Auburn 12 History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Introduced for 1932, the Auburn Twelve gave Depression-era buyers a twelve-cylinder car at a fraction of the price of a Cadillac V-12 or Packard Twin Six — Auburn marketed it as the most affordable V12 in America, with prices that undercut the established luxury makes dramatically.
It used a Lycoming-built 391-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V12 with a 45-degree bank angle and a distinctive 'fire slot' combustion-chamber design, rated around 160 hp, and could be ordered with the Columbia dual-ratio rear axle. A twelve-cylinder boat-tail Speedster was also offered on this chassis.
Despite genuinely advanced engineering and aggressive pricing, the Twelve struggled against a collapsing luxury market and lingering doubts about a 'cheap' V12; it was dropped after 1934 as Auburn pivoted to the supercharged straight-eight that would power the 851 Speedster.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Coupe
- Phaeton
- Boat-tail roadster
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