Rod Serling's 1971 Auburn 866 Speedster by Glenn Pray

A rare 1971 Auburn 866 Speedster arriving at and leaving Cars & Coffee at Singleton Classics. This car is one of 138 "second-generation" Auburn Speedsters built by Glenn Pray, who had acquired intellectual property rights and original parts for Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg. It utilized a Ford frame and featured fiberglass bodywork built using molds made with the original body panels from Pray's own 1936 Speedster. This example is powered by a Ford 429 Cobra Jet V8 engine and still has its original paint and interior. It was originally owned by television producer Rod Serling, creator of "The Twilight Zone".

From a practicality standpoint, the Auburn Speedster is one of the worst ways to utilize such a large amount of space on the pavement. But when it comes to design, it's one of the most iconic and glamorous pre-war American cars in existence. Unfortunately, its iconic status has also resulted in the fact that, upon seeing one today, most must question its authenticity or assume it's a replica. This car is similar to Superformance-built Shelby Cobras in that while it's not one of the coveted original cars, it's also not a fake (though many shamelessly drive heavily customized or other clearly non-authentic examples simply because, well, it's just so darn good-looking). I wasn't aware of Glenn Pray's legitimate run of continuation Speedsters until doing some research after seeing this car, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the famed Auburn brand didn't actually completely disappear after the 1930s. I also appreciate the fact that this car's name and grille badging clearly indicate that it's a continuation car not intended to trick anyone into thinking it's one of the originals. Sure, many today may consider this car nothing more than a non-original body with a chassis and drivetrain from an incorrect era. But remember, this was the time when automotive nostalgia really began to take off and Excaliburs and Zimmers were approaching the height of their popularity, combining classic styling with then-modern engineering. And no matter what, you can still rest assured that you'll look timelessly classy wherever you go!

Do you think this Auburn Speedster's iconic styling will help it increase in value despite being a continuation car? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!