RM Auctions will lift the gavel on an important pair of Miller race cars when its Sports & Classics of Monterey event returns to Monterey, California, August 13th to 15th, 2009.
Now in its 24th year, this year’s event will feature a one-of-a-kind 1931 Miller V16 and a beautifully crafted 1927 Miller 91 rear drive from the esteemed Chuck Davis Collection. The masterwork of legendary American racing car designer, Harry Miller, both cars boast fascinating histories and are set to attract the attention of vintage racing enthusiasts worldwide.
“The Millers of the Chuck Davis Collection that RM will be featuring at the 2009 Sports & Classics of Monterey event are indeed highly prized pieces of racing innovation and design and are highly illustrative of Miller’s mechanical legacy,” says Ian Kelleher, President and Chief Operating Officer of RM Auctions.
“They are truly important Miller prewar racing cars and their offering is already attracting strong interest from around the world,” he adds.
The 1931 Miller V16 competition car boasts an intriguing history and tale of survival. The only V16 Miller racing car ever built, this example embarked on a long vintage racing career including numerous starts at Indy. In a bid to enhance performance, the Miller V16 was continuously modified – engine included – in its early years before it was retired from the competition circuit and left to languish in storage for over 20 years. Barely recognizable following its many early alterations, it was uncovered by a passionate Ohio-based enthusiast before finding its way into the distinguished Chuck Davis Collection in 1978.
A long time collector and Miller enthusiast, Davis immediately set about the long and arduous task of resurrecting the Miller V16 and restoring it to its former glory piece by piece, in a project that has been described as an ‘epic restoration of one of the most important and fascinating Miller race cars ever built’. As word of Davis’s project spread, parts began resurfacing from across the country, including one half of the original V16 engine and the original body. The project also saw various important parts recreated, including a full set of Miller carburetors.
With a warehouse full of pieces, the car was finally reassembled in 1992 and after mechanical testing, underwent a meticulous cosmetic restoration back to its handsome 1932 Indianapolis configuration. Painted light gray with contrasting numbers, it went on to make its first appearance at the 1993 Monterey Historic Races and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Affectionately described by enthusiasts as ‘the Miller that wouldn’t die’, it has since received numerous major prizes at Pebble Beach, Hershey, Detroit and Chicago, and participated at the Milwaukee Mile, Monterey Historic and Goodwood. Its upcoming offering at RM’s Sports & Classics of Monterey auction marks the first time it has come to market in over 30 years.
Joining the 1931 Miller V16 at the Monterey event will be another important and beautifully crafted Miller competition car – a spectacular 1927 Miller 91 rear drive car – a recreation of the legendary Frank Lockhart Muroc Lake Land Speed Car and featuring the specially built Miller engine from that car. Like the V16, this example has also undergone a comprehensive and flawless Concours restoration and is ‘on the button’ and track ready.
RM Auctions Sports & Classics of Monterey auction event will be held at the Portola Hotel and Spa, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey, California, August 13th to 15th. The auction preview will commence August 12th from 12noon – 6:00pm, followed by full day previews on August 13th through 15th. All the auction action will kick off with the Nick Alexander Woodie Collection on August 13th, followed by the presentation of a range of other important and significant collector cars on Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th. Admission to the auction is $40.00 USD granting one person access to both RM’s annual Sports & Classics of Monterey event and preview and the Nick Alexander Woodie Collection event. An official auction catalog is available for an additional $100 USD.
For more information, visit www.rmauctions.com or call (800) 211-4371 (within North America) or +1 519 352 4575.
[Source: RM Auctions; photo credit IMS Photo]
Very much interested in the 1931 Miller V16 Racing car and especially it’s history. My uncle Romeo Paciocco, aka Romeo Parenti and Carl Parenti was the riding mechanic for driver Floyd Roberts.