A Far Too Brief History of Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg

[@rexmyers991]

My Father-in-Law, Delmar Johnson, was instrumental in saving the ACD factory show room from demolition and led the effort to restore and then open the museum. He then started the ACD Festival, Auburn Cord and Duesenburg reunion/parade (and auto auction) which is still held every Labor Day weekend in Auburn, Indiana. I am very proud of my Father-in-Law.

[@AllCarswithJon]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@ProctorsGamble]

Thanks to him for doing that I really enjoyed the museum Beautiful Art Deco floor It needs to be on everyone’s list!

[@rob1tnt]

I'm sure it's been said in many comments already but if you ever have the opportunity the ACD (Auburn, Cord, Dusenberg) museum in Auburn IN is spectacular. There's so much to appreciate about it. The restored building is as impressive as the collection of cars. Seeing cars in there orginal show room adds so much to the experience.

[@AtomicReverend]

I never realized how quick he did all his accomplishments. I knew he was young compared to the other heavy hitter in the automobile industry but he was really young.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Yeah, I was stunned. It was funny, because I was about 1/2 through the script/research for the video when I realized the entire ACD saga was like 1925-1937.... and that's it. That 12-ish years had an outsized influence on the auto industry. It's amazing.

[@AtomicReverend]

@@AllCarswithJon that is exactly what I thought as you were telling the story along with the fact he was born in 1894 so he was 31ish. At 31 most of us are still perfecting our craft so to speak and it's after 20-30 years we are sort of experts in what we do he skipped a few steps. Neat story regardless and like all the other small US car manufacturers that used to be it is ashamed Auburn, Cord Duesenberg is gone. But I guess we are living in the new era of electrification and the future there will be the same failures. I am sure most will slowly fail no matter how good or bad their cars are (Lucid and Rivian comes to mind) just because the market is becoming flooded with battery powered vehicles.

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

​@@AtomicReverend well he wasn't the only one at that age to achieve awesome status go look at giangrande the 31-year old gun designer inventor that came up obviously with the m1 grand. People need to realize that there were 21 year olds here and steel companies who ran multiple businesses and corporations in decades past it's only literally because as time went on the older generations decided that everybody's too young to do whatever. Then they've got nerve enough to bitch that very few people seem to accomplish very much by their early 30's yet for the most part they're the ones that get in the way.

[@billyjoejimbob56]

Jon: One of your best yet! Looking back on E. L. Cord, we might regard him as an Elon Musk of his time. Jay Leno, a well known modern day Deusenberg fan claims that ALL Model J chassis were built in 1929. Someone finally figured out that the rolling chassis inventory was WAY ahead of sales. Model SJs were reworked Model Js waiting for buyers. The short wheelbase cars... of the 30s possibly shortened chassis to satisfy special orders? Unclear. Your comment about mid 30s Cord, and the decades long gap until the Toronado made me smile. True, the transmission ahead of the engine was not a space effecient layout, while the Toronado, still a big car, was much better, with a conventioal torque converter behind the engine, with an inverted tooth chain turning the output 180 degrees to the rest of a THM400 transmission beside the engine with its output facing forward. That chain was developed and manufactured by Morse Chain, today a 95 year old division of BorgWarner Corp.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for your kind words! When I started this one I thought it would be pretty quick. Short time frame, lots of images and videos to edit in... but it ended up taking nearly 2x as long as my previous ones! But I have to admit, I'm almost proud of this one. :) LOL. I cut out quite a bit about their two exceptional designers that made it all happen and I regret doing so. That may become another video in the future.

[@billyjoejimbob56]

@@AllCarswithJon Clarification: Morse is a 135 year old division of its 95 year old parent company BorgWarner!

[@markcarlson9914]

My dad brought home an auburn super charger boat tail speedster to restore when I was 5. At 63 I still recall this wonderful machine over all the other cars he restored.

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Time line compressed? Just a smidge?

[@billolsen4360]

At the lowest point in the Great Depression, 1933, E.L. Cord built what ended up as the priciest house in Beverly Hills. Impressed with Los Angeles architect Paul Williams' design in that it came into Mr Cord's office weeks ahead of others, he had Williams add exotic wood features throughout the interior to his basic design. Mr Williams said that it was a joyous experience in "spending other people's money."

[@Pugs365]

Cars = Art! There was a stunning red Auburn in our neighborhood that always made me swoon.

