(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . History 201: The Auburn automobile [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-01 The automobile first emerged in Europe in the nineteenth century and quickly spread to the United States. By the first part of the twentieth century, there were hundreds of small companies manufacturing automobiles. One of these companies was the Auburn Automobile Company located in Auburn, Indiana. Like some of the other American automobile companies of the early twentieth century, Auburn’s roots were in the wagon building business. Charles Eckhart started as a wheelwright working for Studebaker in South Bend, Indiana. In 1874, he left Studebaker and founded the Eckhart Carriage Company in Auburn, Indiana. Charles Eckhart retired in 1893 and his sons, Morris and Frank, took over the business. Sensing that automobiles might be in their future, the Eckhart brothers formed the Auburn Automobile Company and built the first Auburn automobile in 1900. The first Auburn had a single cylinder engine, chain driven vehicle with solid rubber tires. It had tiller steering which was common on the automobiles of this time. The new car had a price tag of $800. The car was priced higher than other cars and it was expensive to produce. At best they sold only a few models and some reports indicate that they may not have sold any. For the next two years, the Eckhart brothers tried a number of different designs and with the Chicago Automobile Show of 1903, they were ready for production. The 1903 model was chain driven and had air-filled tires. A tonneau top and touring options were also available. The 1904 Auburn touring car had a single cylinder engine in the center of the car and featured a two-speed transmission. The engine produced 10 horsepower. The car sold for $1,000. By 1905 they were offering a two cylinder engine; by 1909 the Auburn had a four cylinder engine; and by 1912 it had a six cylinder engine. Auburn was modestly successful until World War I when shortage of materials forced the plant to close. With the company heading into receivership, in 1919, the Eckhart brothers sold out to a group of Chicago investors headed by Ralph Austin Bard. These investors, who included William Wrigley, wanted to get into the new and rapidly growing automobile business. The re-organized company brought a new model, the Auburn Beauty Six, which offered a streamlined, fenderless body and many other improvements. The new car received good reviews, but competition was fierce and Auburn had to fight for position in the growing automobile market. While the new owners revitalized the business, it did not produce the profits they had anticipated. One of the problems was the recession of 1921-1922. By 1924 production had slowed to only six cars per day. But even these were not selling and soon there were hundreds of unsold cars sitting behind the factory. In 1924 they approached a successful automobile salesman, Erret Lobban Cord, with an offer to run the company. Cord had started as salesman with the Moon Automobile Company located in Chicago. Within five years he had become General Manager. In a counter offer, Cord suggested a leveraged buyout and the Chicago investors agreed. When Cord took over Auburn, the company had 600-700 unsold cars. Cord, as a salesman, felt that the cars were a bit plain and boring and so he had them repainted in a bright two-tone color combination. In addition, he had the trim parts plated in nickel. When the cars had been repainted, he moved them to the town square and invited dealers to view the cars. He offered the dealers huge discounts and within a few months he had sold off his overstock. In 1925, Cord arranged with the Lycoming Company to use their straight-eight cylinder motor. Chief Auburn engineer James Crawford supervised the process of taking the six cylinder engines out of the Auburns and replacing them with the straight eight. Two new models, the 8-63 and the 8-88, were introduced. Sales of the Auburn cars doubled each year for the next three years. In 1926, Cord took a couple of the 8-88 Auburns to the Atlantic City Speedway, rented the entire track, and these fully equipped stock cars broke numerous speed records. Under Cord’s management, Auburn became profitable by 1926 when he completed the purchase of the company. Under his leadership, Auburn employed designers such as Alen Leamy and Gordon Buehrig. He also partnered with the Duesenberg Company. At this time, the Duesenberg brothers were building winning racing cars. Cord used the Duesenberg as the platform for a new line of performance-oriented luxury cars. The first of these was the L-29 Cord which was the automobile industry’s first front wheel drive car. Soon Auburns, Cords, and Duesenbergs—collectively known as ACD—were well-known for their advanced styling, engineering, and performance. They were, however, expensive, and identified with the rich and famous. In 1928, the Auburn 8-115 replaced the mechanical brakes with hydraulic brakes. At Daytona, the Auburn 8-115 set a speed record of 108.46 miles per hour. The year 1929 was the best year for Auburn Automobile Company and dealers could not get the cars fast enough. The Auburn was offered for $1,195 to $1,395. In 1932, Cord introduced a V-12 engine for the Auburn and priced it under $1,000. A fully loaded Auburn Twelve Speedster set a number of speed records at Muroc Dry Lake. The Auburn 851, designed by Gorden Beurig, was a boat-tail speedster with a Lycoming straight eight engine and a Schwitzer-Cummins supercharger. The car was guaranteed to go 100 miles per hour. About 500 Auburn 851’s were built and sold for $2,245. The company lost money on the car as it was intended to get buyers into the showroom with the hope of selling them one of the cheaper Auburns. The sales increased by 20%. With the Great Depression, the automobile market shrank and many auto manufacturers went out of business. In response to the poor economy and falling sales, Cord re-introduced a six-cylinder Auburn and lowered the price. Production of the V-12 and the straight eight was cut. By 1932, the profits were falling. At this time, Cord was one of the richest men in the world, owning airlines, aircraft companies, communication companies, ship lines, and other businesses. He was also neglecting his car business. While there were rumors of new models for 1937, including a diesel limousine, Auburn production stopped after 1936 and Cords were built in 1937. On August 7, 1937, the Auburn Automobile Company went out of business. 