Equipment
226/40 ALAM hp four, 4-speed, Clear Vision dog leg windshield, Gray & Davis headlights. C.M.Hall kerosene sidelights, electric taillight, rear-mounted spare, Kamlee luggage trunk, oval bolster fuel tank, Klaxon electric horn, Stewart speedometer.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
Acquired in 1993 from the estate of Leo Bongers by Frank Spain and preserved in the Tupelo Automobile Museum until 2019. Dry, faded original paint, dull brass, cracked original upholstery, stiff old top. Carefully inspected and evaluated subsequently, concluding that the paint was original. Mechanically restored, but otherwise left marvelously untouched. Displayed at Pebble Beach’s Preservation Class in 2021. Other than that it is spectacular and should stay like this forever, a tribute to the archeological automobile. Sound and all there.
Market commentary
This was one of a number of benignly preserved cars in the Spain collection sold by Bonhams in 2019. It brought a superior price of $71,680 there despite being static for years, then was given a sympathetic review by experts in century-old cars that cemented its stature as miraculously preserved and a mechanical refresh. I gushed over this car at Tupelo, and I will gush over it in its improved state today. It is marvelous, a piece of history. This is not an old automobile. It is an important artifact and it is a supremely good buy at this price.