Supercharged Auburn Trivia Question of the Week:  1. What is the difference between a ‘Supercharger’ and a ‘Turbocharger’?  2. Name the female pilot who flew solo from Hawaii to California on January 11, 1935.   3. November 5, 1935 saw the introduction of the popular board game Monopoly.  What was the name of the company who produced Monopoly?  4. Who was president of the United States in 1935?  Was it, A. Franklin D. Roosevelt; B. Theodore Roosevelt; C. Harry S. Truman or D. Dwight D. Eisenhower?  5. On July 30, 1935, a well-known publisher of paperback books introduced their first title.  What was the name of this line of paperbacks?  6. On July 16, 1935, the first parking meters were installed in what American city?  Was it, A. New York City, NY; B. Chicago, IL; C. Oklahoma City, OK; D. St. Louis, MO or E. Los Angeles, CA?  7. Born October 20, 1935 was Jerome Bernard Orbach.  What was the name of his character as a TV detective and what is the name of the show?  8. Born on November 27, 1935, Al Jackson Jr. was drummer and one of the founding members of the sixties/seventies R&B band called ‘Booker T and the _____’.  (Fill in the blank.)

Answers to this week's trivia questions, plus MORE on the 1935 Auburn, may be found by visiting The FIN MAN's web site at http://www.thefinman.com.          

Since the earliest days of automobiles, many of the automotive brand names we have grown familiar with over the years, were taken from the founders of the great American automobile companies.  Names like Henry Ford, David Dunbar Buick, Walter P. Chrysler and the Dodge Brothers to name but a few.  The Auburn, however, wasn’t named after its creators, Frank and Morris Eckhart, but rather was named after the town of its origin, Auburn, Indiana. 

Charles Eckhart was a wheelwright, working for the Studebaker brothers in South Bend.  After a few years of wagon building, he moved to Auburn to establish his own wagon-building business, the Eckhart Carriage Company in 1874.  Some twenty years later Charles Eckhart retired– leaving the business to sons, Frank and Morris.  The year was 1893.  Like many carriage, wagon and bicycle builders of the day, the Eckhart brothers were enticed by the burgeoning automobile business and began tinkering with gasoline powered wagons.  By 1900, they were ready to make the plunge and founded the Auburn Automobile Company on a wheel and a prayer and just $2,500.00 in capital.  It would take two or so more years of in-house tinkering and experimenting before the Eckhart brothers were ready to market their product in earnest... bringing the 1903 Auburn, a two-seat, single-cylinder, chain drive runabout with solid rubber tires and tiller steering to market at a price of $800.00.  Auburn growth, under the leadership of Frank and Morris Eckhart, was a struggle from the start with annual production numbers not breaking the one thousand mark until 1909– nearly a decade later.  Henry Ford’s new and similarly-priced Model T was breaking the 10,000 mark by that same year.

The Eckharts would continue their efforts for another ten years before selling out to a group of Chicago businessmen which included chewing gum baron, William Wrigley Jr.  The new owners didn’t have much better luck, however, and were faced with the problem of battling the post WW1 recession.  By 1924, Auburn was producing just six cars per day and that was more than units than the market could handle. 

Auburn’s big break came in the mid twenties when California entrepreneur Errett Loban Cord entered the picture as the company’s general manager, investor and in short order vice-president.  Cord’s influence would add spark and pizzazz to the once ordinary marque.  Auburn would go on to become a record-setting performance car– the 1935 models shattering over 70 standing speed records.  The combination of speed, quality of manufacture and proven reliability, would earn Auburn a place in the Classic Car Club of America’s list of ‘true classics’.

Auburns of 1935 and 1936 had a totally restyled front end, penned by famed Duesenberg stylist Gordon Buehrig.  Auburn automobiles for model year 1935, were offered in a wide variety of colors with imaginative names like Neptune Blue; Storm King Green; Willomere Green; Thicket Green; Swiss Green; Vermilion; Shadowlite; Sandeen Brown; Greyhaze; Burnt Rust; Carmel Beige; Artillery Grey; Brittanic Beige; Delray Green; Monte Carlo Blue; Plum Brown; Palm Beach Tan; Desdemona Blue and Empress Beige.  From this list of nineteen hues, Auburn compiled a list of available color combinations for body, fender, wheel and pinstripes.
   
