Re: 1935 - Turning Point and What-Ifs

Posted by Steve203 On 2015/9/5 18:41:21

Auburn: Although it had a sporty image which might have been useful, it would have been too costly to buyout, had little in the way of modern, well-located plants as benefit. What such a purchase would have done was divert resources needed to develop their own completely new and integrated series, which could have included their own new Auburn-type sporty series. While it seems insignificant now, the very fact that Lycoming made their engines still branded Auburn as something of an 'assembled' car. Unfair, of course, but that attitude had developed in the prior decades when the market was flooded with such cars, most short-lived. The success of the volume car was so key to their very survival, they had no real choice but it be a Packard. If they still decided to move further downmarket as they did for the 115/Six/110, a newly-introduced make would have been appropriate as well as styling not shared with any Packard.

Auburn was not quite an "assembled" car as Cord owned Lycoming, as well as Columbia, which made the two speed rear axles Auburn used. You could argue that Lycoming and Columbia were divisions of the same company, as Hydramatic, Saginaw Steering Gear and Delco were divisions of GM, so a Chevy or Cadillac was not an assembled car, in spite of having major components made by those companies.

The physical assets of Auburn would be of no value to Packard as all production would have been immediately consolidated at E Grand. The only time Auburn was affordable was in 38 when the name and parts inventory were bought for $85K, but by then the 120 was established and the six cylinder models were coming out.