Hot Wheels & Collectible Cars Auction Closed (#12809726)

The name ‘Brooks Stevens’ might not have quite the recognition among casual enthusiasts of automotive design superstars like Harley Earl or Bill Mitchell, but among industry insiders Stevens’ influence is difficult to overstate. Stevens helped define the style of classic brands like Kaiser and later Studebaker, and in the process influenced generations of designers to follow. His designs graced products as diverse as the original Jeep Wagoneer and the iconic post-war Harley-Davidson motorcycle, proving him as versatile as he was talented.

It’s fitting that Brooks Stevens career was taking off during a time when he could apply his talents to a custom vehicle design for his own personal enjoyment, and the machine you hold in your hands now is the fruit of that effort. The Brooks Stevens Speedster is based on the innovative Cord L-29, which when it debuted in 1929 had the distinction of being the first American production car to employ front-wheel-drive. Stevens obtained a used L-29 in the early 1930s and immediately set about reshaping it according to his own personal vision of what a luxury sport tourer should be, borrowing cues from such premium marques as Duesenberg and Auburn. The L-29’s Lycoming Inline-8 engine and de Dion front-drive axle were unique, allowing Stevens to lower and streamline the cowl, which along with a narrowed body gave the Speedster a decidedly sportier look. He completely re-sculpted the rear deck as well, giving it a tidier profile and integrating a vertical fin.

Stevens also wanted to capture the elegance of the top-shelf luxury cars, so he offset the low-slung sporty body with chromed wire wheels and wide whitewall tires. He filled in the front fender arches around those tires, along with the wells that formerly housed the side-mounted spare tires. The cowl louvers were replaced with Duesenberg style vents. A truly unique addition was the incorporation of narrow profile "Woodlite" headlights to bracket the grille. Then the whole exterior was bathed in a striking two-tone paint scheme—a departure from his usual habit of painting his personal vehicles metallic blue.

The custom touches continued into the passenger cabin which was personalized with shaved down split-vee windshield, a new custom dashboard and folding seat backs that gave access to the cargo area created by the elimination of the rumble-seat. Stevens bolstered performance with the addition of a custom twin-carb intake and exhaust system, and a sportier axle ratio to give it more grunt when he entered it in hill climb events. The finished product is a car that far surpasses the comparatively conservative styling of the stock Cord, transforming it into a machine to rival the luxury luminaries of the period. Stevens was so proud of how the Speedster turned out that he owned it from its completion until his passing in 1995.