Free Wheeling
By the late 1920s, Italy's Isotta Fraschini had earned a reputation for both performance and luxury among discerning (and well-heeled) American buyers. In 1928, chassis 1353, an Isotta Fraschini 8A built in highest-performance Super Spinto trim, was sent to American coachbuilder LeBaron to receive a boattail cabriolet body, said to be the first constructed by the New York firm. On Sunday, this stunning Italian-American classic with ties to an aviation entrepreneur and a silent film star captured Best-of-Show honors at the Pacific Northwest Concours d'Elegance, held on the grounds of the LeMay - America's Car Museum.
Now owned by Peter Boyle of Oil City, Pennsylvania, the Isotta Fraschini 8A SS was first displayed at the 1928 New York Auto Show, where it caught the attention of aviation pioneer Harry Williams and his wife, actress Helen Marguerite Clark (whose looks inspired Walt Disney's original Snow White). Williams, who co-founded the Wedell-Williams Aviation Company (which produced racing airplanes and brought airmail and passenger services to the Southeast) was so smitten that he purchased the car at the show, despite a price tag said to be in the $20,000 range. (even more expensive than a Duesenberg at the time!)
The businessman was reportedly a daredevil on the ground as well as in the air, and there's little doubt that he tested the 8A SS's guaranteed top speed of 100 MPH, courtesy of its 160-horsepower inline eight-cylinder engine. One popular tale had Williams receiving a $10 fine for speeding through a small Louisiana town; at his court appearance, the millionaire businessman reportedly peeled a $20 bill from his roll, placed it on the table and said, "Here's $20, now don't bother me on the way back."
Fortune, however, does not always favor the bold, and Williams was killed in a 1936 plane crash that also claimed the life of a company test pilot. By the time of his death, his partners in the Wedell-Williams Aviation Company had also perished in aviation accidents, and sole control of the company fell to Helen Marguerite Clark. With little interest in running her husband's company, Clark promptly sold the business to Eastern Air Lines, owned by World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker. What happened to the 1928 Isotta Frashcini 8A SS is less clear, but by the 1960s the car was in the possession of Florida collector Jim Thomas.
Boyle acquired the car in 2005, with less than 23,000 miles on the odometer. A full restoration came next, and after six-plus decades out of the public eye, the Isotta Fraschini made its reappearance at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It captured a second-place award in its category there, but then went on to take top honors at the 2007 Dayton Concours d'Elegance and the 2007 Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance. t was a good day for Boyle, who also took home a category win with his 1938 Steyr 220 Roadster, which captured the Most Elegant Award (Open) at Sunday's show.
Hemmings.com
Free Wheeling
By the late 1920s, Italy's Isotta Fraschini had earned a reputation for both performance and luxury among discerning (and well-heeled) American buyers. In 1928, chassis 1353, an Isotta Fraschini 8A built in highest-performance Super Spinto trim, was sent to American coachbuilder LeBaron to receive a boattail cabriolet body, said to be the first constructed by the New York firm. On Sunday, this stunning Italian-American classic with ties to an aviation entrepreneur and a silent film star captured Best-of-Show honors at the Pacific Northwest Concours d'Elegance, held on the grounds of the LeMay - America's Car Museum.
Now owned by Peter Boyle of Oil City, Pennsylvania, the Isotta Fraschini 8A SS was first displayed at the 1928 New York Auto Show, where it caught the attention of aviation pioneer Harry Williams and his wife, actress Helen Marguerite Clark (whose looks inspired Walt Disney's original Snow White). Williams, who co-founded the Wedell-Williams Aviation Company (which produced racing airplanes and brought airmail and passenger services to the Southeast) was so smitten that he purchased the car at the show, despite a price tag said to be in the $20,000 range. (even more expensive than a Duesenberg at the time!)
The businessman was reportedly a daredevil on the ground as well as in the air, and there's little doubt that he tested the 8A SS's guaranteed top speed of 100 MPH, courtesy of its 160-horsepower inline eight-cylinder engine. One popular tale had Williams receiving a $10 fine for speeding through a small Louisiana town; at his court appearance, the millionaire businessman reportedly peeled a $20 bill from his roll, placed it on the table and said, "Here's $20, now don't bother me on the way back."
Fortune, however, does not always favor the bold, and Williams was killed in a 1936 plane crash that also claimed the life of a company test pilot. By the time of his death, his partners in the Wedell-Williams Aviation Company had also perished in aviation accidents, and sole control of the company fell to Helen Marguerite Clark. With little interest in running her husband's company, Clark promptly sold the business to Eastern Air Lines, owned by World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker. What happened to the 1928 Isotta Frashcini 8A SS is less clear, but by the 1960s the car was in the possession of Florida collector Jim Thomas.
Boyle acquired the car in 2005, with less than 23,000 miles on the odometer. A full restoration came next, and after six-plus decades out of the public eye, the Isotta Fraschini made its reappearance at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It captured a second-place award in its category there, but then went on to take top honors at the 2007 Dayton Concours d'Elegance and the 2007 Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance. t was a good day for Boyle, who also took home a category win with his 1938 Steyr 220 Roadster, which captured the Most Elegant Award (Open) at Sunday's show.
Hemmings.com