Celebrating the city of motors

RM Auctions is delighted to announce recently added highlights for its 20th annual Michigan sale, July 26, in Plymouth. The firmly rooted Motor City sale, the official auction of the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, is a staple on the North American collector car calendar, and it has carved a reputation over the past two decades as one of the leading events honoring the American automobile.

RM’s Motor City auction is set to offer a full range of American classics, with many having been conceived and built in Detroit. Headlining the sale is an elegant 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial Convertible Victoria, chassis CG 3843, which features coachwork by Waterhouse. From its very first days, the Imperial was the crown jewel of Chrysler’s offerings, and today, only a handful of 1931 CG chassis are known to survive with custom bodywork. One of just three surviving examples, CG 3843’s ownership history can be traced back to 1939, when it was purchased by New York resident Calvin Collins. After barely escaping the scrap drives of World War II, the Chrysler sat in the family barn, while the younger Scott Collins dreamt of one day returning it to the road. Following 70 years of single-family ownership, CG 3843 was treated to a 6,000-hour restoration, which began in 2009. As a testament to the incredible quality of the restoration, this Imperial has already received numerous awards, including Most Significant Chrysler in Show at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s. Stunning in its spectacular original colors of black and caramel, it requires virtually nothing to display at further concours in the hands of its next loving owner (Est. $525,000–$725,000).

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 20th year as the exclusive collector car auction event in America’s automotive capital, the one and only Motor City,” says Mike Fairbairn, Co-founder and Car Specialist, RM Auctions.

Alain Squindo, Vice President, RM Auctions, adds, “The unique cars we’re presenting this year represent very special high watermarks in Detroit’s automotive heritage. Be it the boulevard cruiser, the exclusive coachbuilt Chrysler intended for a captain of Michigan industry, or even the hot Corvette racing down Woodward Avenue, these examples represent the finest automobiles the Motor City had to offer.”

The Chrysler leads a superb roster of more than 75 American and European motor cars set to cross the podium at RM’s Motor City event. Other feature attractions for the summer sale include: a concours award-winning 1906 Studebaker Model G Touring, reportedly the oldest existing four-cylinder Studebaker and formerly treasured by some of the hobby’s most respected collectors, including Henry Austin Clark Jr., Bill Harrah, and Bob Valpey (Est. $325,000–$450,000); a carefully restored 1931 Cadillac V-12 Convertible Coupe, offered from 32 years of CCCA member ownership (Est. $275,000–$325,000); and a 1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Sedan, which has been owned by noted enthusiasts for half a century, including Michigan collectors Richard and Linda Kughn, and restored with the input of coachbuilder Howard “Dutch” Darrin himself (Est. $225,000–$300,000).