 |
 |
The 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster might be something of a mongrel, but it is still one of most desirable American cars of the 1930s. Hastily cobbled together from left-over components from the unloved 1933 model, given a quick cosmetic refresh by the master Gordon Buehrig, it was a quick-fix attention grabber to draw customers to the failing Auburn marque.
So successful, however, was Buehrig’s makeover, and so alluring the promise of genuine 100mph performance thanks to its supercharged 4.6-litre engine, that the 851 exceeded all sales expectations despite its enormous $2245 list price. It may have been popular, but Auburn still only managed to turn out around 200 examples and today survivors are highly.
Although it was never an out-and-out sports car – those 100mph claims were genuine, but rarely realised on the road – the example seen here did have the briefest of competition careers, having been entered in the 1936 South African Grand Prix. The full story of this unlikely GP car is told in the latest issue of The Automobile, which is out now.
Photographs by Mick Walsh