World's Oldest Four-Cylinder Car To Be Offered At Bonhams' Quail Lodge Sale
1981 Corniche II Rolls-Royce
1977 633CSi BMW
1973 Fidia ISO
1973 911 RS Carrera Porsche
1972 M19C McLaren
1970 701 March
1968 GT40 Ford
1966 T70 MKII Lola
1962 25 Lotus
1961 Silver Cloud II Rolls-Royce
 A long list of 'firsts' follows one of the most historical automobiles ever brought to auction.
On August 17th in Carmel, California, an extremely rare, landmark automobile will be presented at auction by Bonhams. The 1895 Buffum 4-Cylinder Stanhope is the first Buffum automobile produced, the oldest four-cylinder car in the world, the oldest American car ever offered at auction, and the oldest gasoline-powered American car in private ownership.
Created by H.H. Buffum in Massachusetts, the Buffum autocar was a marvel of advanced engineering. Spanning a production period of just 13 years with only around 70 automobiles produced, Buffum cars were never plentiful but they were state-of-the-art. In addition to developing the very first four-cylinder vehicle, Buffum created the first cataloged production American racecar, and the world's first production V8 automobile.
This particular vehicle – the first time it has ever been offered for sale to the public – is the precursor to the pioneering Buffum legacy and therefore one of the most historic automobiles in America, if not the world.
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