To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Guyton
Collection event, 4 - 5 May 2019.
Estimate:
$25,000 - $35,000
- The first automobile in the Guyton Collection, acquired in
1970
- One of the earliest surviving examples of the "Safety
Stutz"
- Sporty, low-slung, and attractive sedan coachwork
- An ideal basis for restoration; very innovative engineering for
the era
- Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic
THE SAFETY STUTZ
"The Safety Stutz" of 1926 was the first American production car to
be equipped with engineered-in safety features, including a lowered
center of gravity, a wire-glass "shatterproof" windshield, narrow
windshield pillars for increased visibility, and reinforced running
boards that would protect against side-impact collisions. The body
sat low on the chassis, because a worm-gear differential made it
possible to mount the drive shaft below the rear axle.
Today this is widely considered one of the most innovative
automobile designs of the early Classic Era, and the survivors are
still fiercely sought after by enthusiasts of the marque.
MR. GUYTON'S FIRST ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE
Fred F. Guyton began his automobile collecting in 1970 at Classic
Cars, Inc. of Mount Zion, Illinois, which was offering this 1926
Model AA Vertical Eight brougham, a design developed for Stutz by
Brewster & Company, the famous Long Island coachbuilders. Mr.
Guyton acquired it for $400, and it has remained in his Mason's
Garage museum ever since, a remarkable span that has now extended
to 50 years.
The car shows evidence of having been repainted over the original
color, a pale blue, and a leatherette top covering and black vinyl
upholstery installed, probably prior to 1961, when the car was
driven by its then-owner in a parade in Hamilton, Ohio. It retains
much of its original trim hardware, inside and out, including,
significantly, the original wired safety glass windshield. The
interior features beautiful woodwork, including the original
"skeleton wood" headliner and handsome inlaid door caps. Some
deterioration of the body's structural wood was found upon close
inspection, although a restoration specialist may be able to
stabilize it. The Stewart-Warner odometer noted 14,213 miles at the
time of cataloguing.
Overall the car could be extensively freshened, both cosmetically
and mechanically, for use as a CARavan automobile, but is perhaps
best suited to a full restoration - something that Fred F. Guyton
had long intended, and which would result in a significant Stutz
indeed, as one of the earliest surviving examples of one of the
Roaring Twenties' greatest designs.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/gc19.
