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1932 Marmon Sixteen

The Marmon Sixteen was the vision of Automobile pioneer Colonel Howard Carpenter Marmon, the son of an Indianapolis manufacturer of milling machinery. He was a brilliant engineer with an engineering degree from the University of California and completed his first automobile in 1902 at the age of 23. It was remarkably advanced for its era, with full pressure lubrication and an air-cooled powertrain with no universal joints, made possible by mounting the running gear on a separate subframe. It was a harbinger of bigger and better things to come.

1932 Marmon Sixteen photo
Sedan
Chassis #: 140771
View info and history
Marmon built six cars in 1904 with aluminum castings in their bodies. By 1909, Marmon was in full production of water-cooled cars. In 1911, Marmon's mechanical genius was cemented in history when his long-tailed Marmon Wasp won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 at the Brickyard. Over the next two years, Marmon would achieve approximately 50 more victories, further reinforcing their technical prowess.

While the company was excelling on race tracks around the United States, it floundered in regard to financial success. Their road-going version of the Marmon Wasp, called the Model 49, was too expensive for most, and at a price of $5,000, they ranked among the most expensive vehicles on the market.

For 1916, the Model 34 was endowed with a host of innovative features, including the most extensive use of lightweight aluminum to date. Much of the car was fitted with this material, including the transmission, rear axle, radiator, body, and fenders.

1932 Marmon Sixteen photo
Victoria Coupe by LeBaron
Chassis #: 16143767
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
Marmon's slow sales became irrelevant when the company was awarded a government contract to build approximately 5,000 Liberty aircraft engines. This gave Marmon a strong financial footing in the immediate post-World War I era, which was quickly proven very necessary as sales of their Model 34 remained dismal. As the company's balance sheet continued to erode during the postwar recession, several drastic changes were implemented to help right the sinking ship. Howard's brother resigned the presidency in 1924 to make way for a businessman named George M. Williams, who recognized Marmon's potential and knew how to steer the business towards prosperity.

Mr. Williams's solution to Marmon's sales issue was to introduce a rather plebian-powered yet affordable straight-eight model named the Roosevelt. While the car did not receive the same engineering excellence as its predecessors, it was a well-built, durable, and popular automobile that gave the Marmon Car Company financial success. By the late 1920s, sales had increased dramatically, and the company built over 20,000 cars per year.

With the company having regained its financial footing, Howard Marmon turned his attention back to building an automotive Paragon. Working on his own, the result was the creation of the Marmon Sixteen - completed in 1931. In a nod to the Model 34, much of the chassis was constructed from aluminum, giving the Sixteen an unmatched power-to-weight ratio. It was lightweight, powerful, and one of the most advanced production cars of its time.

1932 Marmon Sixteen photo
Convertible Sedan by LeBaron
The unforeseen Achilles Heel of the Marmon Sixteen was its timing, as Cadillac's V16 beat Marmon to the market by almost two years, a lead that would prove insurmountable in the face of the deepening Depression. While Cadillac had the deep-pocketed resources of General Motors, Marmon was all alone; the end came quietly in 1933.

Marmon had begun the development of their V16 engine in 1927 - earlier than Cadillac. It was to be the work of engineer Owen Nacker, but he left early in the development and went to work for Cadillac after being recruited by general manager Lawrence P. Fisher. The engine he designed was a 45-degree overhead-valve V8 with an aluminum crankcase, counterweighted crankshaft with a front vibration damper, five main bearings, and timing chain driving the generator. This engine was used to power Cadillac Division's new 1927 LaSalle companion model. Nacker also led the development of Cadillac's V-16, followed by a V-12 that shared tooling and many components with its larger sibling.

Marmon's engine was an all-aluminum, air-cooled, 45-degree unit with overhead valves and a displacement size of 491 cubic inches. The overhead valves were pushrod operated, and the aluminum block had wet cylinder liners. It operated so smoothly that a light flywheel was possible, which in turn facilitated rapid acceleration. Delivering 200 horsepower and torque of nearly 400 lbs./ft., the car was capable of out-accelerating a Duesenberg Model J, and yet it cost only one-third as much. The valve gear was compact and well lubricated, making it nearly silent, despite mechanical adjustment. The aluminum-alloy engine weighed just 930 pounds, providing the Sixteen with the highest power-to-weight ratio of its time.

