Auburn, Vintage Cars

1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster

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1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster

The Auburn Car Company was in business for four decades, but its height came at the end, with the Boattail Speedster. This model was made for only two years, the first one in 1935, and there were only minor modifications on the 1936 model.  The Boattail Speedster was designed after the company had to shift away from 12-cylinder cars.

They redesigned into a straight eight cylinder model that was supercharged with a Schweitzer-Cummins aspiration system. This, with two valves per cylinder, allowed the carburation system to produce a lot more power, cranking out 150 horsepower at 4000 rpm.  The engine itself was 280 cubic inches with a bore of 3.06 inches and a stroke of 4.75 inches.

This was one of the few true sports cars of the pre-war era. It sold new for $2,245, which was still affordable to some even during the Depression.  E.L. Cord was credited with designing a larger, flowing design that made the Auburn unique in appearance, in addition to it being a performance car.

Even though it was a fast car for its day, it was also big. The car was made of steel, and used 6.5 x 15 inch tires. The car weighed in at 3746 pounds with a 127 inch wheel base. It’s front track was 58 inches, while the rear track was 62 inches, which gave the rear a boat-like appearance, hence the name. The Auburn Speedster was 194 inches long, 71 inches wide and 58 inches tall.

The car had a three-speed manual transmission, and would go from zero to 60 in 15 seconds, which was quick for its time. The car also had a top speed of 140 miles per hour, which was almost unheard of in the late 30s.   In 1936 while this was the height of the Auburn vehicles, it was also the end, as the company stopped production in 1937.

1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster Photos:

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Bugatti, Cars, Vintage Cars

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante

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The 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante was the fourth body style created for the Type 57 series. It served as an interpretation of the 1935 Aérolithe Coupe upon which the Type 57 Atlantic was heavily based on. The expensive and time-consuming methods used to create the Atlantic’s unusual body prompted the company to create a revision of sorts that was somewhat more practical for series production. Nevertheless, only 17 of these vehicles were ever made with no two Atalantes the same, making them extraordinarily rare and extremely valuable.

The Type 57 Atalante is easily distinguishable thanks to its unique styling cues, many of them visually separating the Atalante from its fellow Type 57 body styles. The Atalante makes heavy use of the two-tone paint scheme favored by Jean Bugatti, a feature that serves to further accentuate the prominent French curve on the side of the vehicle. The most distinctive feature of the Type 57 Atalante is its single-piece windscreen, kidney-bean side windows, split rear window and its unique drop head-style roofline. A rare version of the Atalante featured a roll-back roof for open-air motoring.

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Roll Back RoofThe first batch of Atalante bodies was built on the regular Type 57 chassis. Later Atalantes were built on the Type 57S (Surbaisse) chassis, featuring a lower ride height than other Type 57 variants. Out of necessity, the rear axle passes through the chassis, supported by reversed quarter-elliptic leaf springs for improved ride compliance. The Type 57S also made use of self-adjusting DeRam hydraulic shocks at the front and rear. The Type 57S Atalante further distinguishes itself with an ovoid radiator with a deep v-shape at its bottom.

Bugatti made use of naturally aspirated 3.3-liter straight eight-cylinder engine. Fitted with dual overhead cams and a Stromberg carburetor, the 3.3-liter engine produced 135 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. The use of a Roots-type supercharger helped push engine output to a more sporting 170 horsepower. This engine sits on rubber bushings in the Type 57S chassis, whereas the original Type 57 featured the engine as a stressed member of the chassis.

The Type 57 Atalante is by far one of the rarest and most exquisite of the vehicles produced under Bugatti. Four examples of this unique vehicle currently sit at the Cité de l’Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, France.

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Photo Gallery

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Antique Cars, Lincoln

1936 Lincoln Model K Seven Passenger Touring

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The 1936 Lincoln is powered by a 150 bhp, 414.1 cu. in. L-head V12 engine with a three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, four-wheel power-assisted mechanical brakes.

The Lincoln Model K in the photos is finished in the sporting color of Jade green with a tan Haartz cloth top. The 1936 Lincoln is a special bodied Seven Passenger Touring Model 323 offered by Lincoln. It is equipped with dual-side mounted spares with hard covers and mirrors. Accompanying the rear passenger compartment is a rear windshield, jump seats, lighter and courtesy light along with two small parcel compartments. The car is also equipped with a rear mounted luggage rack.

The Model 323 7-passenger touring car was priced at an amazing low $4200.00, the 145-inch wheelbase special-order attracted only eight buyers. With the top lowered, the Model 323 looks even more stunning. The large car weighed 5,276 pounds. This year there was no tonneau cowl version available as why a rear windshield was installed. As in the past, the front wind deflectors lowered into the doors.

With some of the prettiest bodywork available, the Model 323 offered its occupants a spirited driving experience. This Lincoln Model K is still a very nice example and would make an excellent candidate for a variety of touring events. With only 8 examples of the touring car made and certainly fewer extant, the sale of this Lincoln is an opportunity not to be missed by pre-war Lincoln enthusiasts.

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