On April 29, 2023, Bonhams will kick off the Audrain Veteran Car Tour by bringing 35 cars from the brass era (predominantly) under the hammer in Newport, Rhode Island. The collection has been amassed over 70 years by an enthusiastic father and son team.
Most of the collection will be sold without reserve, with many lots being offered for the first time in more than 40 years.
Leading the auction is a remarkably original 1906 Thomas 50hp Flyer Touring Car (estimate USD 400,000-500,000). This is a forerunner of the famous car that won the grueling 22,000-mile long-distance race from New York to Paris in 1908, with the same power and equipment.
The car on offer comes from one of the famous William Fisk Harrah collections that were auctioned in the mid-1980s. Harrah, a well-known Thomas enthusiast, had acquired the Flyer - the only 1906 example he owned - in Oklahoma in 1956. The car has apparently never been restored and retains its original bodywork and much of its original upholstery.
In the auction on April 29, 2023, many cars from luxury brands from the early days of automotive engineering will go under the hammer, including Pierce-Arrow, Pope-Hartford and Cadillac. Another brand aimed at high society was Palmer-Singer, represented by a rare 4-50 Seven Passenger Touring from 1911 (USD 400,000-500,000).
The lesser-known Palmer-Singer brand was founded by Henry Palmer, a member of one of the great Williamsburg families, and his partner Charles Singer of the sewing machine company of the same name, and was aimed at a sporting clientele offering "The Best in Motor Cars". Only three or four of the cars produced in Long Island City are known to have survived.
This high-performance, four-cylinder, 50-horsepower model has an original Touring body by Quinby, the respected New York coachbuilder, and is the only known Palmer-Singer with four cylinders and the only seven-passenger Touring model. The Touring was fully restored in the mid-1950s and participated in more than 100 tours with its owners between 1960 and 2006.
The Two Generations Collection also paid tribute to the successful mass manufacturers of the era with a selection of variants from two rival manufacturers, Ford and Oldsmobile.
Early Fords include a rare 1912 Model T Torpedo Roadster restored in the early 1950s, a Model R Roadster, an early 1909 Model T Touring ( USD 12'000-18,000), a 1935 V8 Roadster (USD 35,000-45,000) and an exquisite, award-winning 1947 Model 79A Sportsman Convertible (USD 125,000-175,000).
Oldsmobile is represented by the still-popular 1904 Curved Dash (USD 45,000-55,000), while a 1906 and a 1907 model from REO, the successor company of company founder Ransom Eli Olds, tell the next chapter of the brand's history.
Many of the cars have participated with their owners in the Horseless Carriage Club of America and Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) tours and have been shown at prestigious events such as the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the Elegance at Hershey and the Klingberg Concours.
Further information on the auction can be found on the Bonhams website.
