If you attended the CC Meetup in Auburn, Indiana early this month, you may have seen me squatting, sitting on the ground, or down on one knee, bringing my camera close to the awesome automobiles we found at the two museums we visited. Some of those up-close shots turned out well, and I’m going to share them with you here. This post is going to be long on photos and short on words – I’ll let the photos mostly speak for themselves!
This 1937 Cord really reflected the Auburn logo painted in the nearby window.
I forget what year and model Auburn this is, but it was the first one we saw inside the National Auto & Truck Museum.
I love hood ornaments. Here’s one from a 1936 Auburn. That’s Jim Klein in the background.
And a 1931 Duesenberg.
And a 1936 Pierce-Arrow — my favorite hood ornament of the day.
And a 1938 Packard.
Last but not least, an unrestored 1965 Studebaker Wagonaire.
Photographed in much the same theme, here’s the radiator cap from a 1923 Duesenberg.
This 1936 Auburn was supercharged.
This gilded Cord nose reflected nicely into the fenders. This car was one of the prototypes.
Finally, inside the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum, it wasn’t just the cars that had lovely details. The building itself was gorgeous, with excellent detail everywhere you looked. Notice how the themes in this light are carried over into the beams across the ceiling.
I shot a roll of black-and-white film in my 1968 Yashica Lynx 14e at these museums, too. That camera with its enormous f/1.4 lens was born to take photos inside in low light. The film is at the processor’s now, and I’ll share the best of those photos in an upcoming post.
Great pics!! Great place to visit, too.
Yashica Lynx. Wow, someone actually using a film camera and an old rangefinder at that from a more obscure maker. I have two of them or more to the point every rangefinder Yashica made between 1950-1973 besides some of their twin lens and all their single lens reflex cameras. Unfortunately don’t get to use them much since with around 300 cameras there just isn’t enough time. Fortunately I can develop and print b&w at home.
On a side note I love how absolutely flat those paint jobs are. Even today, with our paints and equipment, we still can get some orange peel no matter what. Can only imagine what paint jobs were like back then given that buffing technology would have been unknown. With today’s tech those cars can be turned into art pieces.
“given that buffing technology would have been unknown.”
Actually it was well known. We used to call it “elbow grease.” (c:
Actually it was well known. We used to call it “elbow grease.” (c:
Ayup. In the days of no environmental or workplace safety regs, and cheap labor, multiple coats of hand rubbed lacquer was SOP.
I had 109 cameras here before I started thinning my herd this year. I’ve given away a dozen, and I’m starting to list some on eBay. I’m just keeping ones I’ll actually shoot or that have some sentimental value.
“The film is at the processor’s now”. When did you last hear that?
Great shots already, so I can’t wait for the B&W ones!
Ditto. I still shoot a roll through my college years Pentax ME Super every now and then. Here’s my small collection of cameras:
The processed film came back today! 🙂
Beautifully composed shots.
Some of the hood ornaments look fragile, especially the Pierce-Arrow one.
Yes. A good rock kicked up from the road would take that one right out.
I shiver at the idea of a stone hitting that beauty…
Great lead shot! I really enjoyed the building as well.
Paul N and I were standing in front of a Cord (the one with the non-foldaway headlights) and I pointed out the utterly fabulous paint on the hood.
I think he said “almost perfect but just enough texture to be interesting” and so it was. What a great day..
Wonderful pictures Jim! And thanks for the shout-out. The hood ornament neatly camouflages my beer belly.
I aim to please.
Thanks for this delicious visual refresh. I was glad to see you taking these shots, as I was just too distracted, and my camera is crap.
Quite welcome! I have more — a bunch of full-car shots from my digicam. I can do a post of just those if people want. (I don’t want to wear us out on Auburns!)
You can NEVER wear us out on Auburns! 🙂
I see plenty of Packards and the like cruising around here never got sick of them yet, there are a couple of Auburns locally I dont see enough of them.
Just wonderful .
That blue Coffin Nose Cord is fantastic .
Photography is an art form , I never mastered so I gave my Son my 1967 Nikon F to use in the 9th grade in High School , he has the eye for composing great photos and was the lead shutterbug for all four High School year books .
-Nate
I have an F2 and an F3 here. Wonderful gear.
I have a couple of Fs in my collection but I really like shooting with my Yashica Electro 35 in ambient light. Even with the slightly slower 1.7 lens, it still rarely needs a flash. Now I mostly shoot with my Nikon D5000. I’m getting lazy as I get older and prefer processing at the computer instead of the darkroom. I still prefer the richness of color and detail that film delivers over digital. I’m looking forward to hitting the Hilton Head Concours next month, always a good excuse to fill up an SD card or a few rolls of film.
I have an Electro 35 too. It’s wonderful.
I have a collection of old cameras too (a lot of them given to me by my grandmother years ago) but never use them. Main Camera, in downtown Rock Island, where I took my film for years, is no longer with us. The last roll of film I got processed there was probably around 2007. Both the store and Roy, the proprietor, are greatly missed. 🙁
Oh, and great shots! I especially love the one of the Cord Westchester with “Auburn” reflected in the pontoon fender. Wow!
These shots are all terrific and give a totally new dimension to the car. I’m anxious to see the rest of your pictures.
Jim, I’m glad you took a shot of the Wagonaire hood ornament. As much time as I spent looking at that car, I didn’t even notice the ornament; simple but classy.
Lovely photographs, as always. There were so many fabulously photogenic details on cars of that era.
It was liberating to tour these museums with some of our prolific photographers. My gifts lie elsewhere, and I was happy that others recorded these wonderful sights.
Fantastic pictures Jim thanks for sharing. The one of the Super-Charged Auburn looks like a painting. I agree the facility itself is as awesome as the cars and makes for the perfect setting.
Excellent pictures, I’ll be interested to see how your overall shots came out. The rather dim rooms backlit with enormous windows made it a bit of a challenge.
It says something for the size and quality of their collection, that I don’t really remember that blue Cord.
Photoshop is a miracle worker in terms of helping fix exposure sins from those enormous plate glass windows.
The blue Cord was the first car on the right as you walked into the museum.
Thanks for the great photos — and memories. My first newspaper-owned camera was a Yashica in the last of the 1950s, although 35mm was just in my future.
As to the hood ornaments, I thought the Deusenberg’s also looked fragile for that large a car. One of my late uncles mentioned in passing late in his life that he had worked with Auburn on bodies, but I was not smart enough to press the issue. He was employed at the Union City, Ind., Body Co., which made some of the special bodies for Auburn at the time. (He was later plant manager during WWII.) Another missed opportunity…..
Ah yes, Union City — the Indiana town where half of it is in Ohio. I’ve been there.
Great eye for detail! Wonderful photos and thanks for sharing them with us. Would love to see some of the b/w photos as well, even if they might lose a little in the scanning process…
I am ready to look at more of your photos anytime, Jim. A good eye and great subjects combined to make a great photo essay.
It surprises me how much the hood side on the first Auburn resembles that on the 1935 Ford.
Funny, I was just thinking about that this morning. The 1935-36 Auburn and the quality 1935 Ford bear a strong, almost family resemblance. The Auburn adds some size which I think perfects the proportions. I think that final Auburn 851/852 is one of the most beautiful cars of the mid 30s.