MARMON SIXTEEN NUMBER 16 145 593

One of the best known of the 70 surviving Marmon Sixteens, chassis number 16 145 593 is, for several reasons, a significant automobile even among that elite crowd. It was one of the first Sixteens to receive a modern concours restoration and, in gathering awards from coast to coast, became probably the most famous example to modern show-goers. It has led an illustrious history, both in its home state of Indiana and elsewhere. Most impressively, it remains a stunning beauty today.

Indiana title records document that the car was originally owned by Dr. G.H.A. Clowes, a resident of Marmon’s hometown, Indianapolis. A man to whom modern diabetics owe a considerable debt, Dr. Clowes was responsible for the development of insulin as a treatment for diabetes in his position as Head of Research for the Eli Lilly Company. Dr. Clowes’ Marmon was well-equipped, even by Sixteen standards, being outfitted with a factory radio and front and rear heaters.

The car enjoyed a number of other short-term owners in Indiana throughout the next two decades, including well-known early Indianapolis collector John Hoggat. It was subsequently owned and received its first restoration by Richard Askren, with the engine reportedly rebuilt and tested by the Perfect Circle Piston Ring Company.

After restoration, Askren sold the Marmon in 1972 to renowned American sportsman Briggs Cunningham. Most famous for his exploits at Le Mans and in the America’s Cup yacht race, Cunningham was an enthusiastic collector of automobiles, which were housed in his famous museum in Costa Mesa, California. He was a Marmon Sixteen enthusiast and owned two of the cars over the years. During his ownership, the car was fitted with its current engine, number 16860.

Following the sale of the Cunningham Collection en masse to Miles Collier, the car was purchased by legendary Indiana collector S. Ray Miller. Mr. Miller was, for two decades, the most enthusiastic acquirer of significant automobiles built in the Hoosier State. The majority of his collection was restored with cost as no object by the now well-known facility LaVine Restorations of Nappanee, Indiana. The Sixteen was no exception, and between 1988 and 1989, it was restored by Eric and Vivian LaVine to the highest of standards. As part of this flawless restoration, the car was refinished in a correct Marmon color scheme, Black with Menelaus Orange moldings, a dark red interior, and a black cloth top. Today, with its wheels mounted with blackwall tires, it gives a wonderfully modern and sinister appearance.

Upon completion of the restoration, the Marmon began a modern concours career virtually without peer, including its CCCA Primary First (with 100 points in its first showing), followed by a Senior First and the AACA’s President’s Cup, the most prestigious award that the organization offers a pre-war automobile. In 1989, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning 2nd in Class, followed by Best Prewar Open Car at Meadow Brook and Best in Class at Indianapolis in 1990. After its concours career, the car was continuously maintained to a high standard during its display in the S. Ray Miller Museum in Elkhart, Indiana.

The current owner purchased the Marmon when the Miller collection was dispersed in 2004. Shortly thereafter, it was placed on display at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, followed by extended display in the Gallery of Classics at the ACD Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana. Thus, it has continued to benefit from good display in a climate-controlled museum setting. More recently, in preparation for the sale, it has been returned to LaVine Restorations for a cosmetic detailing of its still-spectacular restoration, as well as extensive mechanical sorting, including a complete engine rebuild; for details, please contact an RM Sotheby’s specialist.

In Marmon and CCCA circles, everyone knows the S. Ray Miller Sixteen and regards it as one of the most famous and most important of its kind. With continuously known and honest history and a well-preserved restoration by one of the finest U.S. facilities, it awaits the next caretaker in its rich story.