Established in 1900 by the Eckhart family, Auburn became part of the classic automobile trio of Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg and played a prominent role in racing history, with early models succeeding in speed and reliability trials and later cars using Lycoming engines to set speed records at Bonneville, Muroc, and Atlantic City; in 1930, an Auburn racecar competed in the Indianapolis 500, which was paced by a Cord L-29. E.L. Cord built racecars from old cars and sold them for a profit, then developed some of the most spectacular cars of their age; impressed by Harry Miller's Indianapolis 500-dominating racecars, he bought the production car rights to front-drive technology and created the landmark Cord L-29, while also competing often and setting many speed and endurance records at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.