Summer 2012 1928 Auburn 8-88 Boattail Speedster Owned by Karen & Barrie Hutchinson Pacific Northwest Region -- CCCA Pacific Northwest Region - CCCA PNR CCCA Region Events Events in bold-type sponsored by PNR-CCCA. 2012 CCCA National Events Other events are listed for your convenience. Details can be found at www.ccca-pnr.org or by contacting the Event Manager. July 4: Yarrow Point Parade PNR Contact Al McEwan 206-999-4485 Grand Classics® July 7 . .Pacific Northwest Region July 6: PNR Coming-Out Party PNR Manager Gary Johnson July 14 . Michigan & New England Regions September 22. Indiana Region July 7: PNR Grand Classic PNR Committees CARavans July 24: Tour A Trident Submarine July 19-26. Upper Midwest Region Arranged by Bruce Harlow September 7-16. Oregon Region PNR Contact Bettye Shifrin-Gluth 360-697-1129 August 6: Motoring Classic Tour Kick-Off PNR Manager Arny Barer 425-454-0296 Annual Meetings Jan. 2013. .Los Angeles, CA August 25th “Flying Horse Ranch” Garage Tour in Ellensburg PNR Contact: Stan Dickison 206-949-1115 Pacific Northwest’s September 1: 2nd Annual Crescent Beach Grand Classic Invitational Car Show PNR Contact Colin Gurnsey 604-788-7429 September 6-8: Kirkland Tour d'Elegance Contacts Stan Dickison 206-949-1115 & Al McEwan 206-999-4485 September 9: Kirkland Concours d'Elegance at the LeMay Sept 28-30: Canadian Fall Tour w/ Jellybean AutoCrafters July 7, 2012 Contact Ewald Penner 604-594-6800 LeMay Showfield in Tacoma Watch for a Special Issue of the Bumper Guardian October TBD: Fall Driving Tour PNR Contact Roy Magnuson 206-713-2348 November TBD: Annual Meeting Missing Photo Credit for Spring 2012 Cover: Arny Barer’s 1929 Franklin 130 Convertible Coupe December 2: Holiday Party was photographed by jboyerphotography.com 2 Bumper Guardian Pacific Northwest Region - CCCA Table of Contents Calendar of Events. 2 LeMay Museum Showcase Car: Pacific Northwest Region 1928 Auburn 8-88 Boattail Speedster. 4 Classic Car Club of America Articles: The Bumper Guardian is the official publication of the Pacific Northwest Region, Classic Car Club of Auburn Automobile Company 1925-1928. 6 America. The region was founded in 1963. Covered Wagons & Classic Car CARavans. 14 Roaring ‘20s Golfing Greats. 24 Officers and Appointed Posts: Great Scot. 25 Brian Rohrback, Director 425-836-8138 Men’s Golfing Fashions. 25 Arny Barer, Secretary 425-454-0296 Technical Topics: . John Campbell, Treasurer 425-885-5472 Judging Seminar. 9 Stan Dickison, Activities 206-949-1115 Microtips from Members. 11 Val Dickison, Membership 206-546-3306 Classic Colours. 19 Karen Hutchinson, BG Co-editor 360-678-5453 Columns: Raymond Loe, BG Co-editor 360-678-9366 Director’s Message. 3 Colin Gurnsey, BC Liaison 604-980-7429 PNR Member Profile. 8 Board of Managers: Membership Update. 11 Editor’s Message . 30 Roy Magnuson 2012 206-713-2348 PNR-CCCA Events: Don Reddaway 2012 206-719-3370 Jon Schoenfeld 2012 775-848-7842 Greenfield Garage Tour & South Prairie Fly-In 10 PNR Night at the Theater. 23 Val Dickison 2013 206-546-3306 Father’s Day at the Ballard Locks. 28 Roy Dunbar 2013 206-915-7667 Regional Events: John McGary 2013 206-909-4499 LeMay Museum Grand Opening. 12 Denny Dochnahl 2014 425-271-1153 Chateau Ste. Michelle Stay-cation. 16 Kim Pierce 2014 425-330-2665 HCCA Breakfast Tour . 18 Bill Smallwood III 2014 425-773-0130 Anacortes Fly-In & Car Show. 21 Full Classics at Qualicum Beach . 22 Bumper Guardian Staff: Advertising Noel Cook 206-232-6413 Caption Editor Bill Deibel 206-522-7167 Director’s Message Copy Editor Bill Allard 253-565-2545 Cover Story Raymond Loe 360-678-9366 Wow! With the Coming Out Board of Managers’ Meetings: Party and the Grand Classic now in our rearview mirror, 1st Wednesday at the we can indulge ourselves with Rock Salt Restaurant on South Lake Union fond remembrances, but only 5:30 Social Gathering, 6:00 Dinner/Meeting. Open to members for a short while. After all, Minutes on the web and available upon request. there is always a new motoring experience just around the bend: Membership: cars to see and see again, stories to tell and tell again, Regional membership is available only to garages to tour, alcohol in gasoline to curse. Classic Car Club of America National members. The 2012 Coming Out Party is a masterpiece again Advertising Policy/Rates: due to the tireless efforts of Gary Johnson and Bill The Bumper Guardian will print classified ad- Deibel in acquiring the eye candy. I have to admit vertising free of charge to members on a space that this is my favorite event for mingling with available basis. Display advertising rates are available on a prepaid basis only. Continues on page 30 Summer 2012 3 1928 Auburn 8-88 Boattail Speedster Pacific Northwest Region - CCCA The Speedster