1925 Miller 122 Front Drive Racer

This Miller 122 holds the record for having the longest race history of any Miller of all time. It began life in 1925 when it was bought by Ralph DePalma; it was to be his last race car. In 1931, DePalma took his old Miller 122 single-seat car back to Harry Miller's shop and had it widened into a two-man car for the new Indy regulations for that year. Incredibly, DePalma and his wife attached a license plate to the car and drove it from Los Angeles to Indianapolis. Sadly, he failed to qualify. However, the car went on to be raced in its two-man configuration 14 times between 1931 and 1953, making it one of the longest-running Millers ever. DePalma sold the car in 1936, and after several different ownerships, it was restored in 1990. Its current owner acquired it in 2018.

This 1925 Miller 122 Front Drive Race Car has a racing history that spans 21 years. It raced at the Indianapolis 500 on multiple occasions and scored a sixth-place finish on one of those attempts. It is known as Front Drive #2 and is truly one of the greatest racing cars of all time.

This car has a 120.8 cubic-inch supercharged dual overhead camshaft inline eight-cylinder engine that produces over 200 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel drum brakes. Most of the Miller racing cars have been destroyed, wrecked, or parted out. It is rare to come upon a true survivor, and this one was brought to the 2007 Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, where it had an estimated value of $500,000 - $600,000. It was offered without reserve. The high bid fell just short of the estimated value, reaching $495,000, including the buyer's premium, and secured new ownership. The lot was sold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007