To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Guyton
Collection event, 4 - 5 May 2019.
Estimate:
$35,000 - $50,000
- First-year example
- The best-selling Buick in 1908
- A correct older restoration
Introduced at the New York Automobile show in November 1907,
Buick's Model 10, the Gentlemen's Light Four-Cylinder Roadster,
quickly became the company's best seller. Motor World called it the
"sensation" of the show. The lowest-priced Buick, it sold for $900,
including acetylene headlamps, oil lamps for side and tail
illumination, and a bulb horn. At about the same price as Henry
Ford's new Model T, it represented very good value. More than 4,000
were built in the first year and 8,100 the next. In 1910, its last
year, production approached 11,000, by far the greatest of any
Buick model until 1914.
Almost from the beginning, Buick had proved a potent competitor on
the race tracks. The Model 10 fit nicely into the pattern, in 1909
rolling up a class win at Daytona, a hill climb victory at Atlanta.
Light and nimble, the 10 was a favorite in the light car
classes.
This Model 10 Buick was in a museum collection prior to acquisition
by the Guyton Collection in 2009. An older restoration, the body is
in generally good condition, although the paint, in the correct
off-white shade called "Buick Gray," exhibits considerable age. It
has period-correct Gray & Davis brass lamps, all in very good
condition, although the headlamps slightly postdate the car's era.
There is an acetylene generator on the left running board. The
front seats and "mother-in-law" rumble are upholstered in a
patterned maroon vinyl. It, too, is aged, but is serviceable and
attractive. A correct black canvas top provides shelter from the
elements, and a brass-framed windshield gives comfort from the
wind.
The engine and chassis appear in good condition, correctly detailed
and showing some use. The car has not run in some time, so a
thorough servicing should be carried out before committing it to
the road. The most popular Buick of its era, this Model 10 should
provide its new owner with considerable fun.To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/gc19.
