1935 Classic Cars for Sale
Auburn 851 Supercharged, Duesenberg Model J, and the first true streamlined Chrysler Airflow refinements arrive
1935 sits at a crossroads. The Depression still pressed down on buyer confidence, yet American manufacturers pushed design forward with urgency. Chrysler refined the controversial Airflow, adding a more conventional nose to soften public resistance. Auburn released the 851 Speedster with its supercharged straight-eight, a car that remains one of the most visually aggressive machines of the entire prewar period.
This was also the year GM's Art and Colour section under Harley Earl began cementing the idea that a car's silhouette was a product in itself. Fisher Body's all-steel construction was now essentially universal across GM lines. Pontiac introduced its turret-top steel roof on closed models, moving the industry away from fabric inserts permanently.
For collectors, 1935 represents a last gasp of handcrafted coachwork on true classics alongside the first serious mass-market styling ambitions. Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg were already living on borrowed time. Prices at auction reflect exactly that tension. Buy the drama before it disappears.
- Auburn produced roughly 500 supercharged 851 Speedsters in 1935, each carrying a dash plaque signed by race driver Ab Jenkins certifying a 100-mph test run.
- General Motors introduced the all-steel turret-top roof across Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac lines, ending the composite wood-and-fabric roof construction that had been standard.
- Chrysler sold approximately 11,000 Airflow units in 1935, down sharply from 1934 debut figures, forcing a significant front-end restyle that foreshadowed the model's 1937 cancellation.
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1935 Packard Model 1201
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1935 Packard Model 1201
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1935 Plymouth PJ
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1935 Ford 3 Window
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1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
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1935 Plymouth PJ
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1935 Ford Coupe
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1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
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1935 Ford Coupe
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1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
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1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
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1935 Plymouth PJ
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1935 Ford Tudor
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1935 Ford Model 48
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1935 Ford 3 Window
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1935 Ford Model 50
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1935 Ford Coupe
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1935 Ford Street Rod
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1935 Ford 3 Window
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1935 Ford 3 Window
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1935 Auburn 653
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1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
Market: Duesenberg Model J examples with notable coachwork routinely bring $300,000 to over $1 million depending on body attribution and documented history. Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedsters have traded from $150,000 to $300,000 at major auction, with original drivetrain completeness and the presence of the Ab Jenkins dash plaque moving the number significantly.
Buyer's note: On any 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged, verify that the supercharger casting numbers match factory records and that the Lycoming straight-eight has not been substituted with a naturally aspirated unit from a lower trim level.