Labor Day weekend brings another edition of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival in Auburn, Indiana. Here’s MCG’s report on this year’s gathering.
Dating back to 1954, the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival in Auburn, Indiana is one of the oldest events in the collector car hobby. It’s also one of the largest, with a huge swap meet, car auctions, a parade around the town square, and a full slate of activities all focused on Auburn’s classic hometown automotive marques: Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg.
The Festival activities tend to cluster around two geographic points: the museum district just south of downtown Auburn, and the sprawling Auctions America complex one exit south of town on Interstate 69. For a full rundown on the events in Auburn including a schedule, map, travel and lodging info, and so forth, you can visit the official ACD Festival website. Info on the auction, swap meet, and happenings around the auction complex can be found at the Auctions America website.
Not as energetic as he used to be, these days MCG likes to take it easy and narrow his focus to a few key events of the festival. One favorite venue for car viewing is the gathering of cars at Eckhart Park on Saturday morning in preparation for the big parade through downtown Auburn in the afternoon. Imagine hundreds of magnificent Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg autos—American collector car royalty—all gathered in one picturesque spot. That’s the show at Eckhart Park.
As we’ve explained in previous reports, the park is just a few hundred yards east of the famed Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum (open through festival weekend, naturally; see the MCG feature on the museum here) behind the former Auburn manufacturing complex. With its lush lawns and generous shade, the park is a picture-perfect venue for a vintage car show. Gallery below.
I saw many of these cars in the parade later that day. It was a wonderful display.
Hey Mac wish I’d known you were there so we could’ve met face to face!? I was there for my first time and definitely will be back. Joe Klinkhardt (I’m the guy that’s always with Bill Akin’s vintage Indy roadsters at Indy)
Next we will be at the Greenfield Village Old Car Festival Saturday Sept 12. Everyone please say hi.
I am a past National President of the ACD Club and a former member of the Museum’s Board of directors. I was also the clubs Newsletter Editor for 11 years. I am saddened today because most all of the old timers that had a hand in forming the club are gone.. It was my pleasure to have known many and worked with them. I was also meet chairman for the ACD show for seven years. Non of us expected any reward for doing this work. We did it for the love of the club. Unfortunately, the club is becoming less and less a Good old boys club. and more and more a formal club. Still a good club, but not the feel at home club that it used to be. CORD ially J.P.Corbin
Hello , Jim Corbin,
There are still a few of us early ACD Cl;ub members who remember the early days and friends we enjoyed. You are Life Member #LO13 and the last directory indicates you still live in Killen , AL. We have spoken by phone in the past. My connection with the ACD Club goes back to 1954 when my late father Jonathan Richards of Red Oak, Iowa first joined, not as a Charter Member but one of the early joiners. My younger brother Charles and I both
“piggybacked” on Dad’s membership until his death in 1986 , after which we joined in our own right. Dad, Charles and I first attended the ACD Reunion in 1981 , just a few years before you went on the Board in 1983 and became President in 1985. You continued to remain active as club Director until 1991. Charles and I joined the club in our own right in 1998 and I remain active, having attended a number of Festivals since , most recently in 2015 with my lovely new second wife Leslie. She enjoys the experience very much and we plan to attend this fall. I seem to recall that you owned an L-29 Cord cabriolet in brown with orange wheels. Perhaps you then lived at Cherokee, Iowa. If I am correct , what became of that fine car?
I can still remember reading the early mimeographed black and white Newsletters with great interest. Now the Newsletter is in full color and a high grade club publication. The Club has certainly changed over the many years since we all responded to Harry Denhard’s add in the HCC Gazette. We have changed too and have mostly gotten older , and hopefully somewhat wiser. Our whole world has changed. It was ever thus. Best Wishes to you and should you chose to respond to this message send me an e-mail
at acdjack@jbrichards.net , Jonathan B.( Jack ) Richards II at Chesterfield, MO
I wish to correct an error in my message above on April 9, 2016. The man from Cherokee , Iowa who owned an L-29 Cord cabriolet was Jerry Coburn , an early ACD Club member , and not Jim Corbin . Past President Corbin is still an ACD Club member and lives at Killen , Alabama.
Jim Corbin , if you attend the ACD Reunion again I would very much like to meet you in person. You and the other early club members did so much to make the club what it is even to this day , a distinguished and focused organization to restore and preserve the remarkable automobiles made by the Auburn Automobile Company of Auburn, Indiana