The "A Real Beauty" Story

Horsepower Enterprises LLC in Lancaster, PA.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in the showroom of Horsepower Enterprises on North Prince Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania talking with a beautiful young girl about the 1933 Auburn sitting a few feet away from me.  I dropped by the showroom after seeing a 1960 Vette in the window and when I walked in the door my attention turned to the ah...Auburn.  I asked if Dave was in today and a few minutes later he walked through the door to greet me.  Dave was a student of mine in my Graphic Arts class in the late 1980s.  A few years ago I heard he was working at Horsepower Enterprises so I began to stop from time to time to visit with him and check out the custom and antique cars that he restores for their owners.  Dave is a master mechanic as well as a true craftsman when it comes to restoration.  After checking out the '60 Vette, I began to ask him about the beautiful automobile that was sitting next to it.  

1933 Auburn

The Auburn was a brand name of American automobile that was produced from 1900 to 1937.  It grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company which was founded in Auburn, Indiana in 1874 by Charles Eckhart.  Eckhart's sons, Frank and Morris, experimented making automobiles and absorbed two other car makers when they began making the Auburn.  It was later taken over by Errett Cord until he sold his shares of the Auburn, along with the Cord and Duesenberg, in 1937.  Dave showed me every feature of the car from the special paint job to the Edden design done on the car.  Dave introduced me to a young girl standing near us and she gave me a little background into the car.  She said that in 1933 it was common to buy an Auburn "shell" and have the body "customized" to your own style.  This particular car was "customized" by the Edden company.  The car wasn't totally restored at Horsepower Enterprises, but much of the paint job was custom-done in their shop.  The initial paint color was applied and then a special tape design was done to create the final result that I was admiring.  I tried to document as much of the car as I could and I will give you more information with each photograph.  The car was for sale with a price tag of $120,000.  That's really a bargain since I found one that was recently sold at Sotheby's for $1,210,000!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The engine compartment of the Auburn.  You can see the straight "8" engine tucked under the collapsible hood.

Dave told me they painted one color and then taped it to add the second color.  Fantastic craftsmanship!

This photograph shows more of the paint job as well as the exposed headlight.  Notice the narrow tire.

Wooden spoked wheels look beautiful.

The rear of the car has a small door for storage with the lower unit being the twin fuel tanks.

The narrow windshield has small wipers with mirrors are on either side of the windshield.

The interior floor is wood with carpet covering it.  I found the seat is fastened with hinges and can be moved forward by removing the hinge pin, moving the seat to the other set of hinges and refastening the hinge pin.  Seats are leather and the rear seat has next to none leg space if the seat is in the position shown.  You can grab the back of the seat and swing it forward on the hinge to get in the back.

Very plain steering wheel with horn button.  There is a turn signal that I suppose was added when it was required.  The dash is wooden with minimal gauges and no radio.  

This plaque on the door tells where it was customized, Edden body. Click on photos to enlarge.

Photo of interior from the passenger's side.  You can see the floor shifter, two pedals and a round gas pedal.  There were two brake handles, but I'm not sure why two were needed.