The Dealer Tents
One dealer had this huge popup next to the “cars for sale” roadway that encircles the Hershey stadium. Mind you, hundreds of classic cars of all types parked on both sides of the access road. Even a travel trailer!
In the dealer’s tent sat a very handsome 1928 Stutz BB Boattail Speedster that was listed for $120,000. This same car had appeared in this same tent in 2022. Not yet sold? Hmm… Is the market saying this is too high a price?
1928 Stutz BB Boattail Speedster
And then there was the 1910 Wisconsin Special, a very nice bespoke example—someone’s dream car from 110 years ago. Built on a Mitchell Model S chassis and sporting what looked to be a 100 horsepower six-cylinder Wisconsin T-head, this Gen-1 beast sat awaiting its new owner. Asking was $140,000.
1910 Mitchell Wisconsin Special Speedster
1910 Mitchell T-head six cylinder, a huge honkin’ engine!
The Auction at Hershey
RM Sotheby’s had a very nice selection of classics for its annual auction at the Hershey Lodge. Among them was a 1933 Auburn 12 Salon Speedster that went to a new owner for $385,000.
“Salon” meant that this model had all of the extras added…
Although a very classy cruiser, there was a time during the Threadbare Thirties that these could be had for a song. Try singing a ditty for one of these now!
Also offered at the auction was a 1935 Ford V-8 Speedster Special that sold for $143,000. Based on a Ford Model 48 chassis that included its flathead V-8, body parts from a mid-thirties Adler Trumpf Junior Sport were fitted to make this very attractive speedster. Sourced from Argentina, this example was well sold and well bought!
The front clip of this 1935 Ford V-8 Speedster Special was grafted on from an Adler Trumpf Junior Sport.
The rear view shows a strong European influence seen in a contemporary, the Deutch-Bonnet.
The Show Field on Friday
The 1907 Locomobile track racer that showed up on the AACA’s show field whose radiator was spouting a cloud of steam had placed third at the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island. Its sibling, Locomobile “No. 16”—driven by George Robertson, had come in first.
“Old 16” is perhaps the most famous American race car of the twentieth century. Image courtesy The Henry Ford
It was good fortune that an American car beat all of the European interlopers behind it.
However, it was also unfortunate in that the excited crowds swarmed the track after Robertson’s racer crossed the finish line and blocked James Florida in Locomobile “No. 1.” As he approached the finish line, Florida swerved to avoid the crowd, crashed into a tree, and had to push his Loco across the line in order to be recorded as placing third. What a hassle!
The story of Locomobile’s racer “No. 1” is featured in the September/October issue of Antique Automobile. It was gratifying to see this largely-forgotten underdog being driven onto the show field, fully restored, despite the steam. You can read more about Locomobile in post 94 from June 3, 2022; check out the sidebar that lists my blog posts.
1907 Locomobile No. 1 and its story had been lost to history until its recent discovery (in a New England barn, of course!) and its subsequent restoration.
Not to be overlooked, an exquisite 1914 Overland 79-S Speedster was also nearby. A “Zenith finalist,” no less!
Each year the AACA picks ten finalists which are the 10 best-restored cars from its national concours competitions, and this Speedster was one of those ten for 2022.
This was a rare Overland Speedster on display, and a beauty at that. More about the Overland story is captured in blog post 92 (May 6, 2022).
1914 Overland Model 79-S Speedster
Here’s an image from the 1914 Overland brochure showing the 79-S. A VERY rare speedster…
Now About that Mercury speedster…
Not much is known about this little feller, except that it was spotted on the swap field during the week, maybe for sale.
Mercury-bodied Model T speedster
This image of a Mercury Speedster was colorized by Mercury authority Jarvis Erickson.
Mercuries were a very popular option with which to speedsterize a Model T or a Chevy 490, and Mercurys did anticipate the classic look that many venerable British sports racers had during the 1930’s, as seen in the image above.
I wrote about Mercury Speedsters in post 24 (September 17, 2019). There’s something about a Merc, especially if you want a bit of metal surrounding you and your date. Mercury’s product symbolized the era of the sport-bodied speedster.
Mercury Body catalog cover
As for me? I like the open platform of a cutdown. Something about ‘em.
How about you? Let me know in your comments.
Until next post,
Go drive that speedster!