The Mail-Journal, Volume 22, Number 15, Milford, Kosciusko County, 10 April 1985 — Page 26
DeKalb County
Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum
It’s “The Year of the Early Auburn” at the 30th annual AUBURN-CORD-DUESENBERG FESTIVAL, held in the revered home of the classics. Auburn, Indiana, this Labor Day weekend. The four-day festival, FridayMonday, August 30-Sept. 2, 1985. will honor the cars of the Auburn Automobile Company, from the period of great development, 1900-30. One of the most acclaimed motorcars of its day, the Auburn was recognized for its modern body styles (including dramatic boattail speedsters, dressy broughams, and popular convertible sedans, or phaetons), performance-tested engines by Lycoming, superchargers and a variety of mechanical innovations. Auburn built a reputation for exceptional quality and design at a cost no higher than competing makes. Though many of Auburn’s headlining cars were created in the Thirties, the period between 1900 and 1930 was one of crucial experimentation, growth and change. The products of Auburn Automobile Company in the pre-1930 era will receive the spotlight during the 1985 festival. Over 200 Auburn. Cord and Duesenberg automobiles will reassemble in Auburn over Labor Day weekend to enthrall the thousands of antique auto enthusiasts who flock to the “World’s Greatest Classic Car Show” each year. The center of activity during the festival is the remarkable Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum, housed in the administration building of Auburn Automobile Company (1900-37). One of the country’s most applauded automobile collections, including over 140 vehicles from the 19th century to the present, is permanently on exhibit
, Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival August 30-September 2,1985
In the golden age of motoring — the Twenties and Thirties — American automobile technology was developing at skyrocket speed. Each season brought fresh, inspired innovations in passenger car design and performance. It was the first era in which owning a “great set of wheels” became a national passion. Leading the way in this industrial flourish were the cars of Auburn Automobile Company, Auburn, and Duesenberg, Inc., Indianapolis. Today the splendor of that golden age is beautifully preserved at the Aubum-Cord-Duesenberg Museum. Originally the Auburn Automobile Company (1900-37) factory showroom and administration building, the museum is a remarkably restored example of Art Deco architecture. Built in 1930 at a cost of $450,000, the two-level structure features three-tiered, imported chandeliers, hand-painted relief ceiling borders, geometric terrazo floors and an elegant grand stairway. Over 140 classic, antique and special interest cars are presented throughout 80,000 square feet, creating a nostalgic trip through automotive history from the horseless carriage to late model sports cars. Also exhibited are automotive memorabilia including a prized collection of Lalique crystal hood ornaments, restored design offices, auto advertising and art. Other displays focus on fashions,- fairs and home entertainment of half a century ago, complimenting this picture of America's past. The museum is situated in what is
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throughout the original factory showrooms. Os special interest to car buffs each year is the MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION, which yields 600 cars in three-day sale. Operated continuously for 14 years by Dean Kruse of ITT-Kruse International, the highly-celebrated auction embraces every aspect of the automotive spectrum, with U.S. and foreign models alike, from pioneer autobuggies to modern sports cars. Previous auctions have produced many a world record price for some of the most beautifully-restored motor cars ever conceived. Seekers of automobile memorabilia or that hard-to-find antique car part will want to check the swap meet next to the auction grounds. The auction and swap meet take place at DeKalb High School, just north of Auburn on State Road 427, SaturdayMonday, August 31-September 2. A highlight each year is the unequalled PARADE OF CLASSICS. Winterfest Sponsored each winter by the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department, Winterfest is a Saturday' of frolicsome activity in Smith Acres Park on Auburn’s east side, Held in, late January, with a February no-snow date if necessary. Winterfest includes sledding races, ice skating, sleigh rides, snow sculpturing, cross country skiing, snow softball, snowball throws, wintertime foods from the Auburn Kiwanis and door prizes. Contact: Liz Terveer, Director, Parks and Recreation Department, Auburn City Hall, Auburn, Indiana 46706 (219)925-5430.
