Michelle Kuhlhorst                                       Public Relations Director                                          PO Box 190                                                                         Auburn, IN 46706                                                                            PH: 260-920-1692                                                                         Fax: 260-925-5467                                                                                                             Michelle.k@kruse.com

April 26, 2005    

Auburn, IN—In the best early consignment run of its 14 years, Kruse International’s Auburn Spring Motorfair is serving up another batch of automotive history that is certain to wow visitors and guests at the 480 acre Kruse Auction Park from May 19-22.

“We have had an unprecedented rush to consign great cars for this year’s Auburn Spring Motorfair,” stated Dean Kruse, President of Kruse International.  “Celebrity Cars, classics, and muscle cars, the latest hot item in the collector world will all be making their way across the red and blue ring stages during the four day auction."

The muscle car lineup features a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda.  Only 652 Hemi ‘Cudas were built by Chrysler making this already desirable vehicle of the muscle car genre even more desirable.  Adding to its rarity, the car’s documentation shows this vehicle to be the first Hemi ‘Cuda off the production line.  Other muscle cars available in the auction will include a ’66 Plymouth Satellite, a ’63 Dodge 330 Lightweight, a ’67 Chevrolet Corvette with Bloomington Gold Certification, a ’70 Dodge Coronet, and a ’69 Ford Mustang Mach 1.

Locally produced Auburns will headline the classics category.  The 14^th Annual Auburn Spring Motorfair will welcome home a 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster and 1935 Auburn Phaeton.  Boattail speedsters were introduced to the Auburn production line in 1928, and 1936 was last year for production of the boattail speedster and Auburn Automobile line completely.  The Auburn Automobile company would follow suit in 1937, another victim of the insatiable monster known as the Depression. The ‘36 Auburn Boattail Speedster has the front end, fender and bumper redesigns created by Gordon Buehrig on a shoestring budget, and most 1936 models were leftover 1935 models reworked in a last ditch effort on the part of the Auburn Automobile Company to recover its dwindling market.  The 1936 Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster is ACD certified, has won the AACA National first place accolades, and still has the Ab Jenkins speed test plate on the dash. 

Joining the ’36 Boattail Speedster in its homecoming will be a 1935 Auburn 851 Phaeton.  The Auburn 851 Phaeton was a bright spark in the dwindling fire of the Auburn Automobile Company.  The ’35 Auburn Phaeton includes lay flat windshield intended for complete access to open air touring on a Sunday drive. However on cold days, the entire vehicle can be enclosed by the top and roll-up windows.  The Lycoming eight cylinder engine and 127 inch wheel base round off a vehicle of classic proportions and styling.

Tickets for Kruse International’s 14^th Annual Auburn Spring Motorfair are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.  Gates open daily at 8:00 am and with the auction starting at 9:00 am with collectibles. 

--by Michelle Blum