09-03T15:11:08","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T22:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=90185"},"modified":"2024-05-23T18:14:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T18:14:56","slug":"bridesmaid-revisited-1935-auburn-851-phaeton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/bridesmaid-revisited-1935-auburn-851-phaeton\/","title":{"rendered":"1935 Auburn 851 Phaeton – Bridesmaid Revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beverly Rae Kimes has been called the \u201cFirst Lady of Automotive History\u201d for good reason. She has written histories of many of the great cars of the 20th\u00a0<\/sup>century. Her article titled \u201cAuburn \u2013 From Runabout to Speedster,\u201d published in\u00a0Automobile Quarterly\u00a0<\/em>Volume V, Number 4, provides an interesting opinion about Auburn automobiles:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Auburn was always a bridesmaid. It was a family problem. Destined to be forever driven in the shadow of Duesenberg and Cord, the Auburn has never really come into its own. . . . It\u2019s a pity, actually \u2013 for the bridesmaid was a lovely thing. Extremely good-looking, commendably fast, totally reliable \u2013 admirable qualities all. And what\u2019s more, for the money, a prospective buyer couldn\u2019t have asked for more than an Auburn. It simply wouldn\u2019t have been available.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cExtremely good looking?\u201d Certainly. \u201cCommendably fast?\u201d Proven. \u201cTotally reliable?\u201d Truth. \u201cBridesmaid?\u201d Not so to many owners. As for value, an Auburn was probably too good a value, an issue that helped lead to its demise.<\/p>\n

Warning \u2013 an opinion statement from the author: the 1935 Auburn 851 that is the subject of this profile is the prettiest pre-WWII automobile I have had the honor of profiling. It starts with the color \u2013 Burnt Rust. A lovely color for this car. The grille is one of the best of all time. The lines, the details, the interior \u2013 just perfect for its time. Originally purchased as a parts car for a sedan, an earlier owner saw the benefit of restoring this incredible automobile. But that\u2019s getting ahead of the story of Auburn.<\/p>\n

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Auburn Automobile Company<\/strong><\/p>\n

Charles Eckhart, a German immigrant, established the Eckhart Carriage Company in Auburn, Indiana, in 1874. Eckhart had worked for the Studebaker brothers as a wheelwright until he married and received an 80-acre farm as his new wife\u2019s dowry. He traded that farm for a house and five acres in Auburn, where he established the Carriage Company. His three sons were taught part of the carriage business \u2013 Frank became a painter, Morris trained as a blacksmith and William was a trimmer. Frank and Morris took over the company when their father retired, but they had interests beyond building carriages. In 1900, they built their first automobile and established the Auburn Automobile Company. That car was a Runabout that used a single-cylinder engine producing 6 hp, used chain drive, was tiller steered, and had solid rubber tires. The car weighed 1150 pounds and sold for $800. A few or the early cars were hand built and sold, afterwhich the brothers began manufacturing their automobile in 1902. When the car was shown at the Chicago Auto Show, in 1903, the only improvement was pneumatic tires. Fifty of the cars were sold in 1904. A 12-hp, two-cylinder engine was produced in 1905. Named \u201cPleasure Car,\u201d it could transport five adults with their luggage stored under the rear seat. The price of the car jumped to $1250.<\/p>\n

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Auburn’s “Pleasure Car” was new for 1905.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Over the next few years, Auburn made options like windshields standard equipment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Change came slowly during the next five years. A few options, such as windshield, top, and headlights, became standard equipment. The company created its first motto: \u201cIt Climbs the Hill and Takes the Dust of None.\u201d In 1909, the company added a 4-cylinder. They used a Rutenber engine connected to a 2-speed planetary transmission driving the rear wheels via a center chain. Models offered were a touring car, roadster, and delivery wagon. Prices ranged from $1150 to $1650. A 41-hp, Rutenber 6-cylinder was used in 1912 for the company\u2019s first 6-cylinder automobile, dubbed \u201cThe Satisfying Car.\u201d There were three models, each using a different engine manufacturer for 1916 \u2013 Series 4-38 had a Rutenber engine, Series 6-38 used a Teeter, and Series 6-40 was powered by a Continental.<\/p>\n

Although the company had been in business for nearly two decades, it still was not successful. In 1918, the company dropped its carriage production, and in 1919, the company was sold. A group of Chicago investors, headed by Ralph Austin Bard and including William Wrigley, Jr., of chewing gum fame. The group kept Morris Eckhart as the company president. Change came with the investors, and a much-improved automobile was produced in 1920. \u201cThe Beauty Six\u201d was a very good-looking car with many optional innovations, such as steps instead of running boards, disc wheels, and front fender trunks. It was powered by a Continental \u201cRed Seal\u201d 6-cylinder engine producing just over 25 hp. Although it lacked the performance of some of its competition, it was a good looking car with a price of $2000, making it quite popular.<\/p>\n

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The “Beauty Six” was a mucn improved Auburn for 1920.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Beauty Six helped, but the economy was not good. The Post-WWI recession was quickly over, but the transition from wartime production to peacetime was slow. Returning veterans found it difficult to get work, unemployment was up, and buying power was down. By early 1920, the economy was in a serious deflation \u2013 a recession so severe it was often called a depression. Although it only lasted 18 months, the effect on the automobile industry was significant. During the depression, auto production was down 60%. From 1919 to 1922, Auburn only produced 15,717 cars. Even by 1924, daily production was only 61 cars, and that was still above the demand. Then Cord arrived.<\/p>\n

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The Erret Lobban Cord Era <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Whether they thought him “profane” or “astute,” Time magazine had Cord on their cover twice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No story about Auburn can be told without Errett Lobban Cord. He was a super salesman. The \u201cTimes\u201d called him both a \u201cprofane, bespeckled capitalist whose life has been a garage mechanic\u2019s dream,\u201d and \u201can astute, scheming, self-effacing business man who knows how and when grand parsnips can be found and buttered.\u201d Cord was born in 1924 in Missouri, but his family moved to California where he finished high school and went into business for himself. He built racing bodies for Fords and was a racer on the west coast. He moved to Chicago in 1919 to work for the distributor of Moon cars and was so successful he acquired part of the business. More importantly, he saved $100,000, an amount that allowed him some independence to pursue other opportunities.<\/p>\n

One of those opportunities was to become the General Manager of Auburn. Confident he could help Auburn become profitable, he took the job without pay. When he arrived at Auburn, there were about 700 touring cars sitting unsold. Cord directed that some nickel plating be added, had the cars repainted, and added some minor modifications. The direct result was that the cars sold and Auburn made $500,000. And that led to Cord being made a vice-president. Two years later, Cord would be Auburn\u2019s president after doubling sales in 1925 and 1926. Profits were now on the order of a million dollars.<\/p>\n