dpeeler Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 This past June, we lost a good friend and avid old car fan – Clay Thomas. A true southern gentleman, Clay made many friends touring with his wife Mary Ellen in their 1922 Marmon 34B and 1928 Auburn 8-115. The family has expressed a desired to see these cars be passed on to an equally enthusiastic old car lover that will continue to enjoy the driving of such special cars. Both are for sale and will be addressed in separate listings. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina. 1922 Marmon 34B Two Passenger Speedster For Sale Marmon’s production model of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Rarely seen and one of 5 known to exist as listed in the Marmon Club roster - Large 6 cylinder engine, 3 speed transmission, 3.25 rear end, rear wheel brakes only - Mostly aluminum body, wind wings and 6 Buffalo wire wheels Older restoration in the late 1970’s by Herb Watts (previous owner) - Clay Thomas bought from Herb in May, 1988 – 30 year ownership - AACA Awards include First Junior, Senior, and many Repeat Preservation Awards - AACA National Award – Thomas McKean Touring Award - in 1999 - Recognized as a CCCA Full Classic - Completed 6 Glidden Tours and many Marmon Musters along with a number of HCCA regional tours over the period of 30 years - Featured car in publications including Autoweek, Old Cars Weekly (2x), and Hornet’s Nest AACA monthly news - Meticulous records – engine rebuild in 2000, new top in 2008, and new tires in 2011 This is a well sorted, fast automobile that is a strong, dependable tour car. As such, it shows signs of being driven and could stand to be refreshed slightly. It has never been abused but lovingly exercised as these early Marmon’s should be. Lou Iacinno, the Marmon guru who has known this Marmon for many years and toured with Clay, is quoted as saying “there is not a better running Marmon 34 in the country”. If you’re looking for an early Marmon, that you can get in, drive and ENJOY, this is it! The family is encouraging reasonable offers. For more information, contact David Peeler at 704-564-5468 or by email at dpeeler6@gmail.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 More photos 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 More photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Great looking car. For some reason I find myself liking older and older cars as I get older, In my mid 40's now and started with 50's cars going back further and further every year. This would be a great type of car for someone like myself to scratch that itch maybe. For the uneducated guy like myself in this pre 30's iron, what would a reasonable offer for a car of this type be if I was looking to buy one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Yes, as always, it would be nice to have a price posted. One knows that the family has some price in mind, and that should be the starting point. All that said, an identical model sold at auction in 2014 for a shade over $90k, and it sounds like they're both described as being in about the same condition. So, taking auction fees and transportation and all that into account, it would seem a fair offer would be in the $75-85K range. But, again, the family might have a totally different number in mind. They might want more, or they might (if they're serious about getting the car to a true "equally enthusiastic" car lover) take less. I have personal experience with cars that have sold under market price because the previous owner wanted a specific person to own the car. http://www.classiccarweekly.net/2014/03/26/marmon-pace-car-speedster/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 Auburn-seeker - Good question and really difficult to answer as the Model 34 rarely comes to market. Produced from 1916 to 1924, the Model 34 spans the late brass to mid-nickel era with constant improvement during the run. I believe the later years were the more mechanically refined, better driving and more desirable cars. The other similar Speedsters that have sold in the past several years or were for sale are: 1924 Speedster at RM Hershey Auction (2015) – a very nicely restored Marmon that sold for $203.5k 1924 Speedster at RM Hershey Auction (2014) – an unrestored car that didn’t sell at pre-auction estimate of $125k - $175k. Later restored by Dragone Both of these can be seen at this link: https://rmsothebys.com/en/search#/?SortBy=Default&SearchTerm=Marmon&Category=All%20Categories&FromYear=1916&ToYear=1924&IncludeWithdrawnLots=false&Auction=&OfferStatus=All%20availability&AuctionYear=&Model=Model&Make=Make&FeaturedOnly=false&StillForSaleOnly=false&Collection=All%20Lots&WithoutReserveOnly=false&page=1&pageSize=0 1922 Four Passenger Speedster sold by Hyman at auction several years ago for $155k - $160k https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/5542-1922-marmon-model-34-speedster/ 1924 Speedster fully restored (noted above) and currently for sale by Dragone at $265k (Hemmings News) http://dragoneclassic.com/currentofferings/1924-marmon-34b/ Trimacar’s assessment is a fair one and certainly in the ballpark. As you can see pricing is all over the map and thus it was difficult to just stick a number out there. If someone were seriously interested in the car, we would encourage a visit to see and drive it. We are considering taking it to Hershey as well. Please note, I have no financial interest in selling the car and would take any offer to the family for their consideration. There is a clear North Carolina title that can be transferred without the normal estate issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Interesting numbers, seem all over the place as you state. I didn't keep searching when I found the 90K car, so makes one wonder why it went for less than the other examples dpeeler has cited. Location (UK)? Condition? A modified car? In any case, a very nice car that would bring a crowd at any show, am sure it will find a good home. As an aside, Marmon advertising factored in my interest of early automobiles. There was an abandoned mansion in my home town, and it was located right behind where one of my best friends lived, this is when I was 11 or 12. We'd sneak into the mansion, and end up in the attic, where there were hundreds of old magazines stacked up. Marmon ran a series of ads in the late teens, bold colored cars on a black background. For some reason it impressed me how great the cars looked, as I leafed through those old magazines. The house is now long gone, a shame because it was a magnificent place full of pocket doors and high ceilings and beautiful woodwork, but my love of old cars remains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 a fair price as noted, seems to be in the 125k range. If this one is a nice as noted, maybe a bit more. A far better buy then say a mid 20's bearcat when comparing price. There was one on this site a little over a year ago, up in NY. The body couldnt be verified and it sold only around 20k to a Cali collector. I tried in the worst way to get it, but was 2nd in line. (originally asking 80k) one of my bigger regrets. The engines on these things were torquey as all get out. would have been a really fun car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 So I guess the old thought that no one wants these