Intrigue, excitement, desire, joy – those are some of the emotions a true barn find photo should elicit. A good photo makes you wish you were there in the moment, happily breathing in the smell of old oil, stale gas, and musty fabric. The picture of this ’34 Lincoln, available here on eBay, hits on all cylinders for me. I could stare at this picture for hours trying to imagine what this car looked like the day it was bought new and what it will soon look like when a lucky buyer pulls it from the old barn where it’s been sitting for who knows how long. Unfortunately, the eBay auction will likely end before many of you read this post. With the clock ticking bidding is stationary at $32,851 with the reserve price not met. Located in Rio Grande, Ohio the car is also for sale locally – sheepdog not included.
Check out the old pedal car in the foreground looking very much like something Frank Fritz would try to lowball. Can anyone comment on what it is? As for the Lincoln, the seller gives few details about the car in his eBay listing however my research indicates it is likely a shorter wheelbase Model KA. The seller does provide a photo of a handwritten note claiming the car is one of only five remaining out of seventeen custom coach bodies built by LeBaron, Inc. in 1934. The note also mentions the car is registered in the Lincoln archives at the Henry Ford Museum. Expensive to own and produced during the height of the Great Depression, Lincoln attempted to reassure potential customers with marketing like this: People who, momentarily, feared that they could not afford the best are discovering now that its possession can give confidence, can build morale. Thanks to ClassicLincolns.com for providing a ton of very interesting vintage Lincoln advertising information.
The seller mentions the car is “untouched” and “unrestored” and with the exception of being repainted at one time it certainly appears to be in very original condition. The handwritten note states the car was originally maroon with black fenders and that’s backed up by the photo above where the peeling black paint on the doors reveals maroon underneath. A huge amount of additional parts are included with the sale, including an extra motor, transmission, axels, wire wheels, and a steering wheel among other items.
The amount of dirt and grime blanketing the car combined with dimly lit photos make it difficult to get a true sense of the condition of the interior. The leather seats appear restorable but the fabric covering the convertible top frame looks too far gone.
Beginning in 1934, all Model K’s featured Lincoln’s new aluminum head V12. This 414 cubic inches mill produced 150 horsepower. The seller makes no mention as to whether the assumed to be original motor turns freely but does mention the spare included in the sale also comes with aluminum heads. Mileage in the ad is (erroneously) listed at 12,400,087! I’ve searched the internet unsuccessfully for another Lincoln by Lebaron like this one to try to get a sense of its value but can only find photos (not prices) of beautiful examples on sites like Coachbuild.com. If the seller’s claim is accurate and this car is only one of five remaining, it isn’t surprising that his reserve price hasn’t been reached with bidding at just under $33K.
How does the owner know that more are hiding like this one ? With his claim of only five .
I thought the same. 1 5 5 known to exist would be more accurate. Fake facts are a turn off. What else do you misrepresent is what i think.
Wow…this is right up Wayne Carini’s alley.
If I had the budget…I would absolutely dive in.
https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az12/auction/lots/r137-1934-lincoln-model-kb-convertible-roadster-by-lebaron
Sold for 123k back in 2012.
There is a pretty substantial difference… That link is for a 2 door roadster. This car is a 4 door phaeton. Some price guides list them with similar value, but in practice the roadsters bring the money and phaetons tend to sit around…
I share the same sentiments as The Walrus. The auction ended with no sale. 63 bids, and yet high bid was $33,320. The market has spoken. That’s it. I think this car is worth $33K as is, just not more. Restoration could easily cost $90,000. and take 2 yrs. What you’d have invested into this when done could be $125K. These phaetons don’t sell for that much any more. A nice restoration project for sure, but the math doesn’t add up as an investment.
And, $123k probably didn’t cover the cost of restoration of a car of this caliber.
Wow…what a beautiful looking car…! This was
such a great design.I would think this will bring great
money,even if all seventeen were left.Amazing that this is in
my beloved rust belt state..,hope the humidity..,and moisture
hasn’t hurt it too badly.This deserves a 100% resto..,but should also be driven and showed,so that all of us can enjoy it.The dog,looks very comfy next to it.
