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20 of 86 lots
Lot 20
1930 Lincoln Model L Sport Roadster
Estimate:
$140,000 - $180,000
Starting bid:
$25
Sold for
$220,000
Live Auction
Estate of Mark Smith Auction
Description
Coachwork by Locke & Company

Without Reserve

Chassis: 63093
Engine: 63093

Saleroom Addendum
Please note that a new title is being processed by the Estate and should be available shortly following the auction.

Among the Most Desirable and Sporting of All Classic Era Lincolns
One of Only 15 Disappearing-Top Locke Sport Roadsters Built
High-Quality Restoration of a Genuine, Original-Bodied Example

384 CID L-Head V-8 Engine
Single Stromberg Carburetor
90 BHP at 2,800 RPM
3-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes
Front Solid Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs

By the mid-1920s, the Lincoln Motor Company had become well-established as one of the premier American manufacturers of luxury automobiles despite offering just one model – the venerable Model L. Under the visionary direction of Edsel Ford, Lincoln greatly expanded their line of custom and semi-custom bodies, offering an incredible array of types and styles to their discerning clientele.

Starting in 1925, Lincoln began to offer bodies produced by Locke & Company of New York, which specialized in open coachwork and employed famous designers like John Tjaarda and W. Everett Miller. Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, this Rochester-based firm produced a variety of elegant, series-built bodies for prestige marques including Chrysler, Duesenberg, Franklin, Marmon, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Ruxton, and Stutz.

Among their most outstanding designs was the Model 191 Sport Roadster, which was created especially for Lincoln to debut at the major 1930 auto shows held in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Priced at over $5,000, the Model L Sport Roadster featured a slick, disappearing top, completely hidden when stowed beneath the rear cowl, as well as a rumble seat and golf door. Lincoln’s own advertisements for the Model 191 claimed: “For the growing number of people who prefer an open car for personal use, there is none so satisfying nor of more unmistakable style than the powerful Lincoln Sport Roadster with body by Locke.”

Of the 15 Lincoln Model L Sport Roadsters that Locke built for 1930, just three others are known to exist today. It is no surprise that two of these surviving cars are long-term fixtures in the collections of well-known Lincoln aficionados Jack Passey and Leland Powels.

The 1930 Sport Roadster presented here, chassis 63093, was previously owned by James Riley of Stamford, Connecticut, who acquired it from Bobby McGowan during the 1990s, when it was still in largely original, unrestored condition. Restored to show-quality standards under Mr. Riley’s ownership, including refinishing it in Embassy Red with black fenders and red leather upholstery, the Lincoln was exhibited at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in 2000.

After a lengthy search for a Locke-bodied Sport Roadster to display alongside his Murphy-bodied Packard Disappearing-Top Roadster, Mark Smith negotiated the purchase of this car in 2007 via classic car specialist Johnny Pascucci. Over the past 15 years, the Lincoln has enjoyed pride of place in Mr. Smith’s outstanding collection of coachbuilt American Classics and has not been publicly exhibited.

A high-quality, custom-bodied Model L, the Model 191 Locke Sport Roadster is undoubtedly among the most rare, sporting, and sought-after of all Classic Era Lincolns – not to mention a relative bargain when compared to similarly styled roadsters from other American marques. For the connoisseur collector, this must be considered an exceptionally rare prize.

*Please note that this Lot, like all vehicles in this Auction, has been in long-term static storage and may not be currently operational. It will require mechanical attention prior to any road use.

Gooding & Company presents and conducts the Estate of Mark Smith Auction under the authority of John J. Rendemonti, Executor of the Estate of Mark J. Smith, duly appointed by the Circuit Court of the State of New Hampshire, Probate Division, Case Number 312-2022-ET-00072. The Estate has compiled available title and/or registration paperwork for the Vehicles offered in the Auction and will provide such paperwork to the Buyer if it is available. However, as set forth more fully in the Conditions of Sale, neither the Estate nor Gooding makes any representation or warranty with respect to any existing certificate of title or registration with regard to any Lot in the Auction. Any Lot may be sold on a Bill of Sale. By participating in this Auction, all bidders and buyers recognize that Estate and Gooding have expressly disclaimed all such warranties concerning the availability or sufficiency of any title or registration documentation.