Back to back: Auburn Fakester or Bugnotti Speedster?

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Let’s drop a little bombshell here. These are of course not the kind of cars that you’d expect here. Or are they? So called neo-classics are kitsch, vulgar, tacky, over the top and so on, right? Well, some may think they are just that, but just have a look at this duo and think of the amount of work that went into them. Are they really so much worse then any others? Both are offered for sale by RM auctions at Fort Lauderdale this Saturday.

And they are also worlds apart, yes, so let’s have a slightly closer look at them. The Auburn 866 Speedster looks pretty much like the real deal: the Gordon Buehrig designed Auburn 851 Speedster of 1935. But this one was built in 1974 by a man named Glenn Pray, a former teacher of Oklahoma. He must have been the first to do so, as a multitude of replica-Speedsters came available later. Pray once stated that his cars were never meant to be replicas of the original; they were modern day versions of the original Auburn Speedster. And, yes, they came with independent wheel suspension, (then) -modern V8 engines, power steering and brakes and air conditioning. This one is said to have been built around an original 1935 Speedster dashboard and it’s estimated to sell at $90- to $120,000. More here.

And then there’s this: a Delahaye USA Bugnotti Boattail Speedster built in… 2003. According to the manufacturer it’s ‘inspired by complementary Auburn, Delahaye, and Bugatti design elements, the Bugnotti has no single automotive ancestor.’ The cars are built up around a custom-made chassis frame and mostly powered by an LS-1 small block Chevrolet V8 engine. Again: power steering and brakes are standard. The body is made - purists now click away – of fibreglass with large pontoon style wings clearly inspired by the work of Figoni & Falaschi. And they sell them, too. People buy kits, customers built them up like they want, with anything they like. Used engines range from Maserati V8 to Viper V10 and BMW V12. This one uses the slightly more down-to-earth Chevrolet V8 and is estimated at $225- to $275,000. More info here. May we ask you which of the two you would prefer, Sir?

(Words editor, pictures courtesy RM Auctions)

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