Matt Harwood Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) Well, since the last Marmon went over so well, here's another one from the same collection. It's a former AACA Grand National First Prize winning 1911 Model 32 Speedster that's both beautiful and fast. There are only a handful known to exist today, and this might well be the finest of them all. Paint and bodywork are excellent, the brass shows light signs of aging that could be easily polished away in an afternoon, and there's only a little road wear from 10 years of driving and showing since it won its major awards. It has also been upgraded with a 12-volt electric starter, but the hand crank and magneto system are still fully functional. Interesting details include the dual spark plugs, rear-mounted transaxle, and truly massive brakes which are quite effective on such a lightweight car. Once you're situated behind the wheel, it's easy to get comfortable and reasonably spacious. It's also fast. I mean FAST! The big 318 cubic inch four makes huge torque just off idle, so if you're not careful, you'll spin the skinny tires from a standing start, and top speed (if you're brave) is probably more than 70 MPH. The Model 32 also served as the foundation for the Marmon Wasp, which won the first Indy 500, and perhaps even as the antecedent for cars like the Stutz Bearcat and Mercer Raceabout. Impressive performance, beautifully restored. $109,900 or best offer. Edited December 5, 2011 by Matt Harwood (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 My, that's a fine looking automobile. Was that a factory body? You sure are coming up with some nice finds, Matt!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Matt,Now that is a gorgeous car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 It is indeed a factory body, not cut down from something else. Even the fenders are original 1911-issue equipment. I'd liken driving this car to a 4-wheeled motorcycle, and acceleration is impressive for a 100-year-old piece. I used to underestimate the engineering and performance of old high-performance machines, but this one works so well that it doesn't feel nearly as old as it is. Steering is precise, braking is better than expected, and you can feel everything the tires are doing through your fingertips. A very impressive little car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Matt,That is a fantastic, and impressive machine -- if we hadn't spent all that $$$$$ on educating the kids, feeding them, maintaining our collection.............love it.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutz in the UK Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Hi There, which engine is this please? It looks quite similar to the winconsin in my 1917 Stutz The big 318 cubic inch four makes huge torque just off idle, Impressive performance, beautifully restored. $109,900 or best offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 I'm not positive, but I believe that the design was done by Marmon in-house. The 6-cylinder unit that powered the Wasp that won the first Indy 500 was basically the Model 32 engine with two extra cylinders, and I don't know that they would have had the capacity to modify a third-party engine to that extent if it were a Wisconsin unit. However, many T-head engines of the era looked similar as the technology was pretty basic.I'm also willing to be wrong, so hopefully if there is someone else with concrete knowledge of the subject they'll chime in.Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 SOLD!Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 The Marmon engine in the 32 was a completely in house design so no you were not wrong. I hope you sold it to someone who is going to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoringicons Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 That was a great car and a great buy! Congrats to the new owner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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