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This exciting group of seven prewar vehicles comes to us from the collection of the late John McMullen. McMullen, who passed earlier this year at the age of 96, was an avid collector of American classics, and focused heavily on the prewar era. At its peak, his collection numbered over 140 cars and filled several buildings on his Michigan property. Through the 2000s, the collection was whittled down to a small group of cherished vehicles, from which this group comes. Selling dealer plasticdr is representing the cars on offer, which range from staples like a Model T “doctor’s coupe” to more obscure and specialized specimens such as a 1920 Millburn Electric and an Ahrens-Fox M-X-4 fire truck.
Auctions will begin going live on Tuesday, November 26, and additional lots will be added over the following days. A preview is below:
The collection contains several examples of Jazz Age luxury, but this 1926 Ahrens-Fox M-X-4 fire truck has bells and whistles in a more literal sense. It was purchased new by the Vincennes, Indiana, fire department, where it remained in service for an astonishing 46 years before being refurbished in 1970 and again in 2001. Notable details include a 998-cubic-inch inline-six, a 750-gpm water pump system, and a museum’s-worth of period firefighting gear on board. And yes, there is a driving video.
This 1910 Mitchell Model S seven-passenger touring car is a brass-era beauty that that has lived a fortunate life, having been owned by Winthrop Rockefeller and Bill Harrah before McMullen’s acquisition in 1999. McMullen commissioned the most recent refurbishment shortly after he bought the car, and converted the lighting to electric power while fitting a 12-volt electrical system and a Saginaw power steering pump.
Millburn Electric produced what was perhaps the most sophisticated of the early 20th-Century EVs, capable of a 30-mph top speed and a claimed 100-mile range. This particular vehicle is a 1920 Model 27 Brougham, which featured four forward speeds and two reverse speeds, and was driven from the rear seat via foldable tiller levers and floor pedals. Passengers in rear-facing jump-seats got a close-up view of the driving action.
The Model T Ford is a “doctor’s coupe” that was refurbished before McMullen purchased it in 2010. Special features include a high-compression cylinder head and a Klaxon horn, and the retrofitted 12-volt electrical system runs off of an alternator. The Model A roadster had already been refurbished when McMullen acquired it in 2001, and features a three-speed manual transmission and a Mitchell Gear-Splitter overdrive unit as well as dual side-mount spares, a rumble seat, a folding luggage rack, and an Auto-Lite flow-through heater.
Packard buyers had many choices to make when ordering the company’s flagship V12-powered models. This 1933 Packard Twelve Series 1005 is a “short-wheelbase” example with 636 Club Sedan bodywork, which was one of 10 styles available. The car was refurbished in the early 2000s while in McMullen’s care. Many of its features seem surprisingly modern, like assisted braking with variable settings, adjustable ride-control suspension, and thermostatically controlled radiator flaps. Other amenities are decidedly old world in their opulence, like the cigar lighters and ashtrays, robe rope, and pull-down rear window shade.
The final car in the collection is one of five Packard Town Car Limousine re-creations built by 2nd Chance Classics in Gibbon, Nebraska, between 1985 and 2000. The fiberglass body emulates the style of a 1933-34 Packard, and features a removable roof panel over the driver’s compartment and simulated landau bars on the rear cabin. The interior retains a period appearance while offering amenities like air conditioning, a motorized privacy screen, power windows and locks, side cubbies housing wine glasses, and a cellular phone. Running gear is similarly modern: power from a 502ci Chevrolet V8, a TH400 automatic transmission, assisted braking with front discs, power steering, Chrysler independent front suspension, and a Ford 9″ rear end located by leaf springs.
The full list of cars from the McMullen collection is below, and it should be noted that two of the vehicles pictured with the group are not included in this collection sale.
- 1926 Ahrens-Fox M-X-4 Fire Truck
- 1910 Mitchell Model S Seven-Passenger Touring
- 1920 Milburn Electric Model 27L Brougham
- 1927 Ford Model T Coupe
- 1931 Ford Model A Roadster
- 1933 Packard Twelve Series 1005 Club Sedan
- Packard Town Car Limousine Re-Creation by 2nd Chance Classics