Editor’s Note: I like these ’32 Auburn Boattail Speedsters almost as much as the iconic 1935 and 1936 Auburn 852 Boattail Speedsters. Therefore, we’d like to publish a ’32 Boattail. Thank you, RM Auctions for permitting us to publish the photos and your article. By the way, this one sold at RM Auctions’ Amelia Island event 2013, which occurred on March 9, 2013.

Photo Credit: Stephen Goodal ©2010 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Lot 158

1932 Auburn 8-100A Custom Eight Speedster by Union City Body Company

Sold for $330,000

Chassis no. 8100A 9288ESerial no. 9288 Engine no. GU 73382Frame no. 8288

100 bhp, 268.6 cu. in. L-head inline eight-cylinder engine, three-speed transmission with Columbia two-speed “Dual Ratio” rear axle, solid front and live rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel Steeldraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 127 in.

ACD Club Category One Certified
ACD Club National Best of Show, CCCA Senior Premier, and AACA Senior Grand National winner
Among the very finest restored examples to be found

The enthusiast of 1930s-era classic cars needs no introduction to a 1932 Auburn 8-100A Speedster. They know that this was the Auburn Automobile Company’s most spectacular eight-cylinder offering, an ideal Depression-era road machine for those who could afford it. They know that it offered outstanding performance for a dashing raccoon-coated couple, with the flexibility of a two-speed rear axle providing a low ratio for city use and a high ratio for open roads in all three gears. They know that today, few Auburn products are more desirable.

The example offered here has been certified as Category One by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, as it has an original 8-100A chassis, engine, transmission, axles, body, and all other major components. It is crucial to note the originality of the body, which was built for Auburn by Union City Body Company, rather than being one of the many reproduction bodies found on original chassis today.

The present owner acquired the speedster body in 1989 and, with the goal of creating a perfect show car, spent five years restoring it on an original 8-100A chassis that was born with sedan coachwork. At the same time, the serial number, which was originally 9288 A, denoting a sedan, was changed to 9288 E, denoting the authentic speedster coachwork that the chassis now wears.

With the exception of urethane paint, chosen for its durability, the Auburn was completely returned to original factory specifications in every respect. Extensive research was performed on all components to ensure that they would be absolutely authentic to the last detail and hold up to the inspection of the most scrupulous Auburn expert.

The car shines in red and black with a red leather interior, black top, and chrome wire wheels. Minor modifications to the tail and body were very carefully and authentically repaired, and new fenders were shaped from original Auburn sedan fenders. Most importantly, the body retains the vast majority of its original woodwork installed in Indiana in 1932. This work was carefully documented in the September-October 1995 issue of Antique Automobile magazine, showing the Auburn before, during, and after the restoration had been completed.

The Auburn was shown at the ACD Club’s 1995 reunion in Auburn, Indiana, where it was judged Best Auburn and Best in Show; it went on to again capture Best Auburn in 1996 and 2002, confirming the superiority and authenticity of its restoration and presentation.

It has subsequently been judged a Senior Grand National winner by the Antique Automobile Club of America, and it has reached Senior Premier status in the Classic Car Club of America. The owner has taken the car to concours from coast to coast, including Meadow Brook, Pebble Beach, and Lehigh, and it has never returned home without an award. The most recent award was earned at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s in 2012–18 years after the completion of the restoration! This is, quite simply, one of the finest, most authentically finished 1932 Auburn Speedsters in existence.