MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Harry C. Stutz and Hugh Guthrie never met, separated by age and geography. Yet the vision of one became the passion of the other. Now someone, somewhere will benefit from that remarkable bond when they purchase a museum-quality 1916 Stutz Model 4C Bearcat Roadster in Mossgreen's auction of Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia on 18 October.
The Stutz 4C Bearcat is a veteran masterpiece. Harry Stutz produced his first car as a 21 year-old, and made a leading contribution to Indy car racing and the development of the sports car; the Bearcat being a formative open two-seater of the veteran era.
The Bearcat's reputation was built on its racing pedigree established at Indianapolis in 1911. The model being offered by Mossgreen is considered one of the best road-going Stutz to have been built, earning its place in automotive history for its timeless aesthetics.
Hugh Guthrie bought the car in 1952 from a motor wrecker in Australia, and passionately brought it back to life.
"Hugh undertook two restorations over 63 years, the most recent being a meticulous ground up restoration in the 1990s using bespoke craftsman and historians," says Robert Richards, Head of Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia at Mossgreen. "His commitment was as much in homage to Harry Stutz as it was to the vehicle."
Such is the quality of the restoration, that the car, which was imported into Australia from the factory floor in Indianapolis is the recipient of various certificates and endorsements attesting to its authenticity.
NB: MoMA was the first museum to exhibit automobiles as examples of functional design, and The Guggenheim and the National Gallery of Victoria have recently featured major exhibitions celebrating their aesthetic beauty. Mossgreen, Australia's leading multi-department auction house, has taken a similar avant-garde approach.
AUCTION
Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia
3pm, Sunday 18 October 2015
Lot 73 has a pre-sale estimate of $320,000-$360,000. (NB: Image available at http://www.mossgreen.com.au/images/lot/1728/172858_2.jpg).
The viewing and auction will take place at Mossgreen in Melbourne at 935 High Street, Armadale.
Mossgreen offers online bidding via 'Mossgreen live'. Visit www.mossgreen.com.au for more details.
Robert Richards
Automotive Collectibles Specialist
t. 61 (0) 419 393 932
robert.richards@mossgreen.com.au
Issued by: Nicole Kenning
Marketing & Communications Manager
t. 61 (0) 3 9508 8888 / m. 61 (0) 424 186 377
nicole.kenning@mossgreen.com.au
