Photos by Theo Civitello, courtesy RM Sotheby’s.
British coachbuilder Lancefield is most often associated with automobiles from Rolls Royce and Bentley, but the firm is also known to have crafted bodies for five Stutz models. Two of these went to discount store titans the Woolworth brothers, and of this pair, one, a 1930 Stutz Model M coupe, was supercharged. Today, the supercharged example is the last Lancefield-bodied Stutz Model M known to exist, and next March, this concours-winning juggernaut will head to auction at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island sale.
To meet the homologation requirements of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and enable the supercharged Model Ms to compete in the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans, Stutz was required to build 25 examples. It isn’t clear how many forced-induction models were actually assembled, but the final number was somewhat less than 25; in the prewar years, it was generally sufficient for a manufacturer to claim that the required quantity was under construction. Non-supercharged Stutz Model Ms produced 113 horsepower from a 325-cu.in. inline-eight cylinder engine, but those equipped with the Roots-type blower (a $1,500 option) produced as much as 135 horsepower. Activated by a crank on the dashboard, the supercharger could be engaged by the driver to produce extra power as desired.
By 1930, The Lancefield coachworks was well established in its second London location, on Beethoven Street. The firm’s relationship with Stutz began in 1929, when the coachbuilder displayed a Stutz fabric coupe in its booth at the Olympia Exhibition. The following year, Lancefield again showed a Stutz at the exhibition, but more significantly, Stutz played host to three Lancefield-bodied cars in its own space. It’s likely one was this supercharged Model M, later sold through London dealer Warwick Wright, Limited, which also provided the supercharged cars raced by Stutz at Le Mans in 1929.
The design of the Lancefield body was very likely the work of Jock Betteridge, and the end result was described by a period motoring magazine as “the most sinister car of the decade.” With its radically chopped top, horizontally-louvered hood (adding the impression of additional length), rounded fenders, and steps in lieu of the expected running boards, the Stutz certainly possessed (and possesses) a commanding presence.
It isn’t clear how long the car stayed with the Woolworth family, nor is its ownership history prior to its purchase by Vermont collector A.K. Miller known. Miller owned the car for decades, reportedly maintaining but not restoring the Stutz. Following his death, the car was acquired at auction by a California collector, who funded a full restoration circa 1996 before entering the car in the 1997 Beijing to Paris Motor Challenge. Shipped to China directly from the restoration, with virtually no shakedown testing, the Stutz was forced to retire early after suffering electrical gremlins.
In 2000, the Stutz was invited to the 50th Anniversary Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it earned both Best in Class and the Briggs Cunningham Award for most exciting car. The following month, it crossed the auction stage at an RM sale in New York City, where Skip Barber proved to be the high bidder. Shortly after his purchase, the car was sent to Holman Engineering for a thorough mechanical sorting, and in 2006 earned Best in Show honors at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance.
That same year, the Stutz was acquired by John O’Quinn, a passionate Texas car collector who earned his fortune as a trial lawyer. O’Quinn died in car accident in October of 2009, and the following year his collection of roughly 1,200 cars, including the Lancefield-bodied Stutz, was auctioned off. The consignor purchased the car at this 2010 sale and immediately kicked off a full restoration at his own shop, Old Iron Works of Montgomery, Texas.
In the years since this most recent restoration, the Stutz has proven dominant on the concours d’elegance circuit, capturing Best in Class at Amelia Island in 2011; second in class at Pebble Beach in 2011; Best of Show at the Milwaukee Masterpiece in 2011; Best of Show at the Keeneland Concours in 2012; Best of Show at Ault Park in 2012; Best of Show at the Santa Fe Concorso in 2012; Best of Show at the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance in 2013; and Best of Show (as part of the Winner’s Circle) at the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance in 2014. Even this list may not be a comprehensive accounting of the car’s achievements, but it illustrates the point: If one is serious about concours victory, it’s best not to go head-to-head with this particular automobile.
RM Sotheby’s is predicting a selling price between $1 million and $1.4 million when the 1930 Stutz Model M Supercharged Coupe crosses the auction stage Florida on March 11, 2017. For complete details on the Amelia Island sale, visit RMSothebys.com.
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