The Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg Museum

The Motoring Historian, Jon Summers, drives between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis on a museum tour, focusing on the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum housed in the remaining Auburn factory. He frames museums as “a bunch of stuff” versus curated stories, then seeks the Duesenberg creation myth, especially the engineering behind the Model J. He recounts Duesenberg history: self-taught brothers Fred and Augie from bicycles and racing; the Model A’s four-wheel hydraulic brakes and inline eight; WWI aero-engine work including a V16; and E.L. Cord buying the company, keeping Fred as chief engineer, and commissioning the Model J, with styling contributions from Leaming. He praises the car quantity, Auburn evolution exhibits, hood ornaments, and Buehrig clay-modeling offices, but criticizes crowded displays, awkward mannequins, and intrusive volunteer “gallery hosting,” comparing lessons to the Studebaker Museum and Indiana’s component-based auto industry.

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00:00 The Road Trip Museum Quest 01:08 What Makes a Museum? 02:37 ACD Origins and Myth, and Why Duesenberg Mattered 05:23 Showroom Vibes and Ornaments 06:42 Model J Design and Craft 09:19 Auburn Roots and Studebaker Link 09:58 Is the Museum Any Good? 12:07 Duesenberg Tech Breakthroughs 13:45 Did the Story Land? 20:21 Lifestyle Ads and Model J Styling 23:26 Docents and Interrupted Viewing 29:50 Studebaker Wagon Creation Myth 34:56 Indiana vs Detroit Making Cars 38:51 Baseball Hall of Fame Parallel 41:09 How to Curate the Magic: Storytelling vs Visual Aids 44:34 Credits and Network Outro

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Jon Summers is the Motoring Historian. He was a company car thrashing technology sales rep that turned into a fairly inept sports bike rider. On his show he gets together with various co-hosts to talk about new and old cars, driving, motorbikes, motor racing, motoring travel. Copyright Jon Summers, The Motoring Historian. This content is also available via jonsummers.net. This episode is part of the Motoring Podcast Network and has been republished with permission.