truly the “home of classics.” The renowned Auburn boattail speedsters and the front-wheel-drive Cords were manufactured in this small northeast Indiana city. Errett Lobban Cord, the transportation industrialist and figure head of Auburn Automobile Company, also boasted ownership of Duesenberg, Inc., builder of America's finest and most luxurious motorcar. Today, these automobiles once again occupy the showplace that served them so formidably in another era. Highlights of the museum collection are the 1956 Bentley S-l FourDoor Sedan with psychedelic paint, owned by John Lennon in the Sixties;. a rare 1901 Gasmobile Stanhope Phaeton; the nobly-failed Tucker of 1948; a 1916 Rauch and Lang electric car; vehicles by Stutz, Lincoln, Cadillac, Marmon, Essex and many other American manufacturers. Exhibits also include such foreign and sports cars as Porsche. Jaguar, Bugatti. Ferrari and MG. And, appropriately, the museum
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The pure artistry of rolling sculpture set in motion along Auburn’s attractive tree-lined streets creates an unforgettable picture. At the parade’s conclusion, each of these progressive automobiles is parked downtown, transforming Aubum’s picturesque court house square into a haven for appreciative photographers. The parade is scheduled to begin at 1:00, Saturday, August 31. The Tri Kappa Sorority will repeat its popular ANTIQUE SHOW AND SALE at DeKalb High School, Saturday-Monday, August 31-September 2. Excursions above Auburn in an outstanding 1931 Stinson Tri-Motor airplane will be offered from Auburn-DeKalb Airport. The Auburn Business Association also reprises its crowd-pleasing ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW on Auburn’s court house square, Sunday, September 1. Auburn Improvement Association will sponsor the annual DECORATOR SHOWCASE in one of the community’s historic homes. Other events include the TRI KAPPA ART SHOW at Eckhart-Public Library, the JayCee’s Historic Tours of
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displays the most comprehensive collection anywhere of superlative Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs, including prototypes and one-of-a-kind models. The Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is open daily, 9:00 a m.-9:00 p.m. MaySeptember; and 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. October-April. Admission rates are $4.00 for adults and $2.50 for students and senior citizens. Group tours and group rates are available by appointment. The museum tour, with gift shop browsing, takes approximately two hours. Auburn is just off 1-69, at the intersection of State Road 8 and State Road 427. Museum signs mark the way. Free parking is adjacent to the museum, which is equipped with facilities for the handicapped. AUBURN-CORD-DUESENBERG MUSEUM 1600 South Wayne Street Post Office Box 271 Aubum, Indiana 46706 (219)-925-1444
Auburn, the RSVP ANTIQUE QUILT SHOW. And, for qualified members, there’s the HOOSIER A-C-D TOUR, the A-C-D MUSEUM GALA ANNIVERSARY BALL and the PRO-AM GOLF TOURNAMENT at Greenhurst Country Club. The Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival has been named one of the “Top 100 Events in North America for 1985” by the American Bus Association, and has received the Travel and Tourism Award as “Best Festival” from the Tourism Development Division, Indiana Department of Commerce. Aubum is located in northeastern
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Auburn In The Spring May 18-19,1985
Come spend a beautiful springtime weekend in the park at Auburn In The Spring, northeast Indiana’s grand, new celebration of the automobile. Auburn In The Spring, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 18 & 19, 1985, offers a spectacular COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION. CLASSIC CAR SHOW, AUTOMOTIVE TRADE SHOW, all in the picturesque setting of Auburn’s historic (1915) Eckhart Park. The 3rd Annual Auburn In The Spring, a benefit for the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum, is brought to you by the same organizers who present the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival each Labor Day weekend. America’s greatest motorcars from the classic era are assembled in the CLASSIC CAR SHOW, on Saturday, May 18th, sponsored by the Classic Car Club of America. Indiana Region. The most distinctive automobiles of the Twenties, Thirties and Forties — Duesenberg, Stutz, Packard, Lincoln, Cord, Bentley, Auburn, Rolls Royce — owned by members of the nation’s leading automobile clubs, will assemble in the park for display and competitive judging. Among the entries are some of the finest restored cars in existence, representing American and foreign auto mass production, as well as cars of the custom-built principle. Neighboring the car Show is the COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION, encompassing up to 300 cars of every variety in a two-day sale, Saturday and Sunday. May 18 & 19. Conducted by Charleston Auctioneers of Fort Wayne, the auction will include antique, classic, post-war and sports cars in all price ranges, for the serious collector or the novice. The auction is, of course, an exciting spectator event as well. At the entrance to the park is an AUTOMOTIVE TRADE SHOW featuring new products for the antique car restorer and hobbyist. Just two blocks from Eckhart Park is the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum, host to an AUTOMOTIVE
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Indiana, 20 miles north of Fort. Wayne and 35 miles south of the Indiana Toll Road (1-80 & 1-90), at the intersection of 1-69 and State Road 8. AUBURN-CORD-DUESENBERG FESTIVAL Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum 1600 South Wayne Street Post Office Box 271 Auburn, Indiana 46706 (219) 925-1444
ART SHOW & SALE, an invitatiorial exhibition including works in all media by the country’s eminent artists. Oil. watercolor, ink. charcoal, sculpture and photographic images of the world’s great automobiles will be represented. Happily, the popular Auburn In The Spring is the perfect companion to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival that caps off the summer season. Eckhart Park is located at the extreme south end of Cedar Street in Aubum. Admission to Auburn In The Spring is $4.00 for adults, $2.00 for students and senior citizens. Children under 6 are free. Those attending Aubum In The Spring may enter the Auburn-Cord-Quesenberg Museum at half price: $2.00 adults, $1.25 students and senior citizens. AUBURN IN THE SPRING Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum 1600 South Wayne Street Post Office Box 271 Aubum, Indiana 46706 (219)925-1444
For information about retail businesses and industries in Auburnfthe seat of DeKalb County) contact: of ClaA4JcA H AUBURN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE P.O. Box 168 Aubum. IN 46706 925-21 N