1935 Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster
- Engine
- Supercharged straight-eight, 150 bhp (115 bhp naturally aspirated) with Schwitzer-Cummins blower
- Colour
- Cigarette Cream
A 1935–1936 Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster, serial 851 33833 E, designed by Gordon Buehrig and powered by a Schwitzer-Cummins supercharged straight-eight rated at 150 hp with a Columbia dual-ratio rear axle. Disassembled by an early Ohio owner and later rescued, the car underwent a meticulous concours-quality restoration completed in 2009, returning it to its original Cigarette Cream livery. It subsequently earned ACD Club Category 1 Original and Senior Emeritus certifications, and a first-place People's Choice Award in Kansas City in 2015.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$900,000 – US$1,000,000
- → 2001Acquisition unknownJerry Vincentini and Gary Kuck partnershippartial documentation
Nebraska-based partnership that obtained the car from Ryan in the late 1990s and subsequently sold it to a fellow Nebraska collector.
- 2001 →Private saleDon Ohnstadfull documentation
Prominent early Auburn collector from Nebraska who commissioned a full concours-level restoration, completed in 2009, returning the car to its original Cigarette Cream finish while retaining the original frame and engine.
- Date unknownWilliam Ryanpartial documentation
Based in northern Ohio; believed to have acquired the car during the 1940s and partially disassembled it in the 1950s, but never finished restoring it.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownCurrent vendorpartial documentation
Long-standing Auburn enthusiast who acquired the car several years before the auction and has maintained it in concours condition within a personal collection.
Competition
- 2009Auburn Cord Duesenberg ClubACD Club National ReunionCategory 1 Original Car certification
Held in Auburn, Indiana; the car received official documentation confirming retention of its original frame and engine.
- 2015Art of the Car Concours1st Place People's Choice Award
Event held in Kansas City; award reflects popular recognition rather than a judges' panel decision.
- —Auburn Cord Duesenberg ClubACD Club competitionSenior Emeritus status
Achieved the club's highest concours recognition level; exact year not specified in the source.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
Comprehensive concours-quality restoration undertaken by Don Ohnstad. The drivetrain components were left unaltered; body, fenders, hood, grille shell, and side aprons were retained as original. Doors were re-skinned, one hood panel was replaced, and most of the wooden body structure was renewed. The finish was matched to the factory Cigarette Cream colour identified from traces found during disassembly.
Work was completed in 2009. Documentation filed with the ACD Club confirmed the original frame and engine were preserved throughout.
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