1913 Herreshoff Model 30

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys Arizona event, 23 January 2026.
Offered Without Reserve $25,000 - $35,000 USD

• One of very few surviving Herreshoff automobiles
• The ultimate Herreshoff, a 30-hp model from the last year of production
• Formerly owned by noted collector Dr. Barbara Atwood
• Charming older restoration

The Herreshoff name requires no introduction to the student of American boating but may be less familiar in connection with automobiles. Charles Herreshoff was the nephew of J.B. and Nathaniel Herreshoff, whose yachts utterly dominated the Americas Cup at the turn of the 20th century, winning the event every year from 1893 to 1920.

His uncles, however, preferred steam power, and Charles was devoted to the internal combustion engine. He eventually left Rhode Island for Detroit, where he developed the potent engine of the 1908 Thomas-Detroit, then introduced his own automobile a year later. A Car Worthy of the Name, the Herreshoff rode its namesakes family coattails with no shame, but it also lived up to the slogan. It was a well-designed, heartily built car. Alas, the Herreshoff was doomed to a short life by internal squabbles and better-funded, well-organized competition. Made for only four years, it is believed that only about half a dozen remain in existence.

The car offered here, one of those rarities, is also the finest iteration of the marque. Built solely in the last season of production, the Model 30 used a modern four-cylinder engine, cast in a single block with enclosed valvetrain, delivering 30 horsepower through a three-speed sliding-gear transmission. It was also notable for having left-hand drive, still a rarity on an American car of this era, which Herreshoff introduced in 1911.

The consignor of this runabout acquired it in 2009 from the collection of Dr. Barbara Atwood of Rockford, Illinois, well-known for her many successes in the Antique Automobile Club of America, Classic Car Club of America, and concours competitions during the 1980s. Dr. Atwood appears to have acquired it elsewhere in the Midwest, as the dashboard bears a badge from a 1974 event in Minnesota. One of the few Brass Era cars in the Atwood stable, this Herreshoff wears a charming older restoration in deep green with red leather upholstery and is equipped with gas headlamps, electric side lamps, a Boyce MotoMeter, and a canvas top.

It remains very much worthy of the name.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/az26/.