Marmon 34B Speedster
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Car producer : |
Marmon |
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Model: |
34B Speedster |
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Year: |
1916-1924 |
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Type: |
Roadster |
The most advanced and dramatic American sports car of its era, the Marmon Model 34 was first introduced in 1916. It sported “unification construction,” with the body and chassis built as nearly one component, essentially an early version of unibody construction. It carried an overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine with a cylinder block and many components made of aluminum. Even weight distribution was an ideal 50/50 front to rear, for unusually fine handling for the era. The foot pedals were placed to allow quick movement from throttle to brake to clutch, an unusual step in an era when little consideration was given to comfort and usability, and the instruments were mounted in a single cluster with indirect night lighting!
In 1920, a “beetailed” Model 34 Two-Passenger Speedster was chosen to pace the Indianapolis 500, driven by the legendary Barney Oldfield, whose speed on the track of 80 mph left most of that year’s pack soundly in the dust—“pacing” indeed! Oldfield was so impressed that he purchased the car following the race and single-handedly established the Model 34 Two-Passenger Speedster as the “car to have” among wealthy young bloods of the time.
The 1916 Model 34 used an aluminum straight-6, and used aluminum in the body and chassis to reduce overall weight to just 3295 lb (1495 kg). A Model 34 was driven coast to coast as a publicity stunt, beating Erwin "Cannonball" Baker's record to much fanfare.
New models were introduced for 1924, replacing the long-lived Model 34, but the company was facing financial trouble, and in 1926 was reorganized as the Marmon Motor Car Co. cale car.
