Speedwell Speed Car

1912 Speedwell 12-J 50HP Speed Car

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 15, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Dayton, Ohio’s Speedwell Motor Car Company built cars for only seven short years, but they made the most of it. As the company name may suggest, they were sporty (for the most part) but also reliable and well-built. Company premises were damaged during a flood in 1913 and they closed the following year.

The Series 12 was built in 1912 only and they were available in nine configurations, with the Model J denoted a four-passenger touring car. The 7.2-liter straight-four under the hood makes 50 horsepower. This particular example is a “Speed Car” – a racier version of their normal production car. It is the only Speedwell Speed Car in existence.

Speedwell built about 4,000 cars in their lifetime, and they are super rare today. This one has known ownership since the 1930s, including Bill Harrah, and it was restored in 1999. You can be next in line if you can write a check for between $550,000-$750,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $869,000.

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