1935 Duesenberg Convertible SJ LA Grand Dual-Cowl Phaeton. Image source: Wikipedia.
I remember in the fall of 1974 venturing north to Auburn, Indiana for the annual Auburn Classic Auto Auction. Auburn is where the Duesenberg Automobile manufacturer thrived in the earlier decades of the 20th century. The factory still stands and is now a museum and host to the annual event.
In the years before the Second World War, higher quality materials and better craftsmanship went into automobiles, especially, high-end, more expensive models. The Auburn Cord is still one of my all-time favorite old cars.
Auburn, Indiana is in northern Indiana, just a few miles northwest of Fort Wayne, near some of the Amish communities of the northern region of the state. On our return trip from the auction to east central Indiana, we stopped at a roadside restaurant where we sampled “Shoo-fly pie“, which also became a lifetime favorite of mine.
I would recommend an autumn trip to Auburn for any car enthusiast. You won’t be disappointed!
Trivia factoid: The expression “a real Doozy” comes from the term used when pointing out a new Duesenberg back in the 1920s and 1930s, a favorite of movie stars and people of notoriety.
Steve D.
