The 1911 Oldsmobile Limited (Bill Hutton photo).

    If you watch the Antiques Road Show you’ve seen the disappointment on the faces of people who thought their piece of old furniture was worth a small fortune only to discover its value was drastically reduced when grandpa decided to refinish it 50 years ago.
    Because of his handiwork – well meaning, of course – it no longer had that wonderful patina that only age can bring. The same belief is starting to gain momentum in the old car hobby as more and more people realize that while there are lots of restored vehicles, only a few still exist exactly the way the factory built them.
    And that’s especially true when the vehicle in question is 99 years old.
Two years ago I wrote about a 1911 Oldsmobile Limited 7-passenger touring car, one of only 159 made and one of just three known to exist. I had seen it at RM Auctions in Blenheim, Ont. where it was awaiting shipment to Pennsylvania for their big fall sale in Hershey.
    Even sitting on its shredded tires it was a beast, with 42-inch wheels and a wheelbase of 138 inches, powered by a massive 707-cubic inch straight six engine. I called it “The most awe-inspiring automobile I have ever seen.”
    Bill Hutton of Forest, Ont. read my story in the London Free Press and clipped it out. On July 2, Bill saw the car up close at the Antique Oldsmobile Club’s meet in Lansing, Mich., where it was being displayed. He sent me several photos of the Limited and, I’m glad to say, although it’s been cleaned up, it’s still in original condition.
    A car like this is too important to restore.
    And, thankfully, someone who feels that way – Jack Rich Sr. of Pottsville, Pa. – was the bidder who won the auction in Hershey, paying $1.65 million. He became just the fourth owner and the Limited became the centrepiece of his collection at the John W. Rich Automobile Museum in Frackville, Pa.
    According to the museum’s website (www.jwrautomuseum.com) Rich believed the car should never be restored, but because it is not a static piece of art should be brought back to a running, driving example. The engine, which was seized tight from being filled with water and mud in a 1936 flood, was removed and freed up over a period of many months. Only the most necessary internal components were replaced, enabling reuse of the major items, including the original cast iron pistons.
    A careful chassis and upholstery cleaning was performed. Pounds of river dirt and mud were removed and sifted through screens in order to separate and save the many loose items that had fallen off the car over the decades.
    Rich also had a new set of tires installed – although “new” is a relative term. The car’s third owner contemplated restoring the vehicle and in 1963 obtained a set of five replacement NOS Firestone tires – now priceless, because the moulds no longer exist – which were included in the auction sale. In July, 2009 the Limited was started up and driven for the first time in more than 90 years.
    Since then Rich has exhibited the car at a number of locations, including the Antique Automobile Club of America’s museum in Hershey. He also showed the car at Pennsylvania’s Radnor Hunt Concours in 2009, where it was judged best in class in the Unrestored category. The Limited also participated in the famed Pebble Beach Concours in California last year and won second place in the Pre-War Preservation class, losing to a 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux owned by Mark J. Smith of Melvin Village, N.H.
    All I can say is that Bugatti must be one helluva car!

Write to Glen at glenwoodcock@canoemail.com