This 1931 Marmon Sixteen is one of fewer than 400 examples manufactured during three years of production and is clothed in convertible sedan coachwork by LeBaron. Chassis 674 spent several years in the 1950s and 60s with an owner in Ohio and Idaho before briefly passing through the hands of collector Tom Lester and champion F1 driver Phil Hill. It was acquired in the early 1970s by California engine builder Al Bartz, who embarked on a refurbishment that included installation of a replacement 491ci V16 that was rebuilt with a custom counterweighted crankshaft and a steel-billet camshaft. The car remained an incomplete project at the time of Bartz’s passing and was purchased from his estate by a Texas collector who completed the work before showing the car at the 1983 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It remained under the care of the same owner’s family until 2007, when it was sold to its current owner by the selling dealer. A subsequent refurbishment was followed by a second prize in its class at Pebble Beach in 2011. Finished in maroon and dark blue, the car features a three-speed manual transmission, chromed wire wheels, dual side-mount spares, four-wheel mechanically actuated drum brakes, red leather over front and rear bench seats, and a dark blue convertible top. This Marmon Sixteen is now offered on dealer consignment in St. Louis, Missouri, with invoices from the 2007-2010 refurbishment and a clean California title.
Marmon Motor Car Company founder Howard Marmon began development of a V16-powered flagship model in the mid-1920s, although it was not until 1930 that a prototype was introduced. Production of the Sixteen began in 1931 and continued until the company entered receivership in mid-1933. With styling penned by Walter Dorwin Teague Jr., the model rode on a 145” wheelbase and was offered in a variety of open and closed two- and four-door configurations with coachwork by LeBaron in Detroit, Michigan.
This example’s convertible sedan coachwork was finished in silver and burgundy prior to acquisition by the current owner, who commissioned a repaint in the current combination of dark blue and maroon as part of the late-2000s refurbishment. A dark blue convertible top was fitted during the project and can be stowed under a matching boot for a pillarless configuration. Exterior features include doors latched at the B-pillars, an integrated trunk, and a centrally hinged hood with quad vents on each side.
Chromed wire wheels wear Marmon 16 hubcaps and are wrapped in 7.50-18 Firestone whitewall tires, while matching dual side-mount spares are housed in body-color covers. Braking is handled mechanically with vacuum assistance by duo-servo drum assemblies at each wheel.
The cabin is trimmed in maroon leather over two rows of seating, with matching upholstery over the door panels. Color-matched carpeting covers the floors, rear footrests, and trunk compartment, and additional features include footwell pockets, a robe cord on the back of the front seat, and a painted maroon dashboard.
The three-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of a dark blue dash fascia housing Jaeger instrumentation that includes a 120-mph speedometer, an eight-day clock, and gauges monitoring oil pressure, coolant temperature, amperage, and fuel level. The five-digit odometer shows 77k miles. The clock and fuel gauge do not work, and the advance and choke controls are said to stick on occasion.
The 491ci 45° V16 features an alloy block in a shared casting with the crankcase as well as steel cylinder liners, aluminum crossflow cylinder heads with overhead valves, and a duplex downdraft carburetor. The engine, number 16692, is a replacement from another Sixteen and is said to have been rebuilt by Al Bartz in the 1970s with a custom counterbalanced crankshaft and a steel-billet camshaft. Work during the late-2010s refurbishment is said to have included replacement of seals as well as a cosmetic refresh of the engine and ancillaries. Service in preparation for the sale included cleaning of the spark plugs as well as lubrication and adjustment of the spark advance levers.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a floor-shifted three-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on the top two gears. Suspension comprises solid axles, semi-elliptical leaf springs, and hydraulic lever-arm shock absorbers at the front and rear.
A collection of invoices from the 2007-2010 refurbishment is included in the sale. In addition to finishing second in the American Classic Open class at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the car won the American Classics Open class at the 2010 Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance.
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