Old Cars Weekly – 22 August 2019

20 ❘ August22, 2019 http://www.oldcarsweekly.com

A

utomobile engines of the early

to mid 1920s were not always

first-rate power plants. Follow-

ing World War I, automobile

saleswere slow beforedemand

eventuallypickedupduringthe

RoaringTwenties, andcarsoften went

unchanged year after year as output

took precedence over innovation and

improvement.

More people were driving than

everbeforeandautomakerswerehard-

pressedjusttokeepupwithdemand.It

alsotooka longtimetomakea carbe-

causefast-dryingpainthadnotyetbeen

invented.Newcarswouldbeparkedfor

monthsinlotsuntilthefinishdried.Au-

tomakersweremoreinterestedinsolv-

ingsuchproblemsratherthandesigning

betterengines.

Therewereexceptionssuchaswith

theAuburnAutomobileCo.ofAuburn,

Ind. The relatively small automaker

made sure that its 1924 Auburn 6-43

modelwas poweredby anoutstanding

engine,theRedSealsix-cylinderengine

supplied by Continental. The Auburn

salescatalogreferredtoit as“themost

efficientsix-cylindermotorthatConti-

nentaleverproduced.”

According to theAuburn Automo-

bileCo.,theAuburnSixwassobetter

built for performance that it “forced

motormanufacturerstore-designtheir

largerenginestomake useof features

developedin thismotor.” The sixcyl-

inderswerecastenbloc,butuseda re-

movable cylinder head.This made the

interior of the engine more easily ac-

cessiblefortheremovalofcarbonorthe

grindingofvalves.

Thisenginehada 3-1/8x 4-1/2inch

boreandstrokemakingitsdisplacement

Auburn touted

motor strength

in its 1924 6-43

BYJOHNGUNNELL

On the right side of the engine were mounted the electrical units.

A 1924 Auburn 6-43 Sport Touring Car.

AUBURN'S QUICK SIX