- Offered from the collection of Jack Dunning
- A fabulous, unforgettable one-off Classic Lincoln
- Offers three rows of seating on a 150 in. wheelbase
- AACA Grand National First Prize winner
- Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Senior winner; three
100-point scores
There is no Classic Era Lincoln that can compare to the Imperial
Victoria. It was constructed by Pennsylvania coachbuilders
Fleetwood on a 150 in. Model L commercial chassis, one of just six
like it produced for independent body companies in 1927 and likely
the only one that did not become a hearse or an ambulance. No, the
Imperial Victoria was firmly built for the living, with no fewer
than three rows of seating, each with its own windshield, and a
flamboyant "cape top." Not one, but two trunks were fitted, all the
better for international travel, along with a winged radiator
mascot, a copy of a famous bronze in one of the Paris museums, Le
Hueler's "The Howler."
Exactly who ordered such a creation has been lost to history,
leading to the sort of legends that frequently form around
flamboyant automobiles. The car reportedly came from Europe
following World War II, having reportedly been hidden from the
Nazis by the French�a process that resulted in a very mysterious
history. One of the early American owners, the world-traveling
evangelist and Lincoln collector Reverend T.L. Osborn of Tulsa,
Oklahoma, liked to tell newspapers that the car he dubbed
"Napoleon" had first been owned by a 400-pound Frenchman who used
it to attend the opera. Another story places it in the care of a
member of the world-traveling Philadelphia-based Biddle family.
Truth or fiction? No one really knows, but the car has been
bedecked with French Marchal headlamps and driving lights for its
entire known life.
Reverend Osborn exhibited "Napoleon" at the World Museum, part of
his ministry complex in Tulsa, until 1981. That year, the museum
was closed and its holdings divested, and the Fleetwood Model L was
acquired by Bill Lassiter, the renowned and prolific West Palm
Beach, Florida, collector. Mr. Lassiter kept the Lincoln for six
years before selling it to his good friend, Jack Dunning, who, with
his typical attention to detail, saw it meticulously and correctly
restored by Ed Cobb of Washington Court House, Ohio. Exhaustive
attention to detail involved taking the car, as near as possible,
back to its original condition; this included the complex weather
protection system, which includes the "cape top," a removable
tonneau connecting it to the windshield over the driver, and rather
elaborate side curtains. When all is fitted in place, the car is,
Mr. Dunning reports happily, very tight, waterproof, and
professionally done. The pinstriping is 24-karat gold leaf, which,
along with silver side lights, really lights up the appearance of
the car.
The Dunning automobiles are no stranger to awards, but few have
acquired such a roster of honors as this Lincoln. It accumulated an
AACA Grand National First Prize and, in Classic Car Club of
America, became a Junior, Senior, and finally Senior Premier
winner, all three with perfect 100-point scores. It appeared at the
1990 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it was honored with
2nd in Class, and returned in 1996. In 2003 it was Best in Class at
the Greenwich and Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance. Historians have
noted it, as well; the car was featured in James Schild's book
Fleetwood: The Company and the Coachcraft, and in Dennis Adler's
Speed and Luxury: The Great Cars, for which it was photographed at
Meadowbrook Hall. More recently it has been exhibited in the
Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan,
where it has been, of course, the center of attention.
Imperial indeed, this Lincoln appears befitting for a queen, a
king, or merely a corpulent opera buff. More than just a
conversation piece, however, it is a truly fabulous piece of custom
coachwork, built to impress, something that it continues to do with
considerable aplomb on show fields all over the country. There is
nothing else quite like it.To view this car and others currently
consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
