Ann Arbor resident Peter Heydon has a passion for restoring unique cars, but he doesn't do it for the money.

The former University of Michigan English professor recently made a one-of-a-kind donation to a museum in Auburn, Indiana, that specializes in cars from the Auburn Cord and Duesenberg lines.

The car Heydon donated, a 1927 Duesenberg Model X Boat Roadster, is the only one of its make and type. It came to Heydon as a major fixer-upper, and he spent years turning it into the vehicle that has won multiple best-in-show and best-in-class awards at car shows across America and Europe.

"The guy is responsible for rescuing this car from a total dilapidated state and turning it into the stunning automobile that it is today," Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum director of education and archives Jon Bill said.

The museum relies on donations from private collectors for some exhibits and Bill said the gift by Heydon was extremely important to helping visitors understand the history of the car companies.

"To rescue a car, a one-off show car like he did, that is so significant to the history of Duesenberg and the Auburn Automobile Company as well, you just can't say enough about it," Little said.

"If it wasn't for individuals like Peter, the whole history of these important and significant cars would be lost."

Heydon's interests in helping people understand the world around them extends beyond automobile history. The Mosaic Foundation of Rita and Peter Heydon, which Heydon founded with his wife Rita, who died in January, funds a number of projects around Ann Arbor and makes significant contributions to National Public Radio.

"He's a major contributor to historical preservation," Heydon's friend Ray Detter said. "He is a very generous person and there are a lot of programs that would not have happened without him."

In a release, the museum's director called the car donated by Hedyon the "most significant donation to the museum's permanent exhibition." The car itself is extremely rare, and there weren't even many built that were similar.

"There were only 13 Model X's built," Bill explained.

"This was a transition between the first series of Duesenbergs called Model A's and the final series which was Model J's. And this is the only one that was a speedster."

The "speedster" designation is given because it was built for the show car circuit and has a streamlined design, especially in the rear of the car. Because of it's unique look, these types of cars are sometimes called boat-tail speedsters. The boat-tail design is still in use in some cars today and was on display in Michigan at the Buick showcase of the North American International Auto Show.

Little said the 1927 Duesenberg donated by Heydon is especially important because it influenced all later speedsters built by the companies that eventually bought out the Duesenbergs.

"It may be one of the most significant cars ever built by those companies in terms of design," he said.

Only four Model X Duesembergs are known to exist in 2015 and two of them are on display at the Auburn Cord Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.

Heydon could not be reached for comment, but Detter said he has been active in the classic car community around Ann Arbor for a number of years.

"Generally Peter is not shy about his love of automobiles," he said. "It's a big part of his life."

Ben Freed is a general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2. He also answers the phone at 734-623-2528.