STRIKING A CORD IN THE MIDWEST
Auburn, Indiana is one of the top US motoring destinations. The former site of 10 manufacturers is known as the ‘Home of the Classics’ and was an early rival to Detroit.
During the 1920s and ’30s, local auto magnate EL Cord owned the Auburn and Duesenberg marques, so start your classic journey at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. This impressive collection of 130 vehicles is spread over a three-storey building that was occupied by the Auburn Automobile Company. The ground floor is an ornate Art Deco space that was the original corporate showroom, where new models were revealed to dealers in the ’30s. Cars on this level include a tropical 1931 Cord drophead coupe, ’32 Duesenberg Model J, ’36 Auburn 852 Phaeton and an ivory ’37 Cord 812 drophead with iconic ‘coffin’ nose and hidden headlamps.
A separate area is devoted to cars designed by Gordon Buehrig, who became Duesenberg’s design chief at the tender age of 25. Among his creations are a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Beverly saloon, with its distinctive low silhouette and raked windscreen, plus a 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster and a one-of-a-kind 1948 Tasco from The American Sports Car Company.
It’s not all Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs at their namesake museum, however. In the ‘Gallery of Special Interest Automobiles’ you’ll find unusual classics such as a rare ’52 Cisitalia 202 Gran Sport and a ’33 Checker from the year that Cord acquired the Checker Cab Co. A section devoted to cars manufactured in Indiana includes 1894 Black, ’20 Lexington Minute Man Six and ’22 Haynes.
The focus narrows to Auburnproduced automobiles with a 1907 Kiblinger, 1910 Zimmerman, and a 1913 Imp. Iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was a car buff, and two of his former vehicles are on display: painted in Lloyd Wright’s signature ‘Cherokee Red’ are his 1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet and a diminutive 1952 Crosley.
The Hall of Technology gives close-up views of several engines, along with hands-on displays where budding mechanics can learn about things such as axle ratios and propshafts. The Design Studios take visitors inside the styling process, with clay models and original sketches for everything from hubcaps to steering wheels.
Adjacent to the ACD site is the National Automotive & Truck Museum, in the ’20s factory buildings of the Auburn Automobile Co, including the space where the front-drive Cord L-29 was developed. The museum features a mix of cars, Checker cabs and lorries, along with some quirky vehicles.
One such star is a 1940 GM Futurliner (C&SC, June ’06). Like a cross between a Flash Gordon-era Airstream and a bus, it’s one of 12 that criss-crossed the USA as part of GM’S ‘Parade of Progress’ in the 1940s and ’50s. Nearby is a 1981 De Lorean, in rare factory red, and a ’65 Mustang Fastback fitted with a 185bhp Wankel rotary engine. An ‘airflow’ 1938 Dodge Model RX-70 in Texaco livery is a highlight of the lorry section, while this facility also houses a selection of toys, models and pedal cars ranging from 1894 to the present day.
For Ford fans, a worthwhile side trip is the Early Ford V8 Foundation. Currently undergoing a major expansion, it showcases Fomoco cars from ’32 onwards, while there are even more classics to be found in the adjacent Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum. Here you’ll find film cars such as a Carl Casperbuilt Batmobile, plus hot rods, Indy 500 racers, and the International Monster Truck Museum!
The best time to visit the region is during the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival that straddles the end of August and the start of September. As for whether it lives up to its billing as ‘The World’s Greatest Classic Car Show & Festival’, you’ll just have to decide for yourself. Michael Milne