The American Sports Car Company Prototype
Car of the Day #146: 1948 The American Sports Car Company Prototype - Grounded flight of fancy
If you find yourself in Auburn, Indiana, and want to burn a few hours looking at vehicles that have, largely, been left behind by the world, spend a few dollars and visit the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum (ACD).
Apart from the three makes listed as part of its title, the museum has bits and bobs from a number of different manufacturers, including the one and only prototype car built under The American Sports Car Company banner, which is usually shortened to TASCO.
Inseparable from this tale is Gordon Buehrig, the designer credited with a number of notable pre-war designs, including the Duesenberg Model J, Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster, Lincoln Continental Mark II (the nicest one!), 'coffin nose' Cord 810/812, and the Stutz Black Hawks entered into Le Mans in 1929.
As a pretty well-known figure in the classic car world: forgive me if you already know this about Buehrig. I feel as though his work isn't all that cough impressive, though, I'm the first to say the role of the automobile stylist has shifted so much over time that the days of one designer being tasked with an entire vehicle are long gone.
I believe we name in-jokes like the 'Bangle Butt' because we know there was an entire team of designers helping to craft the E65 BMW 7 Series.
Think that was impressive? Feast your eyes on the Buehrig Butt:
