To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Guyton
Collection event, 4 - 5 May 2019.
Estimate:
$40,000 - $60,000
- The beloved "Dingwall Dandy"
- A rare Brass Era Hudson with European custom coachwork
- Acquired from the well-known Carl Schmitt Collection
- Well-kept restoration, highly attractive and well detailed
- Featured in Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 2
If there is a focus in the Guyton Collection - other than what,
simply, one enthusiast truly enjoyed - it is on rarity and unusual
specification. Witness the Mason, the Model X Duesenberg, the Wills
Sainte Claire, or the Ruxton. Fred Guyton loved cars that were
distinctively different from all the rest. Few of his machines
embody the philosophy better than his 1912 Hudson, with bodywork by
Kent coachbuilders James Young & Co., Ltd., best-remembered for
their exceptionally elegant work on Rolls-Royce and Bentley
chassis.
James Young outfitted six Model 33 chassis with this body, known as
the Doctor's Coupe, a convertible with "dickey seat,"
mahogany-framed sliding windows based upon the design used in
British railroad cars, and a lush interior in cloth with
embroidered accents. Reportedly one of the six examples was
delivered to the Duke of Westminster. Typical of the coachbuilder,
the construction throughout was without peer, though evidence shows
that the thrifty British shop incorporated stock Hudson roadster
body panels into the design. Riley wire wheels were another unusual
touch.
This car's earliest known ownership was in Dingwall, south of
London near Croydon, where an owner dubbed it "the Dingwall Dandy,"
striped that name on the hood, and enjoyed driving it around town.
It was acquired in the 1950s by David and Dorothy Rice, longtime
Horseless Carriage Club of America members in Pasadena, California.
Following a restoration, it was shown and driven by them for many
years. Most famously it was featured in an article, "An American
Abroad," by Julie M. Fenster in Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 25, No.
2. In 1980, it was awarded 3rd in class at the Pebble Beach
Concours d'Elegance, followed by an AACA Senior First Prize in
1983.
In 1989, the Rices sold the car to respected Washington State
collector, Carl Schmitt, known for the fastidious maintenance and
documentation of his automobiles. Following Mr. Schmitt's passing
it was acquired for the Guyton Collection, in 2008. It has been
well preserved in Mason's Garage ever since, and remains a very
attractive automobile, with only minor patina and wear showing on
its now five-decade-old restoration. Further it is offered with a
handsome history file documenting its Rice and Schmidt
ownerships.
Few cars in the Guyton Collection are rarer than "Dingwall Dandy;"
none can challenge it for sheer crowd appeal. It is, simply, cute
as a button.To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/gc19.