Earlier published nearly fourteen years ago (Christies was still into auctioning cars!) on the first of August, 2002. Some short notes by our good friend Kit Foster. Super loyal supporter from near the very start of PreWarCar. Not sure if he googled-in or found us by other means. Anyway he helped, advised, corrected(!) and supported PreWarCar.com a zillion times over the years. Kit, thanks a million! There is very little chance that you are into this hobby without ever reading words from his hands. Kit is all over the motoring globe. On countless pages online and offline pages (including Kit Foster's - slightly overgrown - Carport) and in many books like his famous The Stanley Steamer. Thanks Kit !Earlier Text:
Kit Foster wrote the Blackhawk chapter in 'The Splendid Stutz' (The Stutz Club, 1996). Here his comments on last saturday's photo: 'Upon closer inspection I agree that it's a 1929 car, not 1930. In 1930 the hub size increased due to adoption of bolt-on wheels. The car is certainly 145-inch wb, and the body style, according to Stutz terminology, is a 'M-44, 4-passenger speedster with tonneau cowl & windshield'. Its list price was $3995, shipping weight 4770 lb. As Roger says, most open bodies were by LeBaron, though not usually badged as such. This one bears some of the same hallmarks as a 1929 Blackhawk LeBaron speedster with which I'm familiar, so I'm confident it's by LeBaron. As for the car's overall condition, it goes with the photo's period of circa 1950. That was the 'low point' for the big American Classics, those that had survived the war, anyway. They were worth typically $150-300, were not recognized by any of the big clubs (Classic Car Club of America was formed in 1952), largely in response to the Antique Automobile Club of America's classification of what they now call 'Full Classics' as 'tow cars.' The typical owner in that time was not a moneyed person who had lost it - he was probably an impecunious student of good taste with a sense of adventure. (edit.: Not for impecunious students: six Stutz cars will be auctioned by Christie's at Pebble Beach.)