Phil,
While growing up I was always told that my grandfather had bought this Auburn
when the original deal to sell it to some Arabian oil sheik had fallen
through. Supposedly the exchange rate had changed in such a way that the car
was
now too much money for the Sheik. I don't really know if this story is
accurate.
In any case, what I do know is true is that my father (then a young boy in
the 1930's) remembers the car arriving in a crate via train, and being unloaded
at the freight siding here in Oradell, NJ. I don't know how long my family
had it, but when it eventually became too expensive (or too hard?) to keep it
running, it was sold for scrap. Unfortunately - since it was aluminum bodied -
when the "tin-man" came around his magnet wouldn't stick to it, so it was
deemed worthless. I got the impression they had to pay to get it removed.
I'm sure they would have liked to get $75 for it!
Donny V
1978 MGB
In a message dated 12/19/2004 1:38:08 AM Eastern Standard Time,
pethier@isd.net writes:
> Don "I wish I had my grandfather's Auburn!" Vierling
My grandfather would not buy a car as flashy as an Auburn. An hour after my
dad bought the Auburn for 25 bucks, his dad told him that he ought to "take
it down to Rondo Avenue and peddle it". He did finally sell it to race-car
driver Ralph DePalma. For 75 bucks.
Phil Ethier West Side Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa 65/2597, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1993 Suburban, 1962 TR4 CT2846L
pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/ http://www.lotusowners.com
"TOOLS? Hell, any fool can work with tools. It takes a real mechanic to
work with this junk." -Orv Ethier, 1921-2004. First Shot Naval Vets, Pearl
Harbor Survivor.
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