Classic Auto Mall
6180 Morgantown Road
Morgantown, PA 19543
"1976 Auburn 866 Boattail Speedster
In 1924 Auburn output was down to six cars a day, Errett Lobban Cord-a successful automobile salesman-took over the distressed company, and brought in James Crawford to design and develop a new range of vehicles. �Other companies had already produced 'boat tail"" autos, (Peerless, Packard, Hudson), but Auburn endeavored in the car to have an image leader in an otherwise ordinary lineup of autos. The Speedster had a fixed windshield, but no side windows, no interior door release, and optional roof, a cramped cockpit for only two-yes in a glamorous, aerodynamic looking body.
Fast forward to 1976 and go to Broken Arrow, Indiana and look up a gentleman named Glenn Pray. �Here you'll find a man, who is in his second attempt at a reproduction, the first being the Cord which did not work out. �So here we have his second attempt in the form of a reproduction fiberglass automobile emulating the Auburn 851/2 Boattail Speedsters. �It does a pretty good job of it, with some obvious clues to the fact that it is a reproduction. �This 13,653 title verified actual mile example was custom ordered in the blazing pink with hot pink lipstick interior, and all the options this manufacturer could muster up at the time. �I'll put it into the category of and now I've literally seen everything!
Exterior
Of course borrowing from the original design, we can lead off with the rear raked shield styled grille in chrome flanked by a single headlight on either side. �Curvaceous pink bodywork surrounds the chromed grille, and just below we see an eyebrow shiny chrome bumper. �A loooooong cowled hood makes its way back to a chromed surrounded raked back windscreen and on either side of that hood are bulbous pontoon style fenders. �Functional dual stainless steel exhaust pipes make their way through the hood and eventually through the fenders and running boards to a rear exit. �A nice suicide door offers up entry to the drivers cockpit. �Bring on more long slightly curved upward fiberglass to form the back of the car and flank this with more pontoon fenders for the rear tire coverings. �These fenders will eventually move away from the inward curving to a point boattail trunk top, giving the car its namesake. �Round Tamil lights are in bullet styled bezels just inside the fenders, and below another curved bumper frames the bottom of the car. �Small running boards are attaching the front and rear fenders and the rear fenders have a chromed plate on the leading edge that curves around the actual fender. �Add on a SUPERCHARGED badge to the venting on the sides of the hood,and some flat aero dog dish chrome wheels wrapped in wide whites and we have the look..of love? �Oh and oldest I forget, under that hot pink tonneau, there is a slightly soiled and torn tan canvas convertible top.
Interior
A swing forward of the suicide doors reveals some hot pink leather door panels to feast our eyes on. �They have a small storage pouch stitched into them. �My eyes slip inside to a full hot pink leather bench which has some tuck and roll stitching and is showing some slight aging in the form of light cracking. �A pink center console in plastic resides in front and center of the bench and houses a Mustang T style shifter, (think 60's style Mustang). �Above is a pink dash with dual machined swirls pattern inserts for the gauges in front of the driver, and an AM/FM radio and some toggles and knobs for the passenger. �The�dash is light pink fiberglass and has a top mounted rear view mirror. �The steering wheel is black and has a half round horn ring with a pink center and a large AC unit hangs below the dash under the radio panel. �Just below is some faded pink carpeting is covered by black protective mats. �
Drivetrain
Under the flip to the passengers side hood sits a Ford 460ci V8 fed by a single 4-barrel carburetor. �On the back is a 3-speed C6 automatic transmission, and spinning the rear tires is a Ford 9 inch rear. �Stock dual exhaust is currently used for the exhale and is fed by the functional cowl piping.
Undercarriage
Some light patina is noted on the steel underpinnings of the black heavy coated fiberglass floor pans and wheel wells. �Independent coil springs are on front and a 4 link with coil springs is reserved for the back. �Power disc braking is up front, and power drums for the rear. �Mostly nicely clean underneath.
Drive-Ability
The car starts and runs just a bit rough, but did make it to the test track where it has smooth power, jerk free shifting through the 3 speeds, and good handling. �All functions were working at the time of the test drive save for the AC that was blowing warm, but frankly who cares when you're in a car like this?
An interesting venture for Glenn Pray whip actually made some extra money in this venture. �It's a great look for the design, but the pink is a bit too much for this writer, but to each his own. �Fantastic interior with many options and a good overall preserved reproduction fiberglass car.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
"
Year: | 1976 |
Make: | Auburn |
Model: | 866 |
Mileage: | 13000 |
Exterior Color: | Pink |
Interior Color: | Hot Pink |
Trim: | Boattail Speedster |
Body: | roadster |
Stock: | 5597 |
Engine Size: | Gasoline |
Transmission: | 3 Speed Automatic |
Vin: | A866154 |
All Inventory | Email Seller | Dealer Website
| Get Directions
Classic Auto Mall is a world class consignment house located in southeastern Pennsylvania with indoor showroom space for up to 1,000collectable and special interest vehicles offered for sale. We are conveniently located just west of Philadelphia. This one of a kind building is climate controlled and security monitored and is the ultimate destination for classic and specialty car lovers. The building is located right on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with terrific frontage and exposure. Additionally, this one of a kind building houses one of the finest barn findcollections in the world with over 400 vehicles on display. The facility and grounds have plenty of room for indoor and outdoor automotive related events, car shows, car club meets, ride and drives and more.
Classic Auto Mall by the Numbers:
This wonderful facility started life as a clothing outlet mall in 1985 and then evolved into a furniture outlet mall until it closed its doors in 2011. There is a 188 room Holiday Inn with a walk-thru entrance attached to the facility that has a full-service restaurant, lounge, meeting facilities and an indoor swimming pool. The hotel just underwent a $3,000,000 renovation.
With an abundance of car collectors, car clubs and racetracks located within a short distance, this fantastic facility is ideally situated.
Our consignment program has classic car lovers excited to have a facility like this to store and offer their prized possessions for sale. We market vehicles worldwide and get top dollar for your one special car or your entire collection!
Please contact us further to discuss your needs.
Have you found the perfect collector vehicle on All Collector Cars? Before you make any decisions, we recommend that you take some time now to read the full description and review all the pictures with the listing. It’s important to do as much due diligence as you can before you contact the seller so that you’re prepared to ask about any flaws you see—and perhaps ones you don’t.
All Collector Cars allows our sellers to post unlimited vehicle pictures and descriptions, which gives you, the buyer, more control and information. In addition, our Buyers Resource section offers advice and vendor recommendations to guide you through the buying process, from classic car financing & insurance to collector vehicle shipping & restoration.