old cars and their value especially on those dead years of the early 20's is thrown out the window on anything but T's. That aside, I do appreciate the feedback as I don't follow this market, so I will know what kind of money it takes for me to play the game when I get that far along. I'll probably move into an open Auburn in the early 30's first though. Baby Steps. Just graduating from the Ford crowd now with the dilapidated Cord 810 phaeton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Members 1,165 5,953 posts Location: Lake George NY Report post x #9 Posted 34 minutes ago So I guess the old thought that no one wants these old cars and their value especially on those dead years of the early 20's is thrown out the window on anything but T's. That aside, I do appreciate the feedback as I don't follow this market, so I will know what kind of money it takes for me to play the game when I get that far along. I'll probably move into an open Auburn in the early 30's first though. Baby Steps. Just graduating from the Ford crowd now with the dilapidated Cord 810 phaeton. well, this isnt just a 20s car. A rare speedster, so yes, the value is there. You can buy a touring car of the same period for 35-45k in a Marmon touring. Chavet Classics out west has a Stutz touring for 67k and open to offers. I think the body style dictates here, esp when an auburn speedster now fetches 600k or more. be careful what you wish for, as I am coming back to fords. they are simple, easy to get parts and always have a buyers mkt. not so much with obscure brands, where parts need to be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 You guys know this as much as anyone, body and provenance are king when it comes to value! Of course, chassis has a lot to do with it too. A J will bring a lot more than a T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 2 hours ago, auburnseeker said: those dead years of the early 20's is thrown out the window on anything but T's. There's a huge following of all Model T's, just because the prices are low doesn't mean interest is low. It's just that there are 10's of thousands of Model T's extant, and they don't bring much money (with the exception of the very early cars). But, they all seem to find homes. If you follow the MTFCA forum, you'd see that T's sell quickly at reasonable prices, and everyone seems to have 2 or more of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 If we made pricing a requirement, alot of these listings would be alot shorter and members would have a good idea of what it takes to buy some of the not so common cars, thus avoiding fruitless inquiries from people like myself with shallow pockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted September 24, 2018 Author Share Posted September 24, 2018 Thanks to all that have weighed in on this posting. The family has decided that a reasonable offer would be in the 90's. If you're really interested, please let me know as I don't think this Speedster will be available for long. David Peeler 704-564-5468 dpeeler6@gmail.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 So to follow up on bodystyle discussion, here are two local Marmons. The sedan was available earlier this year I think it is a 28, ask was arojnd $20k for a nice original example. The sdcond is the Dragone car. Its basically perfect. One oc the best looking cars of the early 20s I think. Seeker, a reaseable alternative to an Auburn, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 One more of the Dragone car, not to hijack thread but to highlight how attractive these are in this bodystyle, heck, even the tourings are nice cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Steve, was the dragone car not the original in the auction from NJ? I believe the car on this page is priced very fairly, though out of my range....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 11 minutes ago, mercer09 said: Steve, was the dragone car not the original in the auction from NJ? I believe the car on this page is priced very fairly, though out of my range.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Awesome car,price is fair as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 The Dragone car was featured on Chasing Classic Cars a couole seasons back, I think. Outstanding restoration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morepower Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 (edited) I sold this 34B Marmon Speedster for a client to a west coast collector at Hershey 2015 for $72,000. Nice older restoration. Wish I kept it for myself! The very same Marmon appeared at this year's Pebble Beach Concours. Full details and photos HERE. Edited September 27, 2018 by morepower notifications (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 This is a very nice car which I have seen a lot of. I have seen it on many tours and have never seen it break down. Marmons are just as nice a car as stutzes, Cadillacs and Packards but are usually much more reasonable in price. Awesome engineering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted September 28, 2018 Author Share Posted September 28, 2018 By popular request, we'll be taking the Marmon to Hershey! Please stop by and take a close look at it. Still looking for offers in the low 90's. We're in the Red Field near the stadium - Spaces RCF 13 - 16 Thanks, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63RedBrier Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 I'd be curious to know the original colors... The current paint scheme screams 1970's! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 The current paint scheme screams Tennessee which is where the previous owner went to school. That is Tennessee orange. It has nothing to do with the seventies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 The orange is correct and sure the rest is too- but I would have preferred black on the fenders......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrow Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 I am the "west coast collector" that owns the cream and black car above. I did put some money in upgrading the condition. These are great cars (fastest 1923 US production) and this particular car completed the 2018 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic (1500 miles, three states, six major moutain ranges, and California freeways) before running in the Thursday Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance and then appearing on the Pebble Beach show field. I would say $90k would be a steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted October 6, 2018 Author Share Posted October 6, 2018 REMINDER We'll be taking the Marmon to Hershey! Please stop by and take a close look at it. Still looking for offers in the low 90's. We're in the Red Field near the stadium - Spaces RCF 13 - 16 Hope to see you there! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpeeler Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share Posted October 7, 2018 SOLD! Thanks for all the interest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoringicons Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 What a fabulous machine. The new owner should be very proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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