Auto World 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster vs.1932 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton

The Pinnacle of Pre-War Performance and Prestige

- MATT BOYD

It has been famously said that history is written by the victors. In the case of American sports and luxury automobiles of the 1930s the victor was surely Cadillac; as we sit here 8+ decades later Caddy is still going strong, while brands like Duesenberg, Packard and Auburn are something of a footnote in the annals of automotive history. But that is more a reflection of the grim economics of the Depression era than of the merits of the two vehicles you see on these pages. Cadillac had the robust corporate resources of General Motors to help it weather the economic headwinds of the 1930s, while Auburn, as the junior brand in the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg partnership, was a much smaller operation and much more reliant on the upper end of the automotive market which was especially hard hit by the Great Depression. That in no way detracts from the fundamental beauty and quality of the car itself; in fact it is a tribute to the enduring appeal of the Auburn 851 “Boattail” Speedster that it is the design many enthusiasts think of when they hear the name “Auburn” and it measures up admirably against one of Cadillac’s most prestigious nameplates of all time—the V-16.