[@darylkik777]

I grew up two neighborhoods away from a "Auburn". We had a1930 Model 'A" in the garage growing up and it was fun as a kid in the rumble seat but your correct that Auburn Speedster I remember was so classy and sharp. Thanks for the memory.

[@hanspeeters3246]

Thank you for this interesting video! Figures like E.L. Cord make automotive history enormously fascinating and we can't emphasize enough the impact that the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg brands had on the automotive history. Please keep up the good work and greetings from Italy!

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for the comment and for being here!

[@hanspeeters3246]

@@AllCarswithJon The pleasure is mine! Being European I have little to no first-hand hand experience with many of the American car models and brands that feature in your videos, but that's exactly why I find your channel so interesting. It opens a window on a lesser-known (to me) part of the automotive history. I also really enjoy the way you narrate your videos. So thanks to you!

[@johnburch6927]

Great program.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thank you!

[@Ang3lUki]

That's so weird, when I hear Lycoming, I think of aircraft engines, and only aircraft engines.

[@joehorecny7835]

Nice Brief History! It is interesting how many humans skyrocket to success, only to self destruct at the end.

[@AllCarswithJon]

And yet go on and create additional fortunes in Cord's case!

[@bigun447]

The V-12 engine was sold to the American LaFrance firetruck. They added about 100 more cubic inches. It is a great engine swap for the owners of the V-12 car engine cars as the greatly increased engine displacement meant more HP. We had one in our 1941 American LaFrance firetruck.

[@donaldcampbell5277]

Very interesting video. I live approximately 25 miles from the ACD museum in Auburn, In. and have always liked visiting it several times.

[@johnnymason3265]

Jay Leno would be proud of this video. He owns at least one Duesenberg Model J, one SJ, and one Cord 812. I'm sure he loves those cars of his.

[@billolsen4360]

If I were Leno, i'd be overwhelmed at how many landmark cars I had.

[@hobertwilliams5647]

Do one on fisher body company

[@jerrywatt6813]

Years ago the man I worked for in the sheetmetal fabrication company here in LA owned a boat tail roadster it was light blue and indeed a beautiful piece of art he was a millionair and had a large Duesenberg sedan like Clark gable'car both drove like a dream cheers 😊

[@ScottoftheSahara]

I believe the Duesenberg straight eight was the most powerful engine in a car until the 1950's with the Chrysler Hemi taking over that spot.

[@NBZW]

In 1950 I had a job helping deliver coveralls and shop towels for a laundry, one of our stops was a repair shop that worked on the uncommon vehicles. A 1937 Cord was parked in the corner and had been there for some time, the proprietor said I could have it for $300.00, the amount owed for repairs. Well for a 15 year old kid he might just as well said ten thousand.

[@gurjotsingh8934]

Wow how old are you sir now?

[@NBZW]

@@gurjotsingh8934 90 sir.

[@seed_drill7135]

Pop up headlights made a one year reappearance in the 1942 DeSoto.

[@billolsen4360]

Oh yeah, forgot all about that one. They made an appearance in a 1946 Hollywood film called "The Postman Always Rings Twice."

[@musicauthority7828]

Auburn made some of the most beautiful cars ever produced. especially the boat tail speedsters. Jay Leno is the foremost Living authority on Duesenberg and Packard automobiles. when I was very young my father had Auburn. we lived in Pawling New York. up on little hill, and bottom of the hill there was automotive repair shop that he worked in. and across from the repair shop there was small railyard. I'm not exactly sure how it happened I'm guessing that he get it all the way into gear when he parked it. anyway it rolled down to hill and though a chain link fence. and on to the tracks and hit by a train. that's about as much as I know from what I was told. it would be really cool if he still had it today. I'm guessing it would be worth a lot of money but that was a long time ago, and he would have probably sold it a a long time ago. if it hadn't met it's demise.

[@don66hotrod94]

Highly recommend a visit to ACD Museum in Auburn, IN. Consider a video on CASE cars, the 1st company to enter the Indy 500 and lasting from 1911 to 1926.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Doing this video has moved the ACD Museum to the very tippy-top of places I'd like to go (I mean, after a tropical island). CASE is on the list. :)

[@don66hotrod94]

@@AllCarswithJon Thank You! An interesting tidbit about Case is the incredibly bad fortunes of their racing team, both killed and injured, and yet quite a bit of success racing.

[@don66hotrod94]

Another video to consider: The history of the front wheel drive Ruxton, named after a potential investor-who backed out.

