Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival hoping for more than 700 cars during weekend

AUBURN, Ind. (WANE) - Leaders with the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival are hoping for a record-setting number of cars over the weekend.  Last year, more than 700 classic cars merged into the DeKalb County town.  This year, they are planning for even more.

Bill Hohler, the festival president, said the festival really began on Tuesday.  That morning, close to 50 cars drove in the 37th annual ACD Festival Hoosier Tour.  Hohler said its designed to take the ACD cars around the area, to draw up more interest for the festivities on the weekend.

Friday afternoon is expected to be the first large crowd in downtown Auburn.  Cars for the Downtown Cruise-In Courthouse Square are scheduled to begin arriving around 1 o'clock.  A new parking plan around the town square should make room for more vehicles.

"We feel we've got the most beautiful town square in the Midwest," Hohler said.

Hohler expected people from all parts of the world to attend the festival.

"Auburn exported cars all over the world in the 20s and 30s," he said.  "These cars have remained in those countries, and have been passed down over the generations and the ACD club has members throughout the world."

A big part of the festival is the car auctions.  Rod Egan, an auctioneer with Worldwide Auctioneers, said there are more than 130 rare cars at the auction is Auburn-based company is conducting during the festival.

"There is a car here for you, if you are a car person at all somewhere in Auburn," Egan said.

Egan added the most rare car at his company's auction is a Shelby GT 350.  The car was driven by racing driver Sterling Moss.

Egan estimated close to 200,000 people will participate in the auction or at least one festival activity over the next three days.

To learn more about what's planned for this year's festival, click here.