Destination: The Perfectionists
August 1, 2006
Not too many people can claim to
have won the top prize at Pebble Beach half a dozen times. "To win Best of Show
once is the ultimate accomplishment," says Jules "J" Heumann, chairman emeritus
of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. "To win it six times is an amazing feat
and a record held exclusively by J.B. Nethercutt."
Four Pebble Beach Best of Show winners restored
to perfection by the craftsmen at Nethercutt. Right, the 1980
winner, a 1933 Duesenberg SJ Rollston Arlington Torpedo Sedan. Below, the 1992 winner, a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster
Town Brougham. The winner in 1969, a 1934 Duesenberg J Murphy Dual Cowl Phaeton. Bottom, the 1958 winner, a 1930 duPont Model G
Merrimac Town Car. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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Top restorers from around the world attend the event each
August in hopes of acquiring the coveted award. Only Sam and Emily Mann—claiming
four blue ribbons—have come close to Nethercutt’s record of six. "It’s like
winning the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Kentucky Derby combined," says
Skip Marketti, head curator and archivist of the Nethercutt Collection.
"It is a concentrated effort, and we hope that it happens again," Marketti says, "but the goal is not to win awards. The goal is the perfect restoration of the car." Every year, the Nethercutt team turns its focus to one such project, a custom that assures the utmost care and detail is given to each automobile.
Every piece of automobilia on display at the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, Calif., has been restored by the automotive experts on site. The 1925 Doble steam car, 1933 Duesenberg SJ Arlington, and 1923 McFarlan—just to name a few—are bona fide classics returned to their original specifications by the artistry of the Nethercutt team. The workforce consists of about 20 skilled mechanics, metalworkers, electricians, upholsterers, and engineers with more than 400 total years of experience. Each aspect of the car must be true to the design that the automobile exhibited when it first rolled off the production line.
The Nethercutt team is in its final stages of preparation for Pebble Beach at the time of our visit, just 14 weeks before the event, Alex Prosser, a master of metal shaping, was still molding the fender panels of a 1930 Ruxton, this year’s Pebble Beach entry. The restoration was commissioned by J.B. Nethercutt just before his death in December 2004. Before the Ruxton makes its way onto the field, the team will take every measure to ensure its authenticity. Even the engine will be tested on the dynamometer to verify the proper power output, and virtually the entire car will have come from the original production line. "Ninety percent of the Ruxton is really a Ruxton," says Marketti.
This is a staggering accomplishment, considering that the Ruxton was in production for only one year, and that fewer than
300 ever made it out of the Moon factory in St. Louis before the company folded.
"It may not be the highest quality of the classic cars out there, but it is
unique," says Marketti. "It is a worthwhile restoration for the rarity of the
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The Grand Salon boasts polished marble columns and floors,
Bavarian cut crystal chandeliers, 33-foot ceilings, and room for 30
cars. (Click image to enlarge)
As Heumann explains, "Nethercutt has raised the standard of
perfection here at the Concours. They research everything to the nth
degree, and their restorations are beyond reproach." One of the many nuances
that elevate a Nethercutt restoration above every other is the extensive
research poured into each automobile. The museum building contains a voluminous
automotive library containing literature on nearly every make and model in
existence. As questions arise about the specifications or assembly details of
any restoration, the Nethercutt’s library provides answers. "For example, we
didn’t know what type of upholstery was used for the original Ruxton until we
found a document from our library that authenticated the fact that Schumacher
produced the fabrics for the car. The same company provided all of the fabric
for the presidential Blue Room in the White House," Marketti says.
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