Fast and flamboyant, the Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster is universally regarded as one of the great cars of the Classic Era.

It was also something of a last-ditch effort by Auburn—struggling mightily in the face of the Great Depression—to revive its flagging fortunes.

An exclusive high-performance offering with jaw-dropping looks, it would, it was hoped, create buzz and drum up sales across the Auburn model lineup.

In its first objective, there can be no doubt that it succeeded.

From its bold grille and glistening chrome side exhaust pipes to its “boattail” rear, the Supercharged Speedster embodies Art Deco design at its finest.

Rakish boattailed automobiles were nothing new for the Indiana automaker, which had debuted the 8-88 Speedster in 1928.

The introduction of optional Schwitzer-Cummins superchargers to the Auburn model lineup in 1935, however, which boosted the straight-eight engine from 115 normally aspirated horsepower to a respectable 150 horsepower, produced outpu...