Santa Monica, Calif. (February 17, 2023) — Gooding & Company is honored to announce that it will be conducting the Estate of Mark Smith Auction this coming April, where it will present vehicles, all without reserve, belonging to the late, venerable American collector Mark J. Smith of Lynchburg, Virginia. On Friday, April 7 at 11:00 AM EDT, the company will present a live auction at Mark’s very own Midland Motors museum. Viewing of all the lots is open to registered bidders and approved press members, and will take place on Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7 near Midland Motors (see here and below for viewing location details). Interested parties unable to attend the auction in Virginia will be able to participate via online bidding on Gooding & Company’s website or mobile app, or partake in telephone bidding.
A truly one-of-a-kind man and collector, Mark J. Smith was born in upstate New York in 1952. With a deep love for automobiles and all things antique, Mark cultivated a keen eye for quality, prizing objects of rarity, historical significance, and excellence. Throughout his lifetime, he relentlessly chased hidden treasures, and particularly favored original Classic Era cars for his collection. He owned a great assortment of automobiles, from Brass Era antiques, American Classics, postwar sports cars, and great European classics. He largely preferred unrestored originals and well-kept early automobiles to gleaming show cars. As his car collection expanded into the hundreds, he acquired several buildings in historic downtown Lynchburg, Virginia to house his extraordinary automotive treasures. This included Midland Motors, the site for the upcoming Estate of Mark Smith Auction and a former Chrysler dealership that Mark transformed into a showcase for his most prized possessions.
“Mark Smith was one of the most knowledgeable and passionate enthusiasts our industry has ever known, and I had the great pleasure of personally knowing him throughout my career in the collector car world,” said Gooding & Company President and Founder, David Gooding. “A brilliant and refined collector, Mark put together an incredible and varied collection of primarily unrestored prewar American and European treasures, which he often acquired after years of research and persistence. A collector through and through, Mark greatly prized his greatest automotive finds, most of which are on offer here at the Estate of Mark Smith Auction.”
1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Offener Tourenwagen (Estimate: $1,250,000 – $1,750,000, Without Reserve) The supercharged Mercedes-Benz 500 K Offener Tourenwagen is a sporty early automobile, and one of the most tasteful creations of the factory coachbuilders at Sindelfingen with its two-door open body and rather low, subtly curving beltline. The 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Offener Tourenwagen offered here, chassis no. 105355, is one of only five known surviving examples of this style on the 500 K chassis. After spending the first few decades of its life in Western Europe, 105355 ended up in the ownership of V. Link Milsark of Vienna, West Virginia as early as 1955, where it remained for several decades before passing through the hands of a number of collectors. Mark Smith acquired the Milsark 500 K in 2005, and since then, 105355 remained one of the great centerpieces of his collection. Today, the 500 K retains its original, matching-numbers chassis and engine, as well as the authentic typenschild on the firewall. It remains in unrestored condition, only enduring minor “improvements” as necessary throughout the years. Mr. Smith exhibited his 500 K in the Prewar Preservation class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 2006, as well as the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2019, where it received an Amelia Award for the exclusive 500 K/540 K class. Today, this very special automobile, which comes to auction with lasting originality and fascinating history, presents an incredible opportunity to acquire one of the last unrestored supercharged eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benzes.
1932 Chrysler CG Imperial Custom Roadster (Estimate: $800,000 – $1,200,000, Without Reserve) This unique 1932 Chrysler CG Imperial Custom Roadster featuring LeBaron coachwork was sold new to Dr. William F. Whelan, a respected Philadelphia otolaryngologist. Although certainly a 1931 model by serial number and specification, the Chrysler was purchased by Dr. Whelan in 1932, and thus was always titled as that year in documentation. For the first six years of his ownership, Dr. Whelan continuously worked on the car to bring his custom vision to life, including chroming the front axle, removing leaves from the suspension to make the body sit lower, installing a custom hood ornament and Sun tachometer, modifying the top, and fitting a new dramatically raked and lowered windshield. As a result, the Chrysler had an incredibly sleek, tapered look, reminiscent of the 1928-1929 Auburn Speedsters, with ample performance to match. After decades of ownership, Dr. Whelan sold the Chrysler to Thomas Dickinson in 1952, who had the car shown at the International Motor Sport Show at the Grand Central Palace in Manhattan that same year. It was also invited to join the newly formed Classic Car Club of America, and has been participating in CCCA events for the entirety of the club’s existence. Mark Smith secured this special Chrysler in 2001, and since then, exhibited it on rare occasions, including the Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance in 2004, where it earned a trophy for the Most Significant Chrysler Product, as well as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 2007 and 2021, where it was a repeat entrant in the Prewar Preservation class. This bespoke Chrysler, among the most beautiful Classic Era American automobiles, comes to market with a known history of only five caretakers over the span of nine decades, and presents in carefully preserved, largely original condition.
1935 Bentley 3 1/2 Litre Drophead Coupe (Estimate: $250,000 – $350,000, Without Reserve) The first Bentley model produced after Rolls-Royce’s acquisition of the legendary marque, the 3 1/2 Litre model was the first of the “Derby Bentleys” manufactured at Rolls-Royce’s Derby factory. Refined and elegant, the 3 1/2 Litre quickly earned the moniker of a “silent sports car.” This outstanding and historic example presented here, chassis B5EJ, was one of just two Bentleys ever bodied by renowned coachbuilder Antem of Paris, and is the only 3 1/2 Litre ever touched by the carrosserie. It features characteristically French styling of the period, most evident by its extremely low designed windscreen. Originally built for the legendary and influential Bentley client André Embiricos, B5EJ has been collector owned from the start. Having joined Mark Smith’s collection in 2008, the 3 1/2 Litre today possesses a lovely gentle patina, particularly in its blue leather upholstery. Accompanied by an owner’s handbook, a pair of Marchal headlamps, and a file of historical documentation, this 3 1/2 Litre is a beautiful work of automotive art and a capable tourer equipped with Bentley’s highly sophisticated mechanicals.
