For 1926’s Model D-74, prestigious Indianapolis performance automaker Marmon offered buyers over ten body styles to choose from. The sportsman’s choice was the Two-Passenger Speedster—what other, less flamboyant firms called a roadster—with its handsome styling and light, open coachwork taking advantage of the 80-horsepower, 340-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine. It was a true powerhouse vehicle on a 136-inch-wheelbase with massive 20-inch artillery-style wheels, yet such was the excellence of its proportions that it appeared a much smaller automobile, and it was still a terrific performer. In fact, the Model D-74 was one of the few American road cars that could genuinely challenge the Model A Duesenberg of the same period. Small wonder, then, that it is today considered a Classic Car Club of America Full Classic, one of relatively few Nickel Era automobiles so honored.

The Two-Passenger Speedster offered here has resided in California for many years. A previous registration on file notes it to have been acquired in 1956 by Robert “Bob” Rollo of Bellflower, a noted longtime CCCA and Marmon Club member and collector of vintage license plates, in whose ownership it was still listed in the latter’s rosters well into the early 2000s. It presents handsomely in maroon with black fenders, top, and interior, and is accessorized with dual cowl lamps and rear-mounted spares, which altogether provide a clear, handsome look when viewed in profile—as does the muscular touch of black-wall tires. At the time of cataloguing, the car’s odometer displayed 2 miles, indicating it has traveled little since its restoration.

A wonderful example of the Marmon Model 74 at its best and most dramatic, this Two-Passenger Speedster proves why few American cars of their era were equal to this Hoosier Classic—a genuine American sports car of brawn and beauty.