Who doesn’t love a little American and automobile history all wrapped up in one? We’ve found the crème de la crème, which has just surfaced vis-a-vis Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions. In the past, Gooding & Company has made a name for itself as being both a connoisseur of the finest foreign classic cars in existence, repeatedly bringing new gems to the market, but they fly under the radar for how great their antique/brass car selection is.
Enter the 1912 Simplex 50 HP Toy-Tonneau (estimated to sell for $3,000,000 – $4,000,000). This truly stunning car will be up for sale at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions in August. You can register to bid here if you’re ready to own a piece of American automotive history.
Whether you are or are not deeply familiar with cars from this era, here’s why you should care. This is one of the best antique cars you’ll ever see. It has aged beautifully, and has lasted more than a century in single family ownership, something that almost never happens in the car world! It’s a testament to American engineering and design as a whole, and it’s plainly just so cool to look at.
Here’s a little history lesson for ya: the Simplex Automobile Company, originally called the S&M Simplex after its builders, came to be when Herman Broesel, a wealthy textile importer, bought out S&M, an NYC automobile import firm in 1907.
If you can believe it, the Simplex was born on the Upper East side of Manhattan, using a T-head engine of 597 cubic inch capacity, very akin to the most impressive racing cars at the time. One fun fact about the car is that the piston casings were all made of gun iron. Once it was ready, it was tested at the Brighton Beach 24-hour endurance grinds, when it finished a full 70 miles ahead of its nearest competitor in a 24-hour marathon at Brighton Beach. The car established a new world record for a day on the track. The car could also notably exceed 80 mph with ease.
This particular Simplexwas bought by William Penn Snyder Sr.,one of the most influential names in the American steel industry, for his son, William Penn Snyder Jr.. Gooding & Company even has his correspondence on file with the Simplex company for body no. 3038, which had to be modified to go just a little bit slower with Quinby Toy-Tonneau coachwork– it was too dangerous for Snyder’s ambitious driving style. The car was passed down for 111 years. Yep, you read that right.
Now, this classic short-stroke 50 HP, the most famous, desirable Simplex in the world, comes to the market for the first time ever since it was purchased by the Snyder family over a century ago. Wowza.
The Snyder family Simplex, along with other beauties, is featured in the Gooding & Company online catalogue ahead of the Pebble Beach Auctions on August 18th and 19th. You can also register to bid if you’re a Simplex Superfan.