1932 Marmon Sixteen photo
Victoria Coupe by LeBaron
Chassis #: 16143767
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
The bodies of the Marmon Sixteen were built by LeBaron, and carried that company's prestigious cowl tags. The styling, however, is credited to a father-and-son team of industrial designers. Credit is conventionally given to Walter Dorwin Teague Sr., but it was his son who sketched the lines and details that ultimately entered production. Walter Dorwin Teague Jr. was a gifted designer, a student at MIT, and would go on to design some of the most influential automobiles of his time. His creations were sleek and graceful, nearly devoid of gratuitous ornamentation, with uncompromising body lines that accentuated the breathtaking proportions. The long hoods were often paired with gracefully curved rear decks, accented by elegant trim lines and complemented by equally impressive mechanical prowess. The 491 CID V16 engine was backed by a three-speed manual transmission with four-wheel mechanical drum brakes providing the stopping. The generous 145-inch wheelbase platform was suspended by a solid front and live rear axle with leaf springs all round.

Initial prices were as low as $5,200, $750 less than the equivalent Cadillac. Production estimates for the three-year run of all Sixteen body styles range from 365 to 370, with approximately 70 cars existing today in complete form. Just over 200 examples were produced in 1931. Marmon's Model Sixteen production for 1932 was just 10 percent of 1,365 total cars, yet Marmon made the decision to discontinue its eight-cylinder cars entirely for 1933. Marmon was in receivership by the first of May. However, true to form, from those ashes, the company went on to produce Marmon-Herrington 4-wheel drive conversions for decades.

In 1931, the Marmon Sixteen earned the Stevens Trophy for speed and endurance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and each car came with a 'Speedway Certificate' validating its 100 mph speed in a chassis test at the track.


by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021

Related Reading : Marmon Sixteen History

The Marmon V-16 was introduced around the same time Cadillac introduced their V-16-powered automobile. In comparison, the Marmon-built automobile was more powerful and an engineering marvel. By using aluminum, the 491 cubic-inch engine with its overhead values weighed just over 900 pounds. The engine was formed by merging twin-eight-cylinder engines at a 45-degree angle, giving the engine an impressive....
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Related Reading : Marmon Sixteen History

The Worlds Most Advanced Car or a new concept in fine cars, at least that was how Marmon Auto Company touted its Sixteen in 1931. But this proclamation wasnt without reason as the engine used all-aluminum construction that was considered evolutionary of the foundry art. Other big claims to fame included overhead valves that were actuated by pushrods from a single camshaft while both the block....
Continue Reading >>

1932 Marmon Sixteen Vehicle Profiles

1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Club Sedan

Chassis #: 16 149 802
Engine #: 16760
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Phantom

Coachwork: Waterhouse
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Victoria Coupe

Coachwork: LeBaron
Chassis #: 16143718
Engine #: 16700
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Victoria Coupe

Coachwork: LeBaron
Chassis #: 16-143-804
Engine #: 16753
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Coupe

Coachwork: LeBaron
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Convertible Coupe

Coachwork: LeBaron
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Sedan

Chassis #: 140771
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
2-4 Passenger Rumble Seat Coupe

Coachwork: LeBaron
Chassis #: 16141641
1932 Marmon Sixteen vehicle information
Victoria Coupe

Coachwork: LeBaron
Chassis #: 16143767

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

$2-$5,270
1932 Sixteen
$5,270-$8,125
1932 Marmon Sixteen Base Price : $5,270

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Sixteen

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
145.00 in.
16 cyl., 490.00 CID., 200.00hp
$5,200 - $5,420
145.00 in., 154.00 in.
16 cyl., 490.00 CID., 200.00hp
$5,270 - $5,270
145.00 in.
16 cyl., 490.00 CID., 200.00hp
$4,925 - $5,270

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