For sale: 1922 Cunningham Series V-4 Model 82-A Town Limousine - not mine

[prewarnut]

Up for auction at Bonham's next month from the Cussler collection... I know Cunningham has been discussed here before and obviously not commonly available. This one is said to be restored in the '70s with "sympathetic" maintenance since then. 132" wb, 442 c.i. engine. Not too much information conveyed in the listing however.

https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/29260/preview-lot/5811782/1922-cunningham-series-v-4-model-82-a-town-limousine-chassis-no-v4627-engine-no-v4633/

[alsancle]

Much to Ed's consternation I have always wanted a Cunningham.  Maybe not this one.

[Leif in Calif]

Interesting cylinder heads. Looks like they were machined instead of cast. 

[John Bloom]

Something about the proportion and ratio of the very back enclosed part with the landau bars, relative to the window for the enclosed portion, seems out of whack.....it’s too large?  It overpowers the window portion?

 

maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s because I’ve stared at this too many times.

 

I realize it’s unfair to compare styling to cars eight years apart, lots of stuff changes, that was a lifetime of both engineering and design advances. But still, something about the rear portion is distracting.

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by John Bloom (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Very cool car. As for a driver, it would be a toss up between a 1954 Diamond Reo 10 ton tri axel dump truck with 800k miles on it, or the perfectly restored town car. 
 

Great piece of history, and great garage art……….driving it……..well let’s just say walking is a reasonable alternative.

 

To be fair, the truck with a full load of gravel would be required to make it an accurate comparison!

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, John Bloom said:

Something about the proportion and ratio of the very back enclosed part with the landau bars, relative to the window for the enclosed portion, seems out of whack.....it’s too large?  It overpowers the window portion?

 

maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s because I’ve stared at this too many times.

 

I realize it’s unfair to compare styling to cars eight years apart, lots of stuff changes, that was a lifetime of both engineering and design advances. But still, something about the rear portion is distracting.

 

 

The Brewster bodied ghost and the Cunningham are almost identical in build date.  What is unfair is comparing an attractive car to an ugly one.

[John Bloom]

7 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

The Brewster bodied ghost and the Cunningham are almost identical in build date.  What is unfair is comparing an attractive car to an ugly one.

Thanks, I somehow missed the Cunningham build date and mistook it for an earlier car.  
 

The Cunningham is an interesting car, but it is not a looker......as for the Ghost, elegant, imposing, and dare I say, sexy.... (not many town cars would I label that way). 

 

hopefully the Cunningham finds one person who is smitten. 
 

[58L-Y8]

Cunningham's main stock-'n-trade were high quality hearses, ambulances and funeral limousines.   Other than the driver, the passengers had other issues to contend with or were deceased.   Drivability was a secondary concern.  

 

Town cars are in general an uncomfortable mash-up of a phaeton and a sedan joined at the B-pillar, the Rolls-Royce Riviera town car is one of the few that pulls it off with panache. 

[alsancle]

[John Bloom]

1 minute ago, alsancle said:

That falls under the category “change nothing”

 

 

[edinmass]

18 minutes ago, John Bloom said:

That falls under the category “change nothing”

 

 

Actually, that’s not entirely 100% accurate. It will change your bank balance.