1930 Ruxton Model C Roadster

Ruxton, along with Cord, entered the front-wheel drive field early. This roadster is one of 18 known surviving Ruxtons out of an original production of 289 cars, of which a majority were closed cars. A product of New Era Motors in St. Louis, its arrival on the market just as the depression took hold resulted in just a six-month production run.

The relationship between Ruxton and the Moon Motor Car Company was complex and strained. Ruxton promoter Archie Andrews felt snubbed when Moon President Carl Burst Sr. did not offer him a seat on Moon's Board of Directors, so Andrews bought up enough stock to take over Moon. Yet, once Ruxton's management had won control of Moon, they realized the plant was antiquated and undercapitalized. It would be almost nine months until the first Ruxton rolled out of the Moon plant.

This Moon-assembled roadster (Chassis number 10C65) was the sixth of twelve Ruxton roadsters built in all assembly locations. Amazingly seven of the twelve survive today. Initially sold to a Wisconsin farm owner - who chose it due to its superior traction capabilities - this car was next owned by high school shop teacher L.G. Topliss - who let his students do all the mechanical work. In the early 1970s Carl W. Burst III, the grandson of Moon's former president and a champion of these cars, bought the vehicle and kept it for nearly 30 years. The current owners gave it a no-expense-spared restoration in 2007.