1911 Mercedes 38/70 HP Seven-Passenger Touring

Samuel Pomeroy Colt took possession of this Mercedes in Paris in June of 1912. After taking ownership, the car was used on a European tour. The car had been properly prepared for the drive, and was fitted with a hill-holder, exhaust cutout, tools and instruments. It wore seven-passenger touring coachwork by Parisian coachbuilder Vanvooren.

Samuel Pomeroy Colt was the nephew of the famous arms manufacturer, and was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1852. He established the Industrial Trust Company, a commercial bank that later became part of Fleet bank, which eventually merged with Bank of America. Colt was also a successful lawyer and was appointed receiver of the National Rubber Company, which he reorganized and merged with other companies that he had acquired, forming the United States Rubber Company, the ancestor of today's Uniroyal.

Mr. Colt also dabbled in politics, representing his home city of Bristol in the Rhode Island legislature. He was elected Rhode Island's Attorney General in 1882 and ran unsuccessfully for governor as a Republican in 1903. He was a progressive politician who advocated for child labor laws and advanced the cause of property rights for women. He served as aide-de-camp to Governor Henry Liggitt and was given the honorary title of Colonel as a result.

After the European tour, the car was left behind in France when the family returned home, to be used on future visits. In 1914, Col. Colt returned to Europe, but his trip was cut short due to the outbreak of war. The car was requisitioned by the French Army for staff use. After the war, the car returned to Vanvooren for refurbishment, then sent to America for use at the Colt family residence in Rhode Island.

The Mercedes would remain in the Colt family until 1937. It was purchased by Ralph Kinder, a local florist. Kinder sold it to Ralph Pewsey. After Pewsey's death, it was acquired by Webster Knight II. After Knight's passing in 1967, it was purchased by Ohio collector B. Scott Isquick, and while in his possession, the car was involved in a fire in the early 1970s. Dale Adams performed a restoration on the car, spending some 12,000 hours to bring it back to its original condition. The restoration of the Mercedes earned it AACA Senior National First Prize honors, as well as the AACA Cup, for an outstanding restoration of a pre-1921 vehicle. In 1994 it was brought to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it was awarded the Ansel Adams Trophy and finished Third in Class.

The car later became part of the Otis Chandler collection in California, before being acquired by the late Mr. John O'Quinn at the Chandler auction in 2006.

This car has a 138.7-inch chassis, four-speed manual transmission, and a T-head four-cylinder engine that displaces 9,852cc.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $500,000 - $600,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $495,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014