Auburn 851/852 Speedster

The Auburn 851/852 Speedster has declined 22.3 percent over the past twelve months, settling at a median of $79,200, and current market signals suggest further weakness in the near term. This reversal comes after years of steady appreciation, marking a notable inflection point for the marque.

The sample of five transactions recorded in the past year is decidedly thin, which amplifies volatility in price discovery and makes individual sales harder to contextualize within the broader trend. With only eight total sales tracked across our database, liquidity remains a genuine constraint for both buyers seeking to enter and sellers looking to exit.

Auburn built roughly 600 units of the 851 and 852 Speedsters across their production run, a scarcity that underpins the model's Holy Grail collectibility rating. The combination of low production, Art Deco styling, and pre-war engineering pedigree ensures sustained collector demand, though current desirability ranks as moderate rather than elevated.

The median transaction price of $79,200 sits at a discount to where these cars stood a year ago, and the absence of any active listings suggests sellers are largely sidelined at present valuations. This pricing environment has prompted a "Wait or Sell" stance until broader market conditions stabilize.

Base-case modeling projects the Auburn to appreciate 13 percent over three years and 17.5 percent over five years, ultimately reaching $93,099 by 2030. These projections assume a gradual recovery in collector demand and modest capital appreciation typical of Holy Grail–tier cars, though thin liquidity means execution risk remains material for large positions.