The magnificent Marmon Sixteen was one of the most sophisticated, powerful, and simply finest American automobiles of its generation. With 200 horsepower from over 490 cubic inches of an all-aluminum V-16, it was capable of out-accelerating even the revered Duesenberg Model J. This superb drivetrain was surrounded by LeBaron bodywork designed by Walter Dorwin Teague Jr., an MIT student working for his father’s industrial design firm, and noted for its very clean, unadorned, but truly beautiful appearance.

Only 75 Sixteens remain in existence, with the rarest factory body style being the Two-Passenger Coupe, of which just six examples are known.

Noted Sixteen historian Dyke W. Ridgley has traced this example's ownership history back to 1954, when it was owned by Albert A. Hood Jr. of Wyckoff, New Jersey. Its subsequent owners included several Midwestern enthusiasts, including the late, well-known Duesenberg technician and restorer M.T. “Joe” Kaufmann and, from 1965 until 1988, Gordon Gress of Milwaukee. In 1982 it was reported in Gress’ ownership as needing a full restoration but remaining “well-stored and preserved,” with 22,000 miles recorded.

Gary Overby of Puyallup, Washington, acquired the car from Gress in 1988 and, three years later, sold it to Marvin Tamaroff of Southfield, Michigan. Unquestionably the foremost modern Sixteen collector and enthusiast, Mr. Tamaroff eventually owned numerous examples, including virtually every body style and many of the finest surviving examples; he was known for the quality of his Marmons in international competition. The Coupe, like many of the Sixteens in his collection, was beautifully restored with painstaking attention to detail in 2002 by the late Harry Sherry of Sherry Custom Autos in Warsaw, Ontario. Its wonderful, dramatic colors, pale blue and rich cream, were both evocative of the era and true showstoppers to the eye. After completion of the restoration, the car proved successful in competition, in typical Tamaroff style, receiving Senior badge number 2621 from the Classic Car Club of America.

One of the last Sixteens in the Tamaroff Collection, the Coupe was sold in 2008 to beloved collectors Joseph and Margie Cassini of New Jersey. Soon thereafter, it joined Paul and Chris Andrews’ wonderful collection in Fort Worth, Texas, itself a noted storehouse of Marmon Sixteens. When in 2010 the Andrews scaled back their collection, the coupe was sold to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, which continued to maintain it in the same splendid overall condition.

The present owner acquired the coupe in 2018 for his own superb Eastern collection, which focuses on high-performance coachbuilt automobiles from all eras. It has since been lightly freshened cosmetically by RM Auto Restoration of Blenheim, Ontario. Honors in current ownership include Best in Class at the 2021 Amelia Island and 2022 Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegances.

This coupe is the scarcest of Marmon Sixteen body styles and it is seldom that one becomes available for public sale. Making it even more special, this one is among the finest, a true cornerstone acquisition for any Full Classic collection, and with its well-known heritage, excellent purity, and expert restoration, a machine guaranteed to turn heads wherever it ventures.