1933 Marmon Sixteen Convertible Sedan

Howard Carpenter Marmon, the son of an Indianapolis manufacturer of milling machinery, introduced his Marmon Sixteen at the Chicago Auto Salon in November of 1930. A month later, it was awarded with a medal for outstanding achievement from the Society of Automotive Engineers. This was a prestigious award and one that was well deserved. Howard began work on his masterpiece beginning in 1926. The fruits of his labor were a compact even-firing 45-degree V16 engine that measures 491 cubic inches. It had overhead valves that were operated by pushrods, had an aluminum block, and wet cylinder liners. The valve gear was well-designed, compact, and well-lubricated, making its operation nearly silent. Total horsepower output was rated at 200, which was more than adequate to carry the elegant and stately 145-inch wheelbase and their attractive Art Deco-inspired bodies.

The coachwork bodies were courtesy of LeBaron, one of the most prominent coachbuilders of the era. The design of the bodies came from Water Dorwin Teague Sr. and his son, a student at MIT, Walter Dorwin Teague Jr. The body styles available in 1933 included a five- and seven-passenger Sedan, four- and five- passenger coupe, Close Coupled Sedan, a Convertible Coupe and Sedan, and a Limousine. All had a wheelbase size of 145 inches and sold in the neighborhood of $5,000. This was less than the equivalent Cadillac, and much less than the Duesenberg.

Customers began taking delivery of their Marmon Sixteen in April 1931. Cadillac had beaten Marmon to market by over a year. During Marmon's first year of their 16-cylinder car, just over 200 Sixteen's were produced out of some 5,700 total sales. The total for 1932 was just ten percent of 1,365 total cars. For 1933, the eight-cylinder cars were discontinued, a very odd move considering they were the bulk of Marmon's sales.

For 1933, only 86 Sixteens were sold, with an estimated one-third of which were probably leftover 1932 models. By the first of May, Marmon had entered receivership.

This particular model was the personal car of Mrs. Marmon. When it left the family ownership, it entered the collection of a Chicago collector named D. Cameron Peck. It spent a decade in several Connecticut collections, before its purchase and long-term ownership by Dr. Atwood in November of 1987.

Based on the vehicle's serial number, this is the second of the 56 Marmon Sixteens produced in 1933. It is the only open Marmon to have cloth upholstery and is believed to be the last of the Style 145 convertible sedans.

In 1988, the car was awarded with an AACA National Junior and Senior honors, and ACCA's James Melton Memorial Cup. It was then given a restoration by Steve Babinsky's Automotive Restorations, Inc., in New Jersey. The work was completed in time for the 1989 season, where it scored a win at the AACA Southeastern Spring Meet. It was shown at Meadow Brook, and then brought to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it won a class victory. It also received the Honorary Chairman's Award that year at the Gilmore Classic Twelve and Sixteen Cylinder Experience.

Dr. Atwood continued to show the car, earning an AACA Grand National First in 1990 in Canandaigua, New York, and many other awards at AACA meets through 1992.

The car is painted yellow with a black pinstripe, and there are large C.M. Hall Depress Beam headlamps. There is a black canvas top, a clear plastic cover when the car is not in use, and a matching top boot in the trunk. The interior is done in tan cloth, and the odometer reads just 31,070 miles.

In 2009, this Marmon Sixteen Convertible Sedan was offered for sale at the Automobiles of Arizona auction presented by RM Auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona. The lot was estimated to sell for $ 250,000-$325,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the lot had been sold for $330,000, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2009