Invicta, Minerva, Squire, Marmon and Packard are names that have long since disappeared. But before the Second World War these companies’ Town Cars, Broughams and Phaetons (more words you don’t hear often anymore) represented the pinnacle of automotive excellence.
Prewar opulence is featured heavily at Broad Arrow’s upcoming Academy of Art University Collection auction in San Francisco. Held on February 15, more than 100 collector cars are being offered, and all without reserve. The collection is the life’s work of President of the Academy of Art University Dr. Richard Alan Stephens, and his daughter, Dr. Elisa.
Here are 10 prime examples from this excellent, eclectic selection.
1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I “Riviera” Brewster Town Car
This Phantom started out with coachwork by Tilbury of London, but its American owner decided to take it in a flamboyantly different direction in 1933. Brewster & Company, working with Rolls-Royce America in Springfield, Massachusetts, crafted a stunning Riviera body with a luxurious rear axle-mounted Brougham cabin and an open cockpit with fold-flat windscreen for the driver. Brewster made just 10 of these cars and only a handful are believed to still exist.
The car underwent further customization in Paris, including the fitment of Marchal headlamps. Having survived the war in France it returned to the U.S., where it graced the pages of magazines and books. Owned by a Florida collector for 30 years, the Rolls was restored sufficiently to win the “J.B. and Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car” award at Pebble Beach in 2010. It entered the Academy Collection in 2011, and has a $350,000-$500,000 estimate for the sale.
1938 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 Fernandez et Darrin Opera Brougham
Boasting a truly spectacular moniker is this multiple award-winning Buick Roadmaster Series 80 Fernandez et Darrin Opera Brougham. It’s another trans-Atlantic collaboration, with its coachwork sculpted in Paris and first revealed at the city’s 1938 Auto Salon. The design, however, is all-American and penned by Howard “Dutch” Darrin who also happened to spend some time working with Brewster. The streamlined Buick did without running boards for a clean look that blended distinctive American features such as its signature cowl and bumpers, with European touches like Marchal lights.
The car’s first owner was Countess Max de Polska, who is said to have regularly used it to travel between Long Island and Palm Beach. A money-no-object restoration was completed in the 1990s and the car subsequently won First in Class at the Pebble Beach and Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance. It’s presale estimate is $250,000-$350,000.
1931 Minerva AL Rollston Convertible Sedan
A rare survivor of the Minerva marque, the Type AL was Belgium’s bid to beat Roll-Royce. It offered a massive 152-inch wheelbase upon which New York City’s Rollston fitted stylish Convertible Sedan bodywork. The Minerva had substance as well as style, with its 6.6-liter straight-six engine boasting a dual ignition system and a nine-bearing crankshaft for exceptionally smooth running and a tidy 120 horsepower. Handling prowess was provided by an early anti-roll system known as “Adex Stabilisator.”
Minerva built only about 50 of these chassis and this one won Best in Class at the 1999 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Second in Class in 2018, with further awards at Meadow Brook Hall, Amelia Island, and the Louis Vuitton Classic. Its presale estimate is $400,000-$500,000.
1931 Invicta S-Type 4½-Litre Low Chassis Fixed Head Coupe “Sea-Bear”
A true unicorn, Invicta chassis number S57 is reportedly the only Fixed Head Coupe S-Type ever made. Based on the 4½-Litre Low Chassis first shown at the 1930 Olympia Car Show in London, the car is powered by a 100-hp Meadows six-cylinder and capable of reaching 100 mph. S-Types won the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally, and set records on the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and at Brooklands.
Known as “Sea Bear,” this Mike Riedner-designed example spent around half its life in the U.K. before a French collector snapped it up. Part of the Art University Collection since 2011, the Invicta received a comprehensive restoration and won the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It has covered just 51 miles since.
1928 Daimler Double-Six 50 Type P Royal Limousine
Laurence H. Pomeroy’s Daimler Double Six came in a wide variety of body styles, and only an even dozen were built on the massive 163-inch Royal Limousine chassis. Measuring a full 21 feet in length and standing seven feet tall, the four-ton Daimler was arguably Britain’s answer to the Bugatti Royale.
