Built 100 years ago, this 1921 Paige is ready for a fall color tour
Yes, it’s a museum piece. Or was, anyway. Now this 1921 Paige Model 6-66 Larchmont II Sport Touring is refreshed and ready for a fall color tour—and at faster pace than you might think.
Offered on Bring a Trailer, the century-old Paige is powered by a 70-horse, 331-cubic-inch, L-head inline six-cylinder engine that’s mated to a three-speed manual transmission. What makes that significant is what its cousin, another Paige, did with a similar powerplant. On January 21, 1921, a stripped-down but otherwise stock Paige Speedster broke the American stock car speed record by covering a mile in 35.01 seconds. That’s 102.8 mph. This Sport Touring isn’t expected to perform that well, but it’s a worthy representation of a peppy passenger car from the era.
The Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company was founded by Fredrick Osgood Paige in 1908, and the automaker’s original offering was a two-seat model powered by a 2.2-liter, three-cylinder, two-stroke engine. Within two years, Paige upgraded to a four-cylinder engine and added a six-cylinder option in 1914. Within five years, Paige automobiles that were outfitted with a Duesenberg engine were referred to as Paige Linwood, while models fitted with a Continental engine (like the one on offer) were called Paige Larchmont.
Brothers Joseph, Robert, and Ray Graham purchased the Paige Motor Car Company in 1927, and Graham-Paige automobiles were produced until 1940.
This 1921 Paige Model 6-66 Larchmont II Sport Touring, located in Getzville, New York, once spent a 20-year stretch on display at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum. Service since 2018 includes a reconditioning of the engine, transmission, fuel system, and brakes. It also received a restoration in the late 1980s.
In addition to its six-cylinder engine, the green-painted Model 6-66 features a black convertible top and fenders, green-finished running boards with metallic Paige step plates, green disc wheels with polished Paige hubcaps, Boyce Motometer radiator thermometer, a left-side brake light, tilt-out venting windshield, black leather upholstery, and analog clock. The rear seating area is behind a second cowl that contains two locking storage compartments. The five-digit odometer shows 29,000 miles.
The car comes with three keys, spare parts, service records, historical documents, handwritten notes, and New York registration.
Although some corrosion is visible underneath, this 6-66 has held up well for a centenarian. With five days remaining in the auction, bidding sits at $3500, but it likely won’t stay there for long. A nearly identical 1921 Paige Model 6-66 Larchmont II Sport Touring sold for $17,250 on Bring a Trailer just last month.