[@AllCarswithJon]

@@don66hotrod94 I remember reading about that once.... I'll revisit them. :)

[@joeseeking3572]

ACD was so good I specifically did a detour out of Chicago to see it a second time (stayed the night in South Bend, so I could combine 2 major marques - and walk around Norte Dame at night; pretty)

[@petermacdonald3061]

I really enjoy automotive history and find your videos extemely interesting and enlightening. Thank you for the research thoroughness and interpretation. Peter Mac Donald. (Penang, Malaysia ).

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for watching! Glad you're here!

[@davidtucker3729]

appreciate the history of one of my fave cars, the coffin nosed Cords and those beautiful Auburn boat tails. Fascinating man behind it all. Thanks

[@AllCarswithJon]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@tetchuma]

I recently did a 3D scan on a Duesenberg grill at an auto museum, to 3D print for my wall. I’ve compiled blueprints, images and created a 3D model; far more accurate than some 3D renders I’ve found online. I credit all my advanced CAD skills, to fine tuning the subtle creases on the top on the radiator cowl, that start as a V-shape on the top, which folds down across the front, then branch outward along the edge of the cutout for the vertical slats. After months of obsessive and meticulous refinement, I’m confident that once I print it, then find a way to properly chrome-plate it, it’ll look convincingly original.

[@AllCarswithJon]

As a nerd, that's super, super cool. I'm willing to bet you could sell those!

[@tetchuma]

@@AllCarswithJon I’d love to! I work for Texas Instruments, and I’ve learned they aren’t innovative or imaginative enough for my talents.

[@jayg1438]

Great topic and video. If you haven't done one yet, I would love to see you do a video about the auto manufacturers or history of autos in upstate/ western NY. Some examples are Pierce Arrow (Buffalo), Buffalo Electric/Babcock (Buffalo), Thomas (Buffalo), Conrad (Buffalo), Kensington (Buffalo), Willett Truck (Buffalo), Cunningham (Rochester), Seldon (Rochester) and Franklin (Syracuse). Most of these were luxury marques that went bankrupt with The Depression. Outside of Pierce Arrow, none may have enough material for a whole video, but an overview could be an interesting topic. Upstate/ WNY just missed out on being a major automotive hub. Ford wanted to open a plant in Buffalo before he opened River Rouge in the Detroit area, but Buffalo city leadership refused to grant him any incentives. Seldon was from the Rochester (NY) area and had one of the first patents for the internal combustion engine and lost a famous early court case with Ford. The courts ruled the patent unenforceable. Many automotive innovations have roots or improvements in WNY. Radiator design (Harrison/ Lockport) , Windshield wipers (Trico/ Buffalo), carburetors (Rochester Carburetor) are examples. Ford, GM, Dunlop and Delphi went on to have a strong presence in the Buffalo area and some in Rochester. Appreciate your videos!

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for the comment. While I wasn't thinking of a video about an "area", I have had Pierce Arrow on my list.

[@edgarfrank5712]

Visit the museum of these amazing cars in Auburn, Indiana. The car collection and the beautiful art deco building are awsome.

[@jeffbrinkerhoff5121]

My maternal grandfather Lunda Kyle sold ACDs. He sold several to famous film stars of the day and would take my mom along when delivering to CA. He taught my mom to drive an Auburn in their backyard (in Auburn). During the process a grape arbor was removed.

[@TheSoccoach]

I know this was a brief history, here are some added points of interest. Although E.L. Cord had a controlling interest in 120+ companies, he had very little to do with the day-to-day operations. He spent years in Europe evading the new SEC. Some of those who made it all work were Harold T. Ames - President of Duesenberg and Executive V.P Auburn Automobile Company, Lucius Manning - Controller and head of the aviation as well as the airmail division, and Ray Faulkner - President of Auburn Automobile Co. Company. Harold T. Ames had the brainchild of the Baby Duesenberg which became the Cord 810. Along with Gordon Beuhrig, they redesigned the Auburn 851 to the Auburn 852 and created the final drafts of the 810. Harold held the patent on the hidden headlights, an idea he got from the lights on the Stinson airplanes.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for the added context. I had to simplify what was a convoluted story not only to not get 'bogged down', but also keeping in mind what sources I could find to illustrate what was being discussed.

