Journal-News

The names of Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg have come to represent stunning design, mechanical innovation and highly sought-after collector cars. For those of us without the resources to own these machines, we can still enjoy them up close and in person with a visit to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Ind.

An easy three-hour drive from Dayton puts you right in the old art deco showroom where the dealers came in the '20s and '30s to pick out the cars they wanted to sell.

The museum utilizes a large portion of what was the factory and design headquarters for the Auburn Automobile Co. Falling on tough economic times, E.L. Cord purchased the company in 1925, along with the Duesenberg Corp., and built cars under all three names.

The Cord was the first successfully marketed front-wheel-drive car in America, and the Duesenberg has long been noted for its tremendous power and speed, coupled with breathtaking styling. The Boattail Speedster was the flagship machine of Auburn. Unfortunately, all of the cars were too high-priced for the Depression, and the company went out of business in 1937.

The main-floor showroom displays about a dozen examples, which are changed throughout the year. Also within the museum are more than 100 cars on display, along with the second-floor Hall of Technology that houses the design offices and displays of how the cars were designed and built. Among the collection are a gallery of the cars of Indiana and another gallery of special-interest automobiles.

There is also a Duesey gift shop featuring hundreds of books, posters, artwork and collectable items for sale.

The trip is well worth it for any auto enthusiast. Plan to spend a few hours leisurely wandering the various exhibits.

The town of Auburn really comes alive every year over Labor Day weekend, when it hosts the annual ACD Festival. Hundreds of the autos come from all over the United States, and every hotel parking lot is a virtual car show unto itself.

Friday evening is the annual cruise-in in downtown Auburn, featuring the ACD cars and hundreds of others, creating a giant street party. Saturday brings the ACD parade through the town, as the owners drive their machines from the park on the outskirts of town to the courthouse. The streets of the town are lined with spectators.

Kruse International Auctions, also based in Auburn, holds its premier auto auction the same weekend, attracting more than 3,000 cars for auction and more than 100,000 people over the four-day run.

A town with a complete automotive theme, Auburn is also home to the National Automotive and Truck Museum, located right behind the ACD Museum; the National Military History Museum; the Kruse Automotive and Carriage Museum; the Hoosier Air Museum; and the Garrett Historical Railroad Museum.

The ACD Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for children. Web sites are: www.acdmuseum.org, www.dekalbcvb.org and www.acdfestival.org.

View photos from the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum.