WOW WAS OWNED BY MAE WEST "COME UP AND SEE ME SOMETIME"

31 AUBURN MODEL 9-98-A 3-WINDOW COUPE

Multiple celebrity owners & a real Gatsby era vehicle. Resto mod.

The Mae West car w/ extensive records/history/titles & Regos photos w/ owners/court records/public display movies & related museum items are available.

1st time offered for public sale in over 4 decades. See more in the Feature Cars section at www.CruiseNewsOnline.com. Only 685 produced, now 2 or 3 may exist.

Seen by Randy Ema Duesenberg historian but not documented, moview,/TV specials, Florida Today features, in 2016 National Matrix calendar.

(PLEASE OPEN EXCELLENT UTUBE VIDEO HERE; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPFs-jETKOQ


Nick Bauer''s 1931 Auburn 8-98-A Originally Owned by Mae West
(from Volume 21, Issue 254)

story and photos by Michael B. Kelly


Nick Bauers 1931 Auburn 8-98-A 3-Window Coupe is a car that has several aspects making it very interesting. For one, it is the last surviving 1931 of its model known to exist by the Auburn, Cord & Duesenberg Club. Plus, the original owner was none other than Mae West, the legendary actress. Though she got her start as a child star in vaudeville, it was once she had grown up and was staring in movies that Mae West really made her mark in the 1930s and 1940s. Her most famous line from the 1933 film She Done Him Wrong, Why dont you come up some time, and see me is often misquoted as Why dont you come up and see me sometime....but that line has become synonymous with the legendary actress. She was very sexy and suggestive for her time, and therefore one of the more controversial movie stars of her day. Mae West is credited with saving Hollywood in the 1930s from failure during the Great Depression era, and IRS records indicate she was the highest paid woman in America in 1932.

The second owner of the car was Mae Wests lifelong manager/consort and New York Mob enforcer James A. Timothy (also known as The Thug). During that time court records verify that James was arrested with Mae West, and he served time. So while these highly stylized autos of the era are often referred to as Gangster Cars, this one actually was!

Dale Klee, the world famous Junkyard Artist (whose work can be seen at www.OldCarArt.com) owned Ms. Mae for 28 years prior to Nick Bauers purchasing her from him in 2005. During Dale Klees ownership he made several drivetrain and mechanical modifications to enable safe operation in the 21st century (though Dale himself never got the car on the road). The most notable retained modification he made is the front grill insert that was personally designed and installed by Dale Klee himself. That grill insert was retained through the restoration process to honor that part of Ms. Maes history.

The 31 Auburn was restored by Nick Bauer to an original type look, with a few resto-mod changes. Nicks goal was to have her appearing as she would have back in the day, but be mechanically functional for modern times. Nick has been involved with cars all his life, and has worked as a body man/painter, line mechanic, auto electrician, upholsterer, and was even a machinist mate in the Navy. He did all of the restoration work himself, with nothing sublet other than chrome plating, and stitching on the carpeting.

Mae Wests 1931 Auburn 8-98-A was a factory custom ordered vehicle (fitting for someone with such celebrity and financial resources). The original body is still nailed to the wooden framework underneath, and the car still utilizes the original chassis. The restored interior features a painted wood grained dash just like the original, and houses the original instruments which have been converted to 12 volts. To duplicate the original upholstery Nick utilized chestnut leather, using the original seat patterns, along with a leather headliner and alligator hide door panels like were custom chosen by Mae West. Updates that have been done to the car for driveability and safety include a custom built front suspension using Jaguar upper and lower control arms on the factory chassis, power steering, and power front disc brakes with drums in the rear. Under the hood now resides a 1970 Cadillac 500 cubic inch motor that has a Painless 12 volt electrical system, mated to a Turbo 400 automatic transmission, with a 10-bolt GM rear end housing 3.56:1 gears rounding out the running gear. The factory Auburn radiator was retained, and three electric cooling fans added for all the parade duty she serves.

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