A highly rare early Underslung car was sold for $ 1.74M including premium by Bonhams on March 12, 2015, lot 152. It entered at that time the Mann collection and passed at RM Sotheby's on August 20, 2016, lot 231. It is now estimated $ 1.2M for sale by Gooding in Pebble Beach on August 24, lot 30.
I narrated as follows before the 2016 sale its position in the history of American sports cars.
The Brass era covers those pioneering days of the American automobile when hundreds of more or less talented engineers are seeking innovative solutions for their own use or to make some wealth.
Founded in 1906 in Indianapolis, the American Motor Car Company endeavored to provide fast and powerful cars to the richest clients. A first chassis designed by Harry Stutz was still classic. Stutz quickly left that company where the technical initiative went to the chief engineer Fred Tone.
To improve the performance, Tone wants to reduce the weight and lower the center of gravity. He develops the underslung chassis whose level is lower than the axles. The direct consequence of this innovation is an enlargement of the diameter of the wheels, spectacular whatever the body type. The Underslung becomes a specialty of the company and its official trademark in 1912 just before the final bankruptcy.
The high-end underslung is equipped with an engine of 7.8 liters for a rated power of 50 hp. One of the first cars, built in 1907, was sold for $ 1.43M including premium by Bonhams on 6 October 2014. This vehicle that anticipated the official release of the model is elegantly bodied as a roadster and is a precursor of the US sports cars.
The American Underslung 50 hp coming for sale was made in 1908. It had attracted the attention of Sam Mann by its remarkable overall condition. Its ex factory roadster bodywork brings the exuberant and rare appearance of a genuine survivor of the brass era. To keep it in operating condition, Mann fabricated new wheels.
Stutz, who had not wanted to follow the adventure of the Underslung, created in 1912 another roadster named the Bearcat which was the first real success in American sports cars along with Mercer's Raceabout.
unsold
I narrated as follows before the 2016 sale its position in the history of American sports cars.
The Brass era covers those pioneering days of the American automobile when hundreds of more or less talented engineers are seeking innovative solutions for their own use or to make some wealth.
Founded in 1906 in Indianapolis, the American Motor Car Company endeavored to provide fast and powerful cars to the richest clients. A first chassis designed by Harry Stutz was still classic. Stutz quickly left that company where the technical initiative went to the chief engineer Fred Tone.
To improve the performance, Tone wants to reduce the weight and lower the center of gravity. He develops the underslung chassis whose level is lower than the axles. The direct consequence of this innovation is an enlargement of the diameter of the wheels, spectacular whatever the body type. The Underslung becomes a specialty of the company and its official trademark in 1912 just before the final bankruptcy.
The high-end underslung is equipped with an engine of 7.8 liters for a rated power of 50 hp. One of the first cars, built in 1907, was sold for $ 1.43M including premium by Bonhams on 6 October 2014. This vehicle that anticipated the official release of the model is elegantly bodied as a roadster and is a precursor of the US sports cars.
The American Underslung 50 hp coming for sale was made in 1908. It had attracted the attention of Sam Mann by its remarkable overall condition. Its ex factory roadster bodywork brings the exuberant and rare appearance of a genuine survivor of the brass era. To keep it in operating condition, Mann fabricated new wheels.
Stutz, who had not wanted to follow the adventure of the Underslung, created in 1912 another roadster named the Bearcat which was the first real success in American sports cars along with Mercer's Raceabout.
unsold
This exceptionally rare, high-horsepower 1908 American Underslung 50 HP Roadster...entering the spotlight right now! Who will take home this early American sports car? #GoodingPebble pic.twitter.com/00lpknst1e
— Gooding & Company (@goodingandco) August 25, 2018
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