The Supercharged 1935 Auburns promised a top speed of over 100 MPH and stated such right on the front page of the sales brochure.  (See the brochure on the FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com)  Priced at just $1,725.00, the ‘35 Auburn phaeton was a relative bargain at the time.  The dramatically-styled boat tailed ‘speedster’ came with a dash plaque which stated, “This certifies that this Auburn automobile has been driven 100.1-miles per hour before shipment.”  The plaques were individually signed by Ab Jenkins, world land speed record holder.  This daring performance promise was accomplished, in part, by a Lycoming, straight eight engine with supercharger, producing 150 horsepower.  Auburn management said it was, “Built like a watch, but as rugged as a steam turbine”.  Four, flexible, stainless steel exhaust pipes emerged through holes in the driver’s side of the bonnet, on all supercharged models, like slithering, silver boas that would gather together beneath the floorboard.  This prominent styling cue, borrowed from Auburn’s cousins– the sporty Cords and prestigious Duesenberg models, immediately identified the force-fed Auburns.  Another prominent mechanical feature which helped Auburns achieve their ambitious top speed claims were the ‘dual-ratio’ rear axles used on many models.  

Ironically, Auburn, which had struggled for years, reached the pinnacle of its sales performance, 34,228 units, in the midst of the Great Depression– model year 1931.  Nineteen thirty-two, however, would see sales plummet to just over 11,000 cars and for 1933 would drop another 50% to around 5,000.  By 1935, Errett Cord was directing his interest and resources to his glamorous Duesenberg line as well as aircraft and marine engines produced by the Lycoming company which Cord had acquired by this time.  Auburn sales fell to just over 6,000 units for 1935 and a mere 1,263 for 1936, the final year of Auburn production.

Auburn, Indiana will host the 53rd annual Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Festival from September 3-7th, 2009.  This five-day, Labor Day weekend event is one of the most exciting collector car events in the nation.  Every year, for the past half century, the town of just 12,000 citizens, comes alive for the Labor Day weekend with festivities which include the Parade of Classics, a Guitar Fest, Garage Tour, the ‘Sundaes on Friday Ice Cream Social’, Kid’s Art Tent, two antique shows, a downtown historical tour, Mascot Olympics, Kiddie Tractor Pull, a downtown cruise-in car show which typically draws over 600 entries... and the Kruse Collector Car Auction, one of the largest in the nation... just in case you’re looking for something really special for that final Chuck-A-Burger car cruise of the season.  And, just in case this story has moved you to search out a 1935 Auburn Supercharged 851 Phaeton, like the one illustrated above, know that it is the most pricey Auburn models of the 1935 lineup according to the Old Cars Price Guide.  For a number one, show quality example, be prepared to spend around $145,000.00.  According to the same guide, you should be able to pick up the sleek and sporty two seat Speedster for a mere $80,000.00 or so... but you won’t be able to take the couple next door cruising with you.

Like a Fourth of July aerial shell, the Auburn struggled to reach its apogee, achieved a burst of glory and then quickly fizzled out.

For more information, including a schedule and a complete list of all events, contact the ACD Festival organizers at 260-925-3600 or go to www.acdfestival.org.

For the answers to this week’s trivia questions, and more on this week’s feature automobile, visit the FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com.  You can e-mail The FIN MAN, by clicking on this link:  mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

‘The FIN MAN’ is available for your group’s special occasions.  In addition to his seminar schedule, he has been a guest speaker at group meetings including car clubs, engineering clubs and other professional associations.  He has also acted as host or emcee at a number of special events including trivia parties, holiday parties, social and professional club events, benefits and fund raisers.  During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties.  His program includes a fascinating Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana.  Guests also have the opportunity to play “FINS for FUN,” the video game he produced in 1987 which inspired his nickname, in which players compete to identify the year, make and model of cars from tightly cropped photos of fins and taillights.  Those who score the highest win auto-related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors.  For more information, go to http://www.thefinman.com.  We are currently accepting bookings for the remainder of calendar year 2009 and 2010.

Do you have a favorite seventies, sixties, fifties or older car... perhaps the one your grandpa drove, or the one your dad lent you to take your date to the senior prom?  Tell The FIN MAN about it and he just might feature it in an upcoming story.  To e-mail The FIN MANTM, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

The FIN MAN is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians and the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America.  He welcomes your questions, comments and suggestions.  We’ll see you at the next Chuck-A-Burger cruise at the original location in St. John or the new Chuck-A-Burger in St. Charles.

Don’t forget to attend the 41st annual Model T Swap Meet on Sunday, April 26th.  This is the second year at the new location, Gateway International Raceway.  As often happens, many were skeptical of the move to the new location last year.  Turns out it was a runaway success, attracting more vendors and visitors than the year before.  You may also want to consider attending the Culver’s Butterburgers & Frozen Custard Restaurant Car Cruise being held on Saturday, May 16th from 6pm to 9pm at the Collinsville, Illinois location on Highway 157 near Horseshoe Lake Road.  This show, hosted by the Laker’s Car Club, always attracts a crowd.  The festivities include 50’s and 60’s music.  For further information call 618-344-8780.  Tell them you read about it in The FIN MAN’s column.   


Bruce Kunz- a.k.a. "The FIN MAN"