The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana, has announced the acquisition of five significant automobiles in 2025. These additions strengthen the museum's collection and enhance its interpretation of Auburn Automobile Co. history. The vehicles include models from Moon, Auburn, Packard, and Cord.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum announced on February 25, 2026, the acquisition of five automobiles acquired in 2025. This move bolsters the museum's world-class collection, located in the original 1930s headquarters of the Auburn Automobile Company in Auburn, Indiana, a National Historic Landmark.
The acquired vehicles are:
A 1924 Moon 6-50 Roadster, featuring a Continental inline six-cylinder engine rated at 50 horsepower and originally sold for $1,295. It connects to E.L. Cord's early career selling Moon automobiles at Quinlan Motors in Chicago, which handled 40% of national Moon sales at its peak. The museum is the third owner.
A 1929 Auburn Cabin Speedster, a reproduced streamlined model originally destroyed in a fire at the 1929 Los Angeles Automobile Show along with 320 other vehicles. Dr. Peter Kesling of LaPorte, Indiana, recreated it in 1983 using original company drawings, blueprints, and photographs. It was donated by the Peter C. & Charlene J. Kesling Foundation.
A 1930 Packard 745 Roadster, a luxury competitor to Auburn and Cord models, with only 1,789 produced that year. It has a Dietrich body and a 385 cubic-inch inline 8-cylinder engine producing 105 horsepower. Collector Guy Beatty purchased and restored it; after his death, his son John Beatty of Nashville, Tennessee, donated it to join his father's collection at the museum.
A 1932 Auburn V-12 Custom Sedan, marking Auburn's first 12-cylinder engine at 160 horsepower from 391 cubic inches. Only 1,597 custom models were made, priced at $1,645—lower than other V-12 cars then. It was restored using the museum's original 1932 Auburn as reference and donated by Ron and Betsy Thomas of Zanesville, Ohio.
A 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton, one of the final Auburn Automobile Co. models with a 125-horsepower Lycoming V-8 and preselect four-speed transmission, capable of exceeding 100 mph. Originally sold for $2,595, it features a five-passenger phaeton body. It was donated by Don and Barbara Tornberg of Novato, California.
Sam Grate, the museum's curator, stated: “These five automobiles are very important additions to the museum’s world-class collection as they enable the museum to more thoroughly interpret key components of the stories we tell and history we preserve. We are immensely grateful to all those involved in the acquisition of these automobiles and their contributions in keeping the stories and history alive.”
The museum displays over 120 classic and vintage cars on three floors and is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except major holidays, at 1600 S. Wayne St., Auburn, IN 46706.
