Vehicle Description
E.L. Cord had worked wonders at Auburn in his relatively short
tenure at the head of the company. When he arrived in 1924, Auburn
cars were staid, dull and unappealing. With a stroke of genius,
Cord revitalized the brand simply by repainting unsold stock in
bright colors and launching a vigorous advertising campaign. As
reward for saving the company, he was offered a seat at the
director's table, but instead he bought the whole company and put
himself in charge. Within a few short years, the marque's image was
transformed, with sports stars, business moguls and Hollywood
actors seen in stylish Auburn automobiles. E.L. Cord had carefully
positioned the brand within his fast growing automobile empire by
offering stylish performance cars at a much lower price point than
Duesenberg. For 1931, sales had continued to rebound despite
economic conditions, and Auburn introduced fresh new styling that
was inspired by the designed Alex Leamy's Cord L29. As a further
boost to Auburn, a new Speedster was unveiled in 1931. The car
featured a sleek look with its split radiators shell, split and
heavily raked windscreen and signature tapered boat-tail. All
along, E.L. Cord was losing interest in building cars and looking
to invest heavily in the field of Aviation. Sales began to slump
and Auburn looked for a way to revive the brand yet again. Gordon
Buehrig was brought in to redesign standard Auburns and charged
with creating a new Speedster, inspired by a Duesenberg J he
designed that was built by Weymann. The caveat being he had to
utilize leftover '33 bodies from Union City Body to save money. The
new car utilized very little of the old bodies, mainly the
mid-section of the cabin and top frame. The fenders, tail, and most
of the cowl were all new and in the end, Buehrig felt that this new
car was even better balanced and prettier than the Duesenberg that
inspired it. Lycoming 8-cylinder engines were again utilized, with
the ultimate version found in the 852 with its engine-driven
Schwitzer-Cummins supercharger adapted by August Duesenberg. The
852 Speedster, with its lightweight coachwork and 150 horsepower
engine could top 100mph, and each car was sold with a dash plaque
emblazoned with the signature of the great racer Ab Jenkins
proclaiming its performance. The Auburn 852 Speedster has become a
truly iconic American performance car that has earned its place
among the most collectible and desirable motorcars of the era. Many
have copied its looks, but of course, nothing can capture the magic
of the original thing. We are very pleased to offer this genuine
1936 Auburn 852 Supercharged Speedster. The story of this
remarkable car picks up in the early 1950s when it was purchased by
Mr. Cal Grosscup of Auburn, Indiana. Through conversations and
written correspondence with Cal Grosscup Jr., we learned that his
father's Auburn 852 was enjoyed by the family for several years and
while in his father's care, it was handed over to Dallas Winslow at
ACD for a cosmetic restoration. Mr. Winslow made his fortune buying
and liquidating failed industrial and automobile companies. He
purchased the remaining assets and naming rights for Auburn
Automobile Company in 1938, and rather than liquidating what was
left of Auburn, he set up shop in their magnificent administration
building and offered parts and services for the now-orphaned
Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles. Upon receiving Cal
Grosscup's Speedster, Winslow's team carefully disassembled the
exterior trim from the car, restored the chrome and repainted the
body in the distinct terra-cotta color it still wears today. The
period correct air horns were added at this time and the rear axle
was rebuilt using genuine NOS parts from Winslow's stocks. The car
and its "rehabilitation" were featured in an article as well as on
the cover of the very first issue of Car Life Magazine, February,
1954. �A copy of the magazine, as well as period photos provided by
Cal Grosscup Jr. accompany the sale of the car. The Junior Mr.
Grosscup recalled borrowing his dad's car and thoroughly enjoying
the attention it brought, particularly from the local ladies! Like
most good things, the Grosscup's time with the Auburn came to an
end when Cal Sr. sold the Speedster in approximately 1957. The car
then went to Leo Gephart, one of the founding fathers of the
Collector Car hobby and one of the first people to consider car
collecting as a serious business. In approximately 1962 the
Speedster changed hands from Mr. Gephart to Mr. Ed Stolarcyk of New
York; the car remaining in the Stolarcyk family for the next 55
years. Ed passed the car on to his son Mike in the early 1970s, who
informed us that he thoroughly enjoyed the power and style of the
Auburn Speedster, driving it at virtually every opportunity. He
always maintained the car in good working order, and the
restoration from the 1950s took on a wonderful patina through the
years. After many years of using the Auburn on the road, the car
then disappeared from view for many years until now. Today, this
stunning and important motor car presents in fine condition, still
proudly wearing the restoration as performed by Dallas Winslow's
team at the Auburn factory. Through careful recommissioning it now
runs and drives, and the body has remained straight and attractive
in its unusual but well-suited terra cotta paint. It certainly
shows some signs of age but what is truly remarkable is that it has
never been fully restored and its original drivetrain remains
intact. It is a highly original, very correct example that has been
recognized by ACD Historian and archivist Randy Ema, who has even
found period photos of the car when new. With reasonably minor
mechanical fettling, it could be made into a fabulous road car with
a fantastic, care worn appeal. Yet its inherent value is such to
warrant a full restoration should someone wish to choose that
route. Regardless of this Auburn Speedster's future, this rare and
massively desirable machine wears its history with pride and is
ready for the next chapter in its remarkable story.