1912 Auburn Touring Car This car is on display at the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon. 1929 Cord L-29 4-Door Sedan This car sold new for $3,095. This was the first production car with engine, transmission, differential, and front brakes as an assembly. It was also the first car to have an X-member to stabilize the frame. It has an inline 8-cylinder, 298 cubic inch, 125 horsepower engine. This car was displayed in the LeMay Family Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington. 1930 Duesenberg Model J Roadster In 1913 the Duesenberg brothers, Fred and Augie, founded the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motor Company in Des Moines, Iowa. Duesenberg automobiles were luxury cars as a peer to Europe’s Mercedes, Hispano-Suiza, and Rolls-Royce. Errett Lobban Cord bought the company in 1926 and gave the brothers free hand to design and develop a fine luxury automobile. In 1928, Duesenberg introduced the Model J. This car is displayed in the the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. According to the Museum: “The use of aluminum alloy throughout this sizeable vehicle kept its weight to approximately 5,200 lbs allowing the 265 horsepower inline-eight engine to accelerate the vehicle to 115 miles per hour. The engine was designed by Fred Duesenberg and was constructed by Lycoming. By 1930, both Duesenberg and Lycoming were part of the Cord Corporation, an automobile manufacturing empire founded by E. L. Cord.” In his book The American Automobile: A Centenary 1893-1993, Nick Georgano writes: “The Model J was inevitably very expensive, but this was probably a bonus to Cord rather than a disappointment. He was aiming unashamedly at the ostentatious rich, the ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it” crowd, of which there were many in pre-Depression America.” The Model J chassis sold for $8,500 and the cost of a custom body ranged between $2,500 and $8,000. The body of the Duesenberg Model J on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum was built by the Walter J, Murphy Company in Pasadena, California. Murphy was among approximately twenty coach builders that built bodies for the Model J. Nick Georgano writes: “The most popular coachbuilding firm, who bodied probably 150 of the 470 Model Js, was Murphy of Pasadena, best known for its convertible sedans and Beverly sedans.” 1932 Auburn Model 8-100A 4-Door Sedan This car was displayed in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. According to the Museum: “The 8-100A is powered by a Lycoming 8-cylinder engine and came equipped with a Columbia Dual Ratio rear axle, which allowed the drive to adjust the car’s performance while in motion according to load, speed and road conditions.” The 269 cubic inch engine has 98 horsepower. 1934 Auburn Cabriolet Model 850Y This car was on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. According to the Museum: “The Auburn Motor Company’s one-year-only design for 1934 was lower and more aerodynamic with an elegantly curved radiator grilled and swooping horizontal hood louvers.” This car has a Lycoming straight eight, 280 cubic inch, 115 horsepower engine with a 3-speed manual transmission. 1936 Auburn 852 Convertible Sedan This car sold new for $1,775. This was the last year for Auburn. This car has a supercharged flathead straight Lycoming engine with 280 cubic inches and 150 horsepower. This car was displayed in the LeMay Family Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington 1936 Cord 812C Westchester Sedan The Cord 810, designed by Gordon Miller Buehrig,was a sensation was it was first introduced in 1936. It included many new and advanced features, such as front wheel drive, and independent front suspension. It was, however, rushed into production and the early cars had many defects. The 812 model included a Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger with flashy external exhaust pipes. Less than 3,000 810s and 812s were sold. This car was displayed in the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon. According to the display: “A streamlined sedan with an artistic blend of curved and rectangular elements, the Cord 810/812 was one of the most futuristic cars on the road in the mid-1930s, and examples were sold worldwide—sadly, just not enough of them.” 1937 Cord 812 Westchester 4-Door Sedan This car was displayed in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. According to the Museum: “Designed by the legendary automotive stylist Gordon Buehrig, the 1936-37 Cord remains one of the most distinctive vehicles ever manufactured with its iconic ‘coffin nose’ and hidden flip-top headlights. The innovative front-wheel drive design allowed the vehicle to ride lower than previous models eliminating the need for a running board to step into the vehicle. In 1937 only 37 model 812s were created out of the 1,066 Cords produced.” This car has a V8, 289 cubic inch, 125 horsepower engine. More Automobile Histories History 101: The DeSoto Automobile History 101: The REO Automobile History 101: The Hudson Automobile History 101: The Jeffery Automobile History 101: The Nash Automobile History 101: The Locomobile History 101: The Hupmobile History 101: The Kaiser Automobile [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/1/2196604/-History-201-The-Auburn-automobile Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/