Car Feature: Auburn Cord Duesenberg 866 Speedster replica

Way back when I was a kid, someone gave me a box of hotwheels cars. One of them was a 1933 Auburn Boattail speedster. That car quickly became my favorite car of all time. So, you can imagine my excitement every time I see a speedster.
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As I've said before, the cruise-in at Olympic Broil is often a good place to see nice classic cars. This past tuesday night was no exception.

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After a bit of research, I learned that this car is, in fact, not an original Boattail Speedster (known as a First Generation). To explain that, I need to give a bit of background.

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In 1937, after the Great Depression took a toll on the company, they ceased production.

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In 1968, Glenn Pray, president of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg company, using reproduction and NOS parts, began making and selling the second Generation Speedster, known as the 866.

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The name, "866" is more than just a number, though. The "8" indicates that it still uses an 8-cylinder engine. Though, not the original 4.4L Inline 8 supercharged engine. Instead, they opted for a ford 428 Big-Block engine. And the "66" indicates the year that engineering began on the modernized Speedster.

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This "Classic Car with a Modern Powerplant" idea really caught on, and inspired the "Replicar" industry.

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The Original Auburn Speedsters are quite valuable, with concourse-condition examples going for almost half a million dollars, and good condition examples, and most replicas  in the mid $60,000 to mid $80,000 range.

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When I was researching for this article, I stumbled onto a few sites that, while appearing to be built at the same time the internet was, offered some great information. I'll link those at the end of the article.

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The gauge cluster on this car is simple, yet informative. Enough gauges to show all of the important data from the engine, yet nothing flashy.

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It's easy to see why I really like this car. Just look at the lines. The curves have a strong Art Deco look, and just have an "All Eyes On Me" effect.

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There is no way you can drive this car and not look classy. You could roll into any Cars and Coffee or Cruise-In show and have the same effect as rolling in in a Lamborghini.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Like the post, share it on your social media, and follow me via the links at top and right of the page.

And, for those interested, here are the links to the sites I found on the Auburn:

Hemmings: Classic cars for sale
auburnspeedsters.com
the history of the Auburn Speedster
Wikipedia page about the car

Thanks, and, like always, be sure to check back often for more content.

-Phil