But well-known or not, it's undeniable that Marmon was an important part of the early history of cars. That's why Tuesday's rescue mission, undertaken by the Marmon Owner's Club and a collector in Indiana, is so important—the club believes this example is the last surviving two-door 1927 Marmon Model L in existence.

The La Salle News-Tribune reports that the ninety-year-old car has spent the last five decades tucked away in a garage in rural Illinois, owned by a Marmon enthusiast named Kent Cherpeske. When he passed away in April, his brother began sorting through his things and discovered the two-door model and an incomplete four-door model in a back garage on the family's property. He contacted a mechanic friend to inquire about fixing them up and selling them, and the mechanic recognized the rare cars and got in touch with the Marmon Club to find a proper buyer.

On Tuesday, Cherpeske's brother and a friend towed the two-door Marmon out of its fifty-year resting place, bringing it out into the sun for the first time since John F. Kennedy was president. It hasn't aged too poorly, all things considered, but the extensive restoration will ultimately be worth it to the new owner, an Indiana collector named Dennis Breeden

"It’s a project, but I’m excited about it," Breeden told the News-Tribune, "It’s a very rare car, that body style, well worth fixing up."