Must have been stunning in original maroon/black. Cool car.
Soap Box Derby car
Anyone going to comment on the #37 soap box derby racer?
A hand written note claiming extreme rarity? Sure, seems legit. By the end of the day, I’ll have a hand written note documenting the unassailable fact that my 97 Camry commuter was originally bought by the Sultan of Brunei for his 4th wife to take the kids to soccer practice. That’ll work, right?
so cool! you really got lucky with that one.
s/
There’s a ’34 Lincoln KB by Dietrich in the Hershey RM Auction tomorrow that pretty much looks identical. Estimate is $225-275k
https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf18/hershey/lots/r0042-1934-lincoln-model-kb-convertible-sedan-by-dietrich/699476
Definate restoration material.
One that once restored should be available for public viewing, and not just at some Blue Nosed Concours event, but as it drives by on its way to anywheres.
Give credit to Jay Leno, who while owning many great marques autos, for his media showing and now and then driving those classics of past, on publics city streets.
One of the reasons I enjoy this site: seeing posts on two separate ’34 Lincolns in a week. Who would ever predict THAT?
There were a couple of these Lincolns (in different body configurations) at the Monterey Mecum auction back in August, and they were magnificent cars in person. Just dripping with elegance.
Roll Up windows. Not a phaeton..
I’d call it a convertible sedan. What did LeBaron call it?
Old Cars Price Guide lists 3 LeBaron bodied 1934 Lincolns… Coupe, Convertible and Phaeton. Since phaeton means ‘touring car’, which historically were open air 4-doors, this would be a phaeton. Roll up windows were pretty standard fare on high end cars by 1930, let alone 1934. This is clearly the Phaeton. The term itself was out of style by the end of the 30’s so it’s likely confusion exists in that the term usually applies to early open 4 door cars with no side windows what so ever.
Good gawd… that would be the car to take the wife out for the evening… I love it!
I say restore all mechanical parts, fenders, running boards, hood, and bright work, as for the body keep the cowl and dash and from the front door hinge to the back of the car build a roadster body. I know many will dislike this idea but a roadster is way cooler then a 4 door phaeton any day of the week and would be way more fun to own. Wooden boat tail, polished aluminum sides/ doors x2, red fenders, and tan leather interior.JMHO.
Though I am a stickler for wanting to keep all vehicles original in general, one should never molest a car as super rare as this one (let alone to the extent that you describe).
I do think that your basic roadster idea (with painted cowl, hood, and fenders, wooden rear/detail-work, and polished aluminum flanks) would be super-cool, except built from scratch and/or using loose parts, rather than by modifying an existing car.
Reminds me of the storage car in “Silence of the Lambs” *shudders*
These are the “1 of whatever” I like seeing here. There’s not 250,000 of these built with 4 in a special shade of green and a stripe package that was so hideous only 2 people of the 4 bought it.
I went to college in Rio Grande, and I’m maybe one of only a handful of people who saw this car before it came up for auction. If you think that’s nice, you should have seen the rest of his collection. Old Man Abies was a big Lincoln collector, and also had several rare Chevy muscle cars. The box car in the picture was there 16 years ago when I first talked to Abies, and I tripped over it as I entered the garage. It looks the exact same in these pictures as it did back then. I’m glad to see that it’s finally out of the garage, and going to someone who will restore it.
Nobody comments on the imbecile owner that would let a car this be stored under such poor conditions? They could have at least put a cover over the top.
They aren’t stored well because at the time they were parked they weren’t worth anything $2 or 300 at best. Just old broken dawn cars just like what’s in the bone yard today. Im surprised it wasn’t caught up in a scrap drive in the forties.
Well i happen to have one of the 34 KA’s here in Kentucky. Ours is the convertible/sedan. Not sure how many are out there as I haven’t found one but perhaps in the Ford museum. Truly a neat car and one worth restoring (if that’s your passion.) it took my dad and me 12 years 50 years ago:).