design might have continued the search for missing been a bit impractical, with just pieces, eventually purchasing two enough room for two to sit cozily additional 1928 Auburns for parts. and almost no luggage space, but Under Dave Ellis’ supervision, it was beautiful and fast! The car the engine and transmission was powered by a 247 cubic-inch were rebuilt by John Forsythe Lycoming inline eight-cylinder in Freemont, OH. Bodywork, engine with a top-speed of 85 including replacing the wooden- mph, at a time when the speed body frame and repairing the Debuting in 1928, the Auburn limit on most highways was just sheet metal, was completed by Speedster was a head-turner 45. The car also featured advanced Dennis Francis in Cushing, OK, featuring performance, styling and engineering including Lockheed and the restored body was painted affordability. Over a nine-year span four-wheel hydraulic brakes and a in Abbotsford, Canada. While in the Auburn Automobile Company Bijur one-shot chassis lubrication Cushing, OK, the car was certified produced three distinctive system – features generally found by experts in the Auburn Cord generations of the Speedster, each only on the much more expensive Duesenberg Club as an authentic with more power and longer lines, marques. Other features included 8-88 Speedster. a wide-ratio, three-speed gearbox but I have always been drawn to Dave was still working on the car in and 18-inch wheels – giving the car its earliest and certainly simplest 2006, when we started looking to an unusually low-profile. incarnation -- the 1928/29 Boattail acquire an early Speedster. Speedster. The early history of our Speedster Throughout the search, my hus- Built by the Auburn Automobile is a bit of a mystery. It is believed band, Barrie, would call Dave Ellis Company and patterned after the that the car was first titled in Idaho with questions about cars that were 1927 Duesenberg Model X, the but records were destroyed when as far away as Virginia until, finally, 1928 Speedster was designed by forest fires swept through Idaho’s one day, Dave said to Barrie – “If Alan Leamy to draw customers repository in the 1930s. you really want a Speedster, you may not have to go that far.” into the showroom. In 1928, In 1956, Basil Harris rescued the customers could choose from two car from a field near the Nez Perce In 2007, Barrie bought the car Speedster models – the 8-88 with a hills in Central Idaho. Thirty years as a birthday present for me. 125-inch wheelbase and the 8-115 later, Basil’s son, Ron, acquired the Barrie picked-up the restoration with a 130-inch wheelbase. Both Speedster planning to “upgrade” it where Dave left-off, gathering or had eight-cylinder Lycoming with a more powerful 12-cylinder fabricating the remaining missing engines capable of producing 88 engine. Luckily, Ron lost interest parts and tending to myriad and 115 horsepower respectively. in the project before making remaining projects. Ward Crutcher In 1929, the Speedster was too many modifications to the completed the upholstery, Monty modestly updated and renamed frame and body. Unfortunately, Holmes, Jr’s shop brought out the 8-90 and 8-120. Production somewhere in the process, the shine in the paint, Roy Magnuson quantities were small, with just original engine was lost. Around worked his magic on the wire- 551 first-generation Speedsters this time, much of the bright-work wheels, Randy Ema came to rescue coming-off the production line. was also sold-off. In 1995, Dave with parts and patterns and the list When E. L. Cord took the reins Baker, a Union Pacific engineer of people who lent either a hand or of the Auburn Automobile from Walla Walla, WA, purchased moral support goes on. the car and went to work finding Company in 1924 the company Now, sixty years after the car many of the missing parts. was foundering. Cord set-out to was found in an Idaho field, it is create a new corporate image and While attending a swap meet back in showroom condition. We the 1928 Auburn Speedster was the in Spokane in 1999, Dave Ellis are pleased to present our 1928 perfect “poster-child.” The car was learned the car was for sale. Auburn 8-88 Speedster and we innovative and dashingly handsome, Stopping in Walla Walla on thank the many people who have featuring a louvered hood, raked his way home to Seattle, Ellis had a hand in returning the car to vee-windshield, twin side-mounted bought the car on the spot and her original glory. spares, golf-club doors, and an iconic made arrangements to return the boattail rear-end. next week with a trailer. Dave Summer 2012 5 Pacific Northwest Region - CCCA ROM later the now famous Duesenberg F 1925 - 1928 Model J was first introduced to the By Raymond Loe public in February 1928.