See this car at Hershey Car Corral spaces B67-B69!
Beautiful older restoration. Rare Woodlites headlights and cowl lights. Recently tuned and fuel system freshened. Runs and drives beautifully, very fast and competent, simply stunning to see in person. What a car!
We don’t know this Speedster’s early history, but we do know that the body was re-created during restoration. The restorer used a second Speedster body as a prototype and duplicated every piece of wood, every joint, every curve, and every detail so as to make the new body indistinguishable from an original. The subtle colors look dramatic together and on the swoopy sheetmetal, highlighting the car’s most famous styling detail. Up close you’ll spot a bright red pinstripe separating the two colors and finish quality remains excellent throughout. There are a few minor signs of use and age, most notably a thin spot on the chrome of the radiator shell, but this car nonetheless remains ready to drive and show with pride. Woodlite headlights are a fantastically rare feature, and you will note this car includes a matching set of cowl lights, and they all remain fully operational and are likely worth thousands all by themselves. The lovely sidemount mirrors are exquisite little Art-Deco sculptures and all 1929 Speedsters were equipped with dual sidemounts and a running board-mounted spotlight. The Speedster was obviously not intended to be a year-round vehicle, but there is a removable black canvas top for emergencies.
People were probably smaller in 1929, but once you’ve squeezed yourself through the doors, it’s actually fairly accommodating for anyone under six feet tall. The seat is low, so you sit with your legs straight out in front of you, but it isn’t difficult or awkward, and the controls are conventionally arranged. Beautiful tan leather wraps around virtually every surface inside and it remains in excellent condition save for some very light stretching on the lower seat cushion. The gauges are standard Auburn, housed in a lovely nickel-plated frame, and they’re all fully operational save for the hydrostatic fuel gauge, which appears to be disconnected. No windows, no radio, no heater, not even any interior door handles, so it’s very much back to basics. Dark carpets anchor the interior and make keeping it clean easy and there’s a reasonably good-sized cargo bay behind the seat, making the Speedster an acceptable car for touring (as long as you know the weather will cooperate).
The 8-120 model designation refers to the engine, which is a Lycoming 268 cubic inch straight-8 rated at 120 horsepower. The engine bay is beautifully and correctly detailed, with corporate green engine enamel, a correct updraft carburetor, and the neatly finished distributor with aluminum “wings” to house the plug wires. The carburetor and fuel pump have been freshly rebuilt and the gas tank was just reconditioned, and it starts without the need for an electric assist pump. It barks to life with a fantastic 8-cylinder burble from the big tailpipe out back and idles smoothly at about 600 RPM. It accelerates smoothly, it stays nice and cool even sitting still on a warm day, and, well, it’s just not fussy at all. It does show some signs of use, mostly around the water pump, but that’s understandable—who wouldn’t want to take this car out and have some fun?
If you get it just right, you’ll be able to click through the gears without double-clutching, and if you’re not quite up to it, a quick double-clutch makes for effortless gear changes no matter your skill level. Out back, we believe it has 4.10 gears, which are surprisingly tall for such a light car, but they are also part of why it feels so quick and agile out on the road. It pulls from a crawl in top gear and races up to 55-60 MPH without any strain, easily keeping up with modern traffic. The brakes are extremely effective thanks to hydraulic operation. Twin Optima batteries spin the starter vigorously and the exhaust system is wrapped up front to help control heat in the cockpit. There’s also a Bijur chassis lubrication system, although we have not tested it simply because they really make a mess. 18-inch chrome wire wheels add flash and they’re fitted with unusual 6.00-6.50/18 whitewall tires that look very period-correct.
Today, as in 1929, the Auburn Speedster cuts a dramatic path through any venue it attends. But the fact that it remains such an easy car to drive and with very contemporary performance elevates it to something that should be properly enjoyed on the road. If you’re a driving enthusiast rather than simply a car enthusiast, perhaps this Auburn is what you’ve been looking for. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
