Summary

Model 12-160A,160hp, V-12 L-head engine, twin carburetors, 3-speed manual transmission with 2-speed Columbia electric overdrive, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and 4-wheel vacuum-assisted hydraulic drum brakes.

Details

This Auburn was recently re-commissioned by world-class restorer Alan Taylor. This car has been owned by some of the most well-known collectors, including Bob Bahre (1974-78), Ray Bowersox (1978-98), Bruce Earlin (1998-2011), Rupert Lindley and Paul Emple. E.L. Cord was one to look the Great Depression in the face and smile. For 1932, his team at Auburn Automobile Company launched a bombshell in the luxury car market: a V12 that would compete head-on with the offerings from Lincoln, Pierce-Arrow and Cadillac. It was designed by chief engineer George Kublin, and it utilized a narrow 45-degree 'vee' and an unusual combustion chamber, which was set on an angle to the cylinders. The valves were in the heads, but they were horizontal, and they were operated by a single camshaft through the rockers. This engine could produce 160hp from 391cid. Auburn's famous Dual-Ratio rear axle, which was standard on custom models, allowed the car to be driven in either high gear ratios, for open country roads, or in a lower ratio, for city driving. The excellent engineering was wrapped in the timeless Alan Leamy styling that made Auburns of this era some of the most beautiful of all classics. The new model could even run like the wind. Running in a Speedster model at Muroc Dry Lake, Eddie Miller broke 31 American speed records from flying starts and nine international records from standing starts. All of this made the Auburn 12 one of the finest American performance cars of its era, and its barely three years of production, from 1932 to 1934, also made it one of the scarcest. This car was subtly upgraded with much of the desirable Salon model trim, including chrome inserts below the windows, Salon door handles, and polished stainless trim on the hood louvers. As a custom model, it boasts chromed headlamps, headlights and wire wheels with side-mounts. Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club members treasure the surviving Auburn V12s for their excellent performance and show-stopping style, and any example that comes to market is fiercely desired. This phaeton would be an outstanding choice for shows and club activities, and will provide instant bragging rights to its new owner.