[@brianbierenga7009]

Great video! Thanks for all your research 👍🏻

[@AllCarswithJon]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@hoosiertours]

This is an excellent well-researched presentation of the ACD story. I will be watching more of your videos! Also, if you have never visited the ACD Museum or Festival, I would definitely recommend them!

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thank you! Will do!

[@Pugs365]

The Browning - Kimball Classic Car Museum in Ogden, Utah, has some beautiful cars like this.

[@faerieSAALE]

Here's an odd fact - as far back as the early 1960s, I would accompany my dad to junk yards while he looked for parts for his cars. ( He was a hot rod guy ) From him, I was aware of the BIG old-time automobiles that existed in the 1920s - to the 1940's. While exploring junk yards, not one time did I ever see an Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Peerless, Pierce Arrow, Marmon, Stutz, or any of the Large Touring Cars by Lincoln, Cadillac, La Salle, Packard, Studebaker, or Chrysler. The many car bone yards in Michigan back then only had the common low-cost vehicles by the big three automobile manufacturers.

[@Dorpmuller]

Best video you've ever done! '37 Cord 812 is my dream machine, I love them and wish I was of the means to have one. The ultimate Art Deco expression.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks so much!

[@kontaminiran]

What a video! I could watch this type of content forever.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks!

[@stevenpierno9793]

Amazing, The quality. and attention to detail to produce automobiles in that time. Now look at what we have, absolute junk. Architecture went that same way. The big beautiful power plants, amazing skyscrapers, and many more are now gone forever in time and history tells its story.

[@richardulrich6089]

Very interesting. I assume when you say that the Cord 810 was the last front wheel drive car until the Tornado, you mean the last 'American' front wheel drive car. Enjoy your videos very much.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Yes, specifically that's what I meant. Have no clue what front wheel drive cars the many European brands were creating between 1937 and 1966. :)

[@MrCheesywaffles]

I guess the Mini from the UK from '59 would be the biggest, after the 2CV from France from the late 40's.

[@richardulrich6089]

@@MrCheesywaffles and also the Citroen Avanti.

[@seed_drill7135]

The Cord dies wound up being reused for the RWD 1940-41 Graham and Huppmobile and their problematic preselector gearboxes reappeared in the 1948 Tucker.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Yeah. In the interest of time I decided to not delve into the Huppmobile etc.

[@billolsen4360]

@@AllCarswithJon Your videos last just long enough to cover topic and provide critical information that whets the appetite to go find out more.

[@mattarmstrong9205]

Hey Jon, really enjoy your content, you do a great job. Matt from NB

[@AllCarswithJon]

Hey, thanks! Appreciate the kind words and you being here!

[@craigpennington1251]

Outstanding video & yes, too short. Auburn & Duesenberg autos are some of the best looking rides ever built. Cords looked great but do not like front wheel drive anything.

[@rustyrobinson8027]

Nice video thanks 👍

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thank you too for the view and comment!

[@matthewelberson4140]

I did not know that Cord was involved in so many things.

[@JonathanMoosey]

Wrigley Field in Chicago where the Cubs play is named after William Wrigley, Jr.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Yes, of course. I started to mention that but I didn't want to end up down a rabbit hole talking about Wrigley, so left it as "chewing gum fame". :)

[@billolsen4360]

Chew on that for a while!

[@TheGbeecher]

Good video...thank you for your videos 😊

[@AllCarswithJon]

So nice of you, Thanks

[@fk4515]

Interesting side note. My Great Grandfather was Dallas Winslow, but not the Dallas Winslow who bought Cord. In 400+ years of Winslows in North America they only used 6-8 different first names. I've found about 8 different Dallas or Dale Winslows, most of them using T for a middle initial and a majority of them seemed to have Thane for a middle name. Heck I've got a cousin who is Dale T Winslow, my Mom had an Uncle Dale T Winslow (Dallas Thane). But maybe that kind of thing was more common years ago. My Dad's family went almost 100 years with a person who could be identified as E.M. Baker, starting with Ephraim Micah Baker before the civil war and ending with Evangeline Mabel Baker in the depression and for all I know there could be one in My generation.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[@billolsen4360]

Did anyone in your family ever stand on a corner in Winslow, Arizona?

[@fk4515]

@@billolsen4360 I've wanted to so badly! But my wife won't let me I think she's afraid some girl in a flat bed Ford might come along.

