Cord Auburn Duesenberg

If ever you think that the best cars always came from Europe, think again. The Cord Auburn Duesenberg story has even been enshrined in the movie 'Carpetbaggers'. These are without doubt some of the most desirable cars in the World and built to a world class standard.

I was able to find a boat tailed Auburn Speedster in Longmont Colorado. It had languished in a barn for many years and of course the engine was seized solid. It was still in the days when such things were just considered a heap of junk, so I was able to tow this away for the princely sum of $50. During the restoration, local car enthusiasts could not understand why the original engine was being kept. They were sure that I was building a street rod. How times have changed. On the road, the Auburn could be a bit of a handful but nevertheless it was wonderful to drive.

I met several owners of Cords, who spent most of their time trying to keep the correct liquids in the right places. One winter's day I was passenger in one such beast on a drive to Denver. Many cars were stalled on the roadside due to the snowfall. The Cord kept going, at least the front did, as the rear of the car had a complete mind of its own!

Now of course such experiences are mostly gone, as the value of these wonderful machines has placed them in showrooms and museums.