To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Guyton
Collection event, 4 - 5 May 2019.
Estimate:
$150,000 - $200,000
- Very attractive original coachwork; wonderful authenticity
- Formerly owned by James G. Groendyk, Irving Davis, and Charles
Jones
- One of the earliest Senior cars in the Classic Car Club of
America (CCCA)
- Ideal to freshen for tours and CARavans
- CCCA Full Classic
This lovely Full Classic Stutz is one of very few known surviving
1930 models with this two-passenger speedster body, a roadster by
any other name, produced for the Stutz factory as a "catalogue
custom" by the famed LeBaron. Interestingly, the body bears the
same badging and body number plates as LeBaron Marmon and
Duesenberg bodies of the same era.
The speedster was acquired in 1948 or 1949 from Al Hood of Wycoff,
New Jersey, by James G. Groendyk, a very early member of the
Classic Car Club of America. Mr. Groendyk and his son, James W.,
also a CCCA member, undertook a complete restoration to the
standard of the time, acquiring a low-mileage, correct spare engine
to replace the damaged original unit, and finishing the body in red
with a light cream top and upholstery. The completed car was
exhibited in early Grand Classics, and at Morristown, New Jersey,
in 1956 received its Senior badge, only the 27th awarded. Four
years later it was one of several cars from the Groendyk collection
featured with their nattily attired owner in Quaker State
advertisements.
By 1976 the car had been refinished in these more period-correct
hues, Primrose Yellow with Avocado fenders and trim and orange
wheels. It was sold that year in the Tampa, Florida, area to Irving
Davis, another Stutz enthusiast in Beverly Hills, California, and
then in 1983 to Bobbie Crump of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While owned
by Mr. Crump the car was exhibited alongside many other fine
Classics in his Cars of Yesteryear Museum, as well as used for the
ceremony introducing the U.S. postage stamp featuring the Stutz
Bearcat on 11 June 1985.
When Mr. Crump divested his collection, the Stutz returned to
California in the hands of Charles Jones of Woodland, who proudly
displayed it in concours and Stutz Club events. Following Mr.
Jones' passing, Fred Guyton acquired the car, via a friend in St.
Louis, in 1996.
Aside from its cosmetic restoration in the 1970s, much of the
finish on this Stutz is still the original workmanship provided by
the Groendyk family; Mr. Guyton, in notes he made on his
collection, noted that it "is still a nice car," and that it is.
The paintwork is solid and intact throughout, and the interior
still in very good overall condition with only minor age and
cracking that does little to detract from its appearance. The
finishes under the hood are authentic and tidy, with the original
number tags appearing on the firewall and engine. Charming
accessories include the correct folding windshield, for a truly
sporty appearance, as well as dual driving lights, dual
side-mounted spares with pedestal mirrors, and a trunk with three
pieces of fitted luggage. Accompanying the car is an original 1930
Stutz catalogue.
Any member of the CCCA with an appreciation for history should also
appreciate this Stutz - the story of which literally goes back to
the Club's earliest days. It is a truly special automobile
deserving of the great names who have enjoyed it for the last 70
years.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/gc19.
