Equipment
RHD. 389/50hp pushrod and rocker arm actuated inline overhead valve inline 4-cylinder, 3-speed, Stewart speedometer and clock, bulb horn, Gray & Davis acetylene headlights, kerosene sidelights and taillight, dual spares on the rear deck with a hatbox trun
Condition
Built up from a Model W engine, chassis and Pope-Hartford fire truck rear axle. Good older paint and upholstery, brass is getting dull. A few edge and other chips but only as appropriate for its age and use. Don C. Boulton Collection.
Market commentary
Opened at 110K and bought here for a realistic price for a realistic, but re-created, example of which only one original Portola Roadster is known to exist, it may not have the lithe quickness of a Mercer Raceabout, but heading down the road it will kick many modern cars into its dust (and oil from the exposed overhead valves' operation.) It's another of Don Bouton's mechanical marvels, a thing of mechanical beauty and early ingenuity that brought an impressive price for a re-creation, but modest money for its endorphins on the road.