The seller of this 1931 Marmon V16 claims it is the cheapest of its kind in the entire world, but then again it is probably the roughest one too! These massive prewar machines are exceptionally rare and as the price would suggest, highly desired. I’m not sure if the seller’s claim is really the best sales tactic for a car like this, but it’s certainly an interesting strategy to take. I guess it caught my attention, but any prewar car with a V16 will do that. It is located in Apple Valley, California and appears to have been parked out in the elements here for a number of years. Find it here on eBay with an opening bid of $47k.

In the world of ultra-rare prewar classics, cheap and affordable are relative terms. A few years back a project Marmon Sixteen sold for $172k, so this one seems like a bargain. That being said, it is going to take buckets of money to it back on the road. I can only imagine how difficult it will be to locate parts for this, as there were less than 400 built. Not only is it going to take money and time, it’s going to take a lot of knowledge to get everything just right, but in the end you will have a car eligible for just about any Concourse you could ever want to attend!

This car really is a piece of engineering brilliance. The Sixteen was awarded for being the most noteworthy automotive accomplishment in 1932 by the Society of Automotive Engineers and that was mostly in recognition of the V16 motor. Marmon had a long history with pioneering technology, with Howard Marmon designing everything from air-cooled V-Twins all the way up to the 491 (that’s 8.0 liters by the way) V16. Marmon began work on the engine in 1927 with the goal of building the first production V16, but the economic downturn kept them from going to production until 1931. The delay gave Cadillac enough time to design their own V16 and beat Marmon to the market.

Cadillac might have beaten them to market, but the Marmon still had a lot going for it. It was far more advanced and much of the technology is still being used today. One of Marmon’s greatest advantages was their experience working with aluminum. Yes, the lightweight futuristic alloy was being used on automobiles 80 years ago and there were plenty using it well before that! As a matter of fact, this V16 is made almost entirely of the stuff. To deal with heat and friction issues, the cylinders are sleeved with steel liners. The design proved to be durable and quite powerful, with a total of 200 horses and while torque was never officially released most speculate it was well over 400 foot-pounds!

Aluminum also made its way into the chassis and some of the body panels. As a result of the use of alloy, these cars were considerably more expensive than their Cadillac counterparts, but they were also lighter. The reduced weight gave them a considerable edge in performance and allowed this massive luxury car to achieve a top speeds of over 100 mph. If you wanted something faster than the Sixteen your only option was Duesenberg, and of course you paid considerably more for one. The alloy construction might have been beneficial when these were new, but it can cause issues when restoring one today. I would suspect there is serious corrosion anywhere steel and aluminum come in contact with each other. The fact it has been left outside for who knows how long only makes things worse.

This car could be a beautiful piece of road art someday, but it is going to take finding the right owner. I’m sure there are a few Marmon and prewar fans out there that would love to have it! Price typically isn’t an issue for those who collect these cars, but given its current condition and that fact that it has been on the market for a while, it could become a factor. I have no doubt or questions in my mind about the seller’s claim that this really is the cheapest Marmon on the market today. The real question is, will it retain that title after adding all the restoration costs in?