[@darylkik777]

If I remember correctly didn't I read that all the Duesenberg's were made in one year and then sold over the next few? (It would be to easy to watch first, but my one Duesenberg Brothers fact might be given away by you in the show. ) What a car and what unheard of features like the Model 'J" for its time. Expensive it was, but wow a Dual overhead cam, four valves per cylinder, Supercharger available, and the engine looked like a work of art. Sadly another car I will never own or drive but that's ok I can still look, learn, and drool.

[@billolsen4360]

You can feel better. If you ever owned a Model J, you'd be afraid to drive very much, just as I would if I had one.

[@darylkik777]

@@billolsen4360 Any miles we put on my SJ we will drive off by going in reverse. (Ferris Bueller)

[@darylkik777]

@@billolsen4360 John Candy drove a SJ Boat tail Speedster in his 80s movie, "Whose Harry Crumb." Odd I remember the car had a lot of Volkswagen parts on it.

[@NBZW]

FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC ❤❤

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks 😄

[@leonardgordon1748]

Interesting video of an innovative company and man. He was Elon Musk before Elon Musk. 😊

[@AllCarswithJon]

Indeed! That was partially my thought too.

[@hanschenk2708]

YOUR VIDEOS AND EXPLANATIONS ARE EXCELLEWNT

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks a lot!

[@vassa1972]

Interesting video

[@AllCarswithJon]

Glad you think so!

[@vassa1972]

@@AllCarswithJon thanks Sir have a nice weekend it's snowing again here in Hamilton Ontario Canada

[@mbd501]

Cord was quite a businessman. And their cars had very advanced technology for their time, and great styling, too. Too bad the Great Depression proved their undoing, which happened to many of the smaller car companies of that time.

[@TigerDominic-uh1dv]

I had a Model of the Dusenburge

[@harlanjohnson7998]

As a missouri resident and owner of a 36 cord I wonder where in mo he was born

[@vassa1972]

I don't know there were so many car companies

[@AllCarswithJon]

Yeah! Consider this: Wikipedia has over 700 pages on defunct car brands, just in the USA! Many of those are very old, lasted very few years, and there's not really enough there to make a video on them, but it's an amazing supply of history to read about! Consider this: Briggs & Stratton produced a car called the Flyer back in 1919 for a few years. Tons of stories out there like that!

[@gurjotsingh8934]

Wow

[@vassa1972]

By the way do you spell your name Jon or John?

[@AllCarswithJon]

Well.... the channel is "All Cars with Jon". 😀 So yeah, no 'h' in there, and no it's not short for "Jonathan". My parents just wanted me to spell my name for strangers every day for the rest of my life. LOL

[@billolsen4360]

@@AllCarswithJon LOL. I've got the same dilemma...people always spell out my last name O-L-S-ON, right? When I correct them, the finished product has "O-N" half the time anyhow.

[@stevensmith1057]

🇺🇸

[@jessebowen1879]

All I can say is wow wtf are we doing settling for the ugly garbage heaps for that cost 30- 80K for.. These men back then were automobile artists.. today we drive boxes with computers

[@DuffyF56]

Ly-COOM-ing is how it is pronounced.

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

Lycoming is pronounced "lie-COMB-ing."

[@cindys1819]

Everyone decries the effect of the depression on the classic car market, and American life in general. But if you don't control the creation of money and the issuance of debt in your country someone else will. Then you're a person on a runaway train you have no control of. All kinds of great social, artistic and scientific achievements were haunted when a private bank and the financial sector decided that there was too much liberty in American society. And the docile millions did nothing and suffered.

[@wasserglatte3696]

You "are" not your name, your name is ........ !!!

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

Why does everyone everyone place extra special emphasis on how old some of these are/was? I mean John Grand, was 31 and he made the m1 grand which of course served throughout WW2... Believe it or not if everyone did some research they would know that at one point in time there were 21 year olds that ran large corporations... Nowadays I see assholes over on Facebook posting begging for jobs for their teenagers while at the same time they're begging employers not to pay their teenagers 15 plus dollars an hour claiming that that's too much money. In reality all they're doing is making work look even more pointless to the youth. It used to be as soon as you could think of an idea to go make some money then it was encouraged to put that idea in place nobody gave a damn how old you were if you could do the job and do it correctly then they would give you the job or you was free to go create your own seems like post war America was a piece of crap and screwed all that up!

[@GaryGrube1]

Lycoming is pronounced: LI-cOm'-ing like lye-cOm'-ing or lye-cO'-ming