This is the only example believed to remain and was first delivered to an Australian transport magnate. In 1964 the Double Six made it to the U.S.A. and it formed part of Harrah’s Automobile Collection, before spending some time in Japan. Upon its return to America it underwent a full restoration that was rewarded by a class award at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Its presale estimate is $400,000-$600,000
1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A S Castagna Roadster Cabriolet
Despite its longevity, few Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8s remain roadworthy today. The design was introduced in 1919 and, thanks to more modern coachwork, it carried on until 1932. This example features a Roadster Cabriolet body by Carrozzeria Castagna, with notable details including intricate radiator stone guards, finely-detailed running boards, twin spare wheels, and a rumble seat.
The Tipo 8 was quite popular in the U.S. thanks to the work of New York’s Isotta Motors and this car was delivered there from Milan in October 1929 as a demonstrator model. Over the last 95 years it has covered just 13,527 miles, despite having been back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean. The Academy of Arts took ownership in 2012 and it won a class award at Pebble Beach in 2017. Broad Arrow’s estimate for it ranges from $500,000 to $700,000.
1937 Squire 1½-Liter Corsica Drophead Coupe
Imagine founding your own car firm at the age of just 21. That’s exactly what Adrian Squire did in 1931, having previously worked at MG and Bentley. Of the two it’s MG that had the most influence on his lightweight 1.5-liter Roots supercharged Drophead Coupe.
Not only was it glorious looking, the Squire was an exceptional drivers’ car, thanks to its rigid steel chassis, adjustable suspension, and hydraulic brakes. When 1961 F1 Champion Phil Hill tested a Squire against a Bugatti Type 55 and an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 in the 1980s for Road & Track he wrote, “the Alfa and Bugatti were excellent examples of the automobiles of the times, but the Squire was a car of the future.”
This example has an Art Deco body by Corsica Coachworks and is one of just nine cars made before Squire tragically died in a World War II air raid. The car has picked up many awards, but perhaps its most apt is the Breitling Award for Timeless Beauty at Amelia Island. Broad Arrow estimates the bidders will award it anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000.
1939 Lagonda LG6 Rapide
With its W.O. Bentley-designed 4.5-liter overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine and flowing Frank Feeley lines, the Lagonda LG6 combines brawn and beauty. That engine in the LG6 made up to 150 hp, giving the car a top speed of 105 mph, while the teardrop fenders and rear spats make it stand out from the crowd.
Only six Rapides were made out of a total of 85 LG6 Lagondas, and, although this one was ordered before the outbreak of hostilities it wasn’t actually delivered until 1940. Over the years since the car has lived in California, Canada, the U.K., Germany and the Netherlands before finding its home in the Academy of Art Collection in 2009. Awards include class win at Pebble Beach, Villa d’Este, the Louis Vuitton Classic and Paleis Het Loo. Its presale estimate is $400,000-$600,000.
1932 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Convertible Sedan
Marmon brothers Howard and Walter had lofty ambitions. From the family’s flour mill in Indianapolis they started their own car business, pitching their “Mechanical Masterpieces” against the likes of Packard and Cadillac.
Having won the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, the brothers rode a wave of positive publicity and established a successful carmaking business. The Marmon Sixteen would be their ultimate automobile. It was powered by a 490.8 cubic inch V-16 engine delivering a very impressive 200 horsepower, and wore bodywork by LeBaron. Among the first customers was J. Paul Getty who took delivery of this exact car in 1932. Despite selling over 370 Sixteens at $5000 each (equivalent to $115,000 in today’s money), Marmon went bust in 1933, with around 71 cars believed to have survived and this one estimated to bring $400,000-$600,000 when it crosses the auction block.
1934 Packard Twelve 1107 Dual-Windshield Phaeton
One of the cars that the Marmon boys had to compete with was the Packard Twelve. This Dual-Windshield Phaeton was Packard’s pièce de resistance with a 445.5 cubic inch V-12 engine delivering 160 horsepower, with four-wheel vacuum-assisted drum brakes providing stopping power.
This 1934 model was delivered to Connecticut and spent its first 64 years in the area. In 1980 it underwent a full restoration at the hands of Melvin Culver of Customs of Beaver and has won numerous awards since. It’s one of a dozen cars made in 1934, retains its original configuration with matching engine, chassis and body and is fully-documented. Its presale estimate is $300,000-$400,000.
