1931 Auburn 8-98A Boattail Speedster

Carrying known history from new, this unforgettable 1931 Auburn 8-98A Speedster was restored at the Auburn factory in the early 1950s during Dallas Winslow’s ownership of the company. It also enjoys Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club Level One status, documented by Certificate AA-087, which duly list the Auburn’s roster of former keepers. Collector ownership and obvious tender loving care and attentive maintenance have preserved the Speedster’s captivating and collector-worthy presentation through the years to great effect.

Finished in Black with a Red-accented radiator grille and body moldings, this CCCA-recognized Classic Era® beauty is further enhanced by dramatic Red painted rear-fender catwalks that focus further attention to the Speedster’s decidedly sporting “boattail” body design. Twin chrome horns enhance safety and twin chrome-housed Pilot Ray driving lights illuminate the way, swiveling side to side with links to the steering gear. According to the excellent Mascot Mania website, the Speedster’s “Winged Man” radiator mascot was a factory-available item, designed by K.E. Stante for Auburn and in use for 1931-'37. Twin side mounted spare wheels and tires reside within hard cases and include chrome mirrors. Other highlights include a Black canvas soft top and Red painted wire-spoke wheels mounting period style Whitewall bias-ply tires. Twin cowl lamps and rear “STOP” lights add further premium-level distinction. In totality, this captivating Auburn Speedster delivers an overall impression of adventure, speed, and style.

Featuring Red leather upholstery that remains vibrant in color with a pleasing patina consistent with limited use and proper care since restoration, the Speedster is further equipped with Burgundy carpeting. The Auburn’s instrument panel houses a large speedometer and useful, easy-to-read gauges monitoring amperage, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and fuel level. While showing some pitting, the 3-spoke steering wheel is correct and a floor-shift lever provides gear changes.

Continuing to clearly benefit from an older high-quality restoration and care, this 8-98 Speedster’s 98-horsepower, 268.6 cubic inch L-head 8-cylinder engine and surrounding engine compartment are clean, highly attractive, and retain correct parts, components, and finishes throughout, again indicative of collector care through its lifetime. According the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club Verification of Originality paperwork on file, the original engine was replaced in 1954 with an identical unit at the factory during their restoration of the car for then-owner Al Ferrera. Underneath that gorgeous bodywork, the Speedster demonstrates one of the first applications of X-member chassis bracing on a rear-wheel drive car. Other desirable features include Bijur central chassis lubrication, Lovejoy hydraulic shocks, semi-elliptical spring suspension front and rear, and an optional L.G.S. Freewheeling unit. The engine compartment and undercarriage appear tidy, with the patina of a well-cared for older restoration.

As mentioned earlier, this 1931 Auburn 8-98A Speedster’s provenance is documented by the accompanying A-C-D Club certification papers, with the car purchased new in New Jersey and driven by the original owner’s daughter for some years prior to WWII. It passed through a dealer and in 1948, the next known personal owner, Albert Kettlehake, acquired it and relocated the car to Ohio. The Auburn passed through two more owners in Ohio before acquisition by Al Ferrara of Gates Mills, Ohio, who had the car restored at the old Auburn factory at a then-considerable $4,300 with the work completed in 1954. According to the A-C-D Club certification, the car was originally finished in Black and Red – the livery it maintains today. In 1961, Mr. Ferrera sold the Speedster to Wm. A. Horning of Waterdown, Ontario, Canada. The next owner was Gerry Johnson of St. Williams, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Erie, who acquired the Speedster in 1964 and retained it for many years thereafter. Eventually, the car was under longterm ownership by longtime A-C-D Club member W. Pfeifer of New York, who sold it to the current Austin, TX owner in 2010. It has since been serviced at noted Auburn restorers LaVine Restorations and D&D Classics.According to the A-C-D certification paperwork, this Speedster is a 13-time veteran of the world-famous Labor Day festivities in its birthplace, Auburn, Indiana.

A sporting legend of the immediate pre-Great Depression years with immediate and everlasting collectability, Auburn’s original Boattail Speedster continues to exemplify a long-lost period of prosperity and optimism that precious few of its contemporaries possibly can. Maintaining its exceptional looks and carrying wonderfully documented provenance, including its Auburn factory restoration, original color combination, and well-cared for condition, this Level One A-C-D Club certified 1931 Auburn 8-98A Speedster is one of the most desirable examples remaining in existence and currently available for astute collectors to enjoy and appreciate.