Auction Action: Unrestored 1911 Olds sold for $1.65 million

In 1911, Oldsmobile built only 159 examples of its Limited series touring car. Today, only three are known to exist, and only one of those has ever been restored. At the Vintage Motor Cars at Hershey auction last week, the last remaining 1911 Olds Limited was sold for $1.65 million still wearing its original 96-year-old tires.

RM Auctions' Web site says the car has had only three owners since new, and has sat in a museum for the past 50 years after being discovered in a barn in the 1950s. At one point, the second owner contemplated restoration and went so far as to find a set of five exact replacement tires for the car, but never put them on. They, too, were included in the sale. The seats are still covered in the original leather, cracked and worn, but amazingly still usable after all these years.

It will be interesting to see what the car's new owner does with this time-warp classic. Invest in a high-dollar restoration and return the 16-foot-long tourer to its original beauty? Leave the patina but make it drivable? We hope the car is kept just the way it is, shredded 42-inch tires, rusted door panels and all. You just can't buy patina like this.

[Source: RM Auctions via Hemmings Auto Blog]