1907 White Model G ‘Roi des Belges’ Touring (Estimate: $250,000 – $350,000, Without Reserve) The White Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio produced an outstanding variety of products throughout its 80-year history as a manufacturer of automobiles, trucks, tractors, sewing machines, bicycles, roller skates, and machine tools. Among the company’s most important contributions are undoubtedly its approximately 10,000 steam-powered cars built between 1900 and 1911. In 1906, White patented the flow motor, allowing a steam car to be driven automatically for the first time. The following year, the company debuted the immense Model G, featuring a 30 hp two-cylinder compound engine, at the New York International Auto Show. This 1907 White Model G ‘Roi des Belges’ Touring, chassis no. 5142, was first delivered to Kern Dodge of Philadelphia, the co-founder of engineering powerhouse Dodge & Day. 5142 would go on to be displayed at the opening of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia’s science and technology museum. Owned by various collectors throughout the years, the Model G participated in several tours, including the Glidden Tour of 1950, where it was awarded the Thomas McKean Tour Trophy for an outstanding tour car, as well as the 1955 Lakeville Steam Tour in Connecticut, a major event in the early steam car hobby. Mark Smith acquired the White in 2015, and proudly displayed it in the showroom of his private museum, Midland Motors. Presently, the Model G remains in largely unrestored and intact condition, and is widely considered to be the most complete and original of the four known examples that survive to this day. Among the most significant and sought-after steam-powered automobiles ever offered for public sale, 5142 comes to auction with robust documentation and original coachwork.
1907 Ford Model K Touring (Estimate: $175,000 – $250,000, Without Reserve) One of the Ford Motor Company’s first upscale models, the luxurious Model K was offered in late 1905 as either a Touring or Runabout body style powered by a 400.5 cid L-head six-cylinder engine. Approximately 1,000 examples of the Model K were built in total, all at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit. Today, it is believed that only 23 examples survive. One of those surviving examples is this rare 1907 Ford Model K Touring, chassis K516, which carries exceptional known history dating to just after WWII when classic car icon Henry Austin Clark Jr. discovered it on a Chicago used-car lot in amazingly complete and original condition. Under Mr. Clark’s ownership, the Model K was restored in its current gray and red color scheme, and participated in the Antique Automobile Club of America’s annual Glidden Tour, as well as showcased inside the famous Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton, New York. Acquired by Mark Smith in September 1995, the Model K was housed among the collector’s lineup of considerable early Fords. Seldom used and presented essentially as purchased nearly 30 years ago, this Model K, a car rarely offered for public sale, has aged gracefully. A serious, historic antique with provenance second to none, K516 presents a special opportunity for enthusiasts of important early American cars.
Additional offerings from the Estate of Mark Smith Auction include a sporty and elegant 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Riviera Town Car (Estimate: $175,000 – $250,000, Without Reserve) featuring coachwork by Brewster & Co., as well as a disappearing-top Locke & Company-bodied 1930 Lincoln Model L Sport Roadster (Estimate: $140,000 – $180,000, Without Reserve). Also on offer is a 1935 Brewster Coupe Roadster (Estimate: $100,000 – $150,000, Without Reserve) built on a Ford V-8 chassis, a 1917 Pierce-Arrow Model 38 C-4 Open-Front French Brougham (Estimate: $70,000 – $90,000, Without Reserve), and a 1924 Ford Model T Speedster (Estimate: $60,000 – $80,000, Without Reserve), formerly the property of Harrah’s Automobile Collection.
Individuals and press members interested in registering to bid or attending the viewing and auction events are encouraged to visit this page for more information. The entire online catalogue is expected to launch on Gooding & Company’s website in late February. Gooding & Company specialists and administrative staff are available to answer any questions pertaining to the upcoming Estate of Mark Smith Auction.
Gooding & Company presents and conducts the Estate of Mark Smith Auction under the authority of John Rendemonti, Executor of the Estate of Mark J. Smith, duly appointed by the Circuit Court of the State of New Hampshire, Probate Division, Case Number 312-2022-ET-00072.
Estate of Mark Smith Auction Date: Friday, April 7, at 11:00 AM EDT Location: Midland Motors, 1222 Main Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504 Preview: Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7 Preview Location: 1631 Concord Turnpike, Lynchburg, VA 24504 Bidder Registration: $100, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auction Live Auction Broadcast: www.goodingco.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodingandCompany Twitter: @goodingandco #MarkSmithAuction #GoodingMarkSmith Instagram: @goodingandcompany #MarkSmithAuction #GoodingMarkSmith YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GoodingandCompany Phone: +1.310.899.1960
About Gooding & Company Gooding & Company is celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions, private brokerage, and unparalleled service in the international collector car market, achieving over $2.5 billion in sales since the company’s inception. The auction house continues to deliver market-leading results through both its live auctions and Geared Online platform, setting new trends and world records with best-of-category cars across numerous verticals. Gooding & Company consistently presents the highest quality consignments while operating with openness and integrity, providing the company a reputation of trust and respect unmatched in the industry. Offering a wide range of services including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management, the auction house is ready to assist you with numerous collector car services.
Media Inquiries: Pauline Pechakjian pauline@goodingco.com +1 (310) 383-7437
Still have questions? Contact us!
Fill the form to get in touch with our specialists.
