1932 Marmon Sixteen Victoria Coupe by LeBaron | RM Sotheby's | The Arizona Auction

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The Arizona Auction event, 28 - 29 January 2027.
$300,000 - $450,000 USD

• One of just 75 known surviving Marmon Sixteens; among the finest-driving automobiles of the 1930s
• Originally delivered to Ariel Cameron of Norwalk, Connecticut, with ownership believed to be fully known from new
• Fully restored by Stone Barn and winner of the AACA President’s Cup in 1993
• Fastidiously maintained by private caretakers, and now offered from The Groendyke Collection
• Recorded in Dyke W. Ridgley’s Marmon Sixteen Roster
• Selectively exhibited, including third in class at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
• Accompanied by a reproduction of Marmon’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway test certificate
• A Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic

Marmon, the high-end Indianapolis-based luxury automaker, built an impressive reputation in early motoring, most notably as the marque that famously won the very first running of the Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Building on that success, Marmon went on to produce some of the finest cars of the Classic Era. None were finer than their celebrated Sixteen. Introduced in 1931 as "The World's Most Advanced Motor Car," the Marmon Sixteen proved to be a legendary flagship car combining breathtaking Art Deco styling, advanced lightweight engineering, and unparalleled performance.

At its heart was a groundbreaking, all-alloy 200-horsepower V-16 engine conceived by Howard Marmon, which produced an estimated 380 to 400 pound-feet of torque. The figures were all the more impressive when compared to Cadillac’s V-16, which at the time put out roughly 175 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. By utilizing aluminum construction extensively throughout the chassis and bodywork, the Marmon Sixteen achieved an elite power-to-weight ratio that allowed it to effortlessly surpass 100 mph, out-power competitors like Cadillac, and even rival the legendary Duesenberg at a fraction of the cost. Every single chassis was famously track-tested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to guarantee its blistering performance, making it the ultimate expression of pre-war luxury, speed, and sophistication.

To deliver hand-built luxury more efficiently, Marmon contracted LeBaron to supply “semi-custom” catalog bodies for the Sixteen. This partnership proved mutually beneficial, as it lowered production overhead for Marmon and guaranteed a steady volume of work for Detroit-based coachbuilder LeBaron.

Approximately 390 Marmon Sixteens were produced during the model’s brief three-year run from 1931 to 1933. While Marmon ultimately fell victim to the Great Depression, the marque, and specifically the Sixteen, remain celebrated examples of pre-war automotive engineering.

This 1932 Marmon Sixteen Victoria Coupe was delivered new to Ariel Cameron of Norwalk, Connecticut. In 1960 the car was sold, a transaction believed to have been between Cameron and Chester Flynn of Maryland. Flynn is understood to have restored the car during his ownership, and he and his wife, Doris, eventually moved to Florida with the Marmon in tow. After his passing, Doris sold the car in 1986 to John E. Morgan of Pennsylvania, proud owner of The JEM Collection. Mr. Morgan commissioned a full restoration by the pre-war experts at Stone Barn Automobile Restorations in Great Meadows, New Jersey. After the work was completed, the car achieved both its AACA Junior and Senior awards in 1990, and in 1993, a CCCA National First Place. It also earned the President’s Cup at the 1993 AACA Fall Meet, a testament to the high-quality restoration.

In April 2003 Jim Covert of Florida purchased the Marmon from the RM Auctions’ JEM Museum Collection sale. Mr. Covert subsequently commissioned RM Auto Restorations to complete mechanical work on his new acquisition. Later that year, in August, Mr. Covert showed the Marmon Sixteen at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it took home a third in class.

In July 2004 the car was acquired by John Groendyke from Mr. Covert. Mr. Groendyke made investments in the car to bring it up to the high standards of his collection, notably having an overdrive unit installed for highway driving. Mr. Groendyke sold the car in 2007 to J. Gregory Dawson of Indiana, who showed the car at the Marmon Muster in May 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and again four months later at the Glenmoor Gathering in Canton, Ohio. At the latter event, it won the CCCA Classics Best Closed car award. In 2017 a fresh engine rebuild was commissioned, with Ridgley/Severns cylinder heads installed, additionally it was upgraded to 12-volt electrics with a hidden alternator. Over the course of Mr. Dawson’s ownership, over $150,000 was spent on improvements and maintenance to the car.

In June 2023, John Groendyke reacquired his old Marmon from Mr. Dawson, and it was fully sorted to the high standard for which The Groendyke Collection is known. The Marmon Sixteen has since resided amongst a selection of some of the finest Cadillac V-16s in the world, once again standing its own against its rivals.

Though the historic V-16 battle between Marmon and Cadillac sputtered under the weight of the Great Depression, the prestige of these exclusive multi-cylinder engines left a permanent impression. The automotive world would not see another production V-16 for decades, first revived in the 1990s by the Cizeta-Moroder, and more recently Bugatti’s Tourbillon; it was, and will remain, the mark of a truly elite automobile.

It was arguably Marmon’s iconic Sixteen which set the original standard, marrying an advanced 200-horsepower engine with elegant LeBaron coachwork to create a timeless masterpiece that was undeniably ahead of its time.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/az27/.