RM Auctions has announced more highlights for its 20th annual Michigan sale, taking place July 26 in Plymouth. The firmly rooted Motor City sale, the official auction of the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, is a staple on the North American collector car calendar, and it has carved a reputation over the past two decades as one of the leading events honoring the American automobile. RM’s Motor City auction is set to offer a full range of American classics, with many having been conceived and built in Detroit. Headlining the sale is an elegant 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial Convertible […]
RM Auctions has announced more highlights for its 20th annual Michigan sale, taking place July 26 in Plymouth. The firmly rooted Motor City sale, the official auction of the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, is a staple on the North American collector car calendar, and it has carved a reputation over the past two decades as one of the leading events honoring the American automobile.
RM’s Motor City auction is set to offer a full range of American classics, with many having been conceived and built in Detroit. Headlining the sale is an elegant 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial Convertible Victoria, chassis CG 3843, which features coachwork by Waterhouse. From its very first days, the Imperial was the crown jewel of Chrysler’s offerings, and today, only a handful of 1931 CG chassis are known to survive with custom bodywork. One of just three surviving examples, CG 3843’s ownership history can be traced back to 1939, when it was purchased by New York resident Calvin Collins. After barely escaping the scrap drives of World War II, the Chrysler sat in the family barn, while the younger Scott Collins dreamt of one day returning it to the road. Following 70 years of single-family ownership, CG 3843 was treated to a 6,000-hour restoration, which began in 2009. As a testament to the incredible quality of the restoration, this Imperial has already received numerous awards, including Most Significant Chrysler in Show at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s. Stunning in its spectacular original colors of black and caramel, it requires virtually nothing to display at further concours in the hands of its next loving owner (RM Est. $525,000–$725,000).
“We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 20th year as the exclusive collector car auction event in America’s automotive capital, the one and only Motor City,” says Mike Fairbairn, Co-founder and Car Specialist, RM Auctions.
Alain Squindo, Vice President, RM Auctions, adds, “The unique cars we’re presenting this year represent very special high watermarks in Detroit’s automotive heritage. Be it the boulevard cruiser, the exclusive coachbuilt Chrysler intended for a captain of Michigan industry, or even the hot Corvette racing down Woodward Avenue, these examples represent the finest automobiles the Motor City had to offer.”
The Chrysler leads a superb roster of more than 75 American and European motor cars set to cross the podium at RM’s Motor City event. Other feature attractions for the summer sale include: a concours award-winning 1906 Studebaker Model G Touring, reportedly the oldest existing four-cylinder Studebaker and formerly treasured by some of the hobby’s most respected collectors, including Henry Austin Clark Jr., Bill Harrah, and Bob Valpey (Est. $325,000–$450,000); a carefully restored 1931 Cadillac V-12 Convertible Coupe, offered from 32 years of CCCA member ownership (Est. $275,000–$325,000); and a 1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Sedan, which has been owned by noted enthusiasts for half a century, including Michigan collectors Richard and Linda Kughn, and restored with the input of coachbuilder Howard “Dutch” Darrin himself (Est. $225,000–$300,000).
The well-established RM sale will also lift the gavel on:
· a pair of legendary “letter cars,” which firmly established Chrysler as a performance leader, including one of the finest examples of a 1960 Chrysler 300F Convertible, boasting an award-winning restoration (Est. $150,000–$200,000), and an equally rare 1961 Chrysler 300G Convertible, the last of the finned letter cars (Est. $160,000–$180,000);
· a freshly restored 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, complete with desirable dual-quad carburetion (Est. $150,000–$200,000); and
a multiple-award-winning 1932 Auburn Eight Custom Phaeton Sedan, formerly owned and restored by ACD expert Bill Bocock (Est. $160,000–$200,000).
As per previous years, the RM sale will again act as a prelude to the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, making for a larger celebration of the collector car hobby. Under the leadership of Larry Moss, the new chairman and head of the board of directors, the concours is set to display an exciting new energy this year, as illustrated by an expanded schedule of events featuring a number of unique opportunities for enthusiasts. Official festivities kick off on July 25, with a diverse mix of tours, displays and seminars, before culminating with the 36th annual Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s on Sunday, July 27.
RM’s Motor City auction and the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s will be held at the historic Inn at St. John’s, 44045 Five Mile Road, Plymouth, Michigan. For further information, or to speak with an RM Auctions car specialist, please call toll free at 800 211 4371 (+1 519 352 4575 outside North America) or visit www.rmauctions.com. A frequently updated schedule of events for the 36th annual Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s is available online at www.concoursusa.org.