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COACHWORK BY MURPHY

Chassis No. 22439
Engine No. 11722

Aluminum with brown leather upholstery

Engine: six cylinder, in-line with supercharger, 6,243cc, 140bhp at 2,800rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual with direct drive on fourth gear; Suspension: front and rear semi-elliptic leaf spring; Brakes: four wheel mechanical drum. Left hand drive.

Engineer Gottlieb Daimler started his pioneering automobile manufacture in a shed in 1882, partnering with his friend Wilhelm Maybach to create four-stroke engines. The inaugural use of their 1883 patent engine was in the first motorcycle. A 'horseless carriage' followed in 1886 and the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was founded in 1890 and production of their small, light, high-speed production engines began in earnest. Gottlieb Daimler died in 1900 and soon his son Paul took charge of design and engineering in the company. After a dispute with the board of directors in 1922, an engineer named Ferdinand Porsche took over his responsibilities. The first cars from the hand of Porsche were a four and a 6.3 liter, introduced in 1924. Available in both naturally aspirated and supercharged form, they remained in production until 1929, continuing after the merger of the Daimler and Benz companies in 1926.

The name of the model, 24/100/140, refers to the taxable horsepower: 24, the output with supercharger disengaged; 100 and with the supercharger engaged; 140. The 6.3 liter, straight six cylinder engine made the 24/100/140 the fastest tourer in the world when it was introduced. The model was very successful in racing, and is credited with winning over 35 times in 1925 alone. Following the merger between Daimler and Benz, the 24/100/140 was renamed the Mercedes-Benz 630 until the end of production.

The coachbuilding shop of Walter M. Murphy in Pasadena, California was perhaps best known for the elegant bodies it built for the Duesenberg Model J. Founded in 1918, it quickly became the designer of choice for the new stars of Hollywood. Murphy bodies were well-made, and had a light, sporty, graceful style which suited the California life. They were especially noted for their thin windshield pillars which gave them a certain look.

Murphy bodied a wide range of cars including Bentley, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Cord, Crane-Simplex, Doble, Dorris, Essex, Ford, Hispano-Suiza, Hudson, Isotta-Fraschini, Lincoln, Locomobile, Marmon, Mercer, Minerva, Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, and Simplex chassis as well as Mercedes and later, Mercedes-Benz.

This car is a true time capsule 'barn find'. This car was delivered new to the "American Mercedez Company" in chassis-only form. The car left the factory with special wire wheels, a six day clock and a special Bosch light and ignition system. As far as can be determined, it is one of only two cars on this chassis to carry Murphy coachwork and was originally built for U.S. delivery. The matching numbers engine with supercharger is in place and it has a striking all-aluminum torpedo body which shows no evidence of corrosion or damage. Every instrument and piece of trim is present and accounted for, including the headlights, sidelights and top bows. Much of the original upholstery and door panels are present and very suitable for patterns.

Discovered by Franchi in a Burbank, California garage, the car was covered in dust with large spiders crawling across it. As Eva Franchi recalls, 'The owner was a large woman who didn't bathe very much - we all had to hold our breath while we looked at the car. Of course because Sergio was a great tenor, his lungs were big enough to last longer than anyone else's. I think that's why he was able to win it when other people tried!' She goes on to say, 'Sergio was very excited about the completeness of the car as nothing, not a screw or bolt, was missing. Once again, it has a quality that Sergio found so fascinating- it is a car with a presence bigger than life.'

This car's rarity, performance and completeness make it a superb candidate for an international concours-winning restoration. The Mercedes 24/100/140 Murphy Tourer is truly one of Franchi's greatest discoveries and is a true classic, waiting to be reborn.