From the press archive. Event dates and availability reflect the original 2026 release.

Auburn, Indiana. June 2026. For collectors seeking a more discreet environment than a traditional live auction, Kruse Auctions’ Sealed Bid Series enables the sale and acquisition of significant automobiles in a secure, confidential setting. Introducing the series and first off the grid in June is a historically important 1906 Locomobile ’Vanderbilt Cup’ Racer, reassembled from original and fully documented Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup factory team components. This spectacular creation is the reunification of one of America’s earliest and most momentous factory racing efforts, documenting and reconnecting the surviving pieces of the famed two-car Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup Team that helped establish American credibility on the international stage.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, international road racing quickly became the proving ground where manufacturers demonstrated reliability, durability, and outright speed, and by the early 1900s, European marques largely dominated the field. Yet a handful of ambitious American engineers and industrialists believed the United States could compete on equal footing with the world’s best. Among the most determined was the Locomobile Company of America of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Under the engineering direction of pioneering automotive innovator Andrew Lawrence Riker, Locomobile developed a dedicated series of Vanderbilt Cup racers intended to challenge the dominant European entries on American soil. Riker, already an accomplished engineer and racer by the 1890s, combined European-inspired design philosophy with advanced American engineering practices to create one of the most sophisticated racing cars of the Brass Era. By 1906, Locomobile had constructed a pair of immensely advanced four-cylinder competition cars.

Locomobile’s defining moment arrived during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup, America’s premier international road race. Entered as a dedicated two-car factory effort, George Robertson piloted the now legendary No. 16 machine, while James Florida drove the sister No. 1 car. Robertson ultimately drove No. 16 to a dramatic overall victory, securing one of the most important triumphs in early American motorsport history and firmly establishing the capability of the American automobile industry on the world stage.

Equally significant was the performance of Florida’s No. 1 Locomobile. As the race neared its end, spectators and support vehicles prematurely flooded the course in celebration. Florida, still completing his final lap at speed, collided with one of the intruding automobiles only yards from the finish. Despite the chaos and damage sustained in the incident, the Locomobile was ultimately dragged across the line and was officially credited with a third-place finish. While Robertson’s victorious No. 16 would forever become immortalized as “Old 16,” the damaged No. 1 car that took third place, played a remarkable and historic role in Locomobile’s historic two-car Vanderbilt Cup effort.

Following Locomobile’s success in competition, Old 16 and the remaining Vanderbilt Cup Team assets and components associated with the two-car effort were retained by Andrew Riker, who stored the surviving parts, spare mechanical components, and damaged remains at the Riker family estate in Fairfield, Connecticut. Over time, Old 16 itself passed into the ownership of Joseph Sessions and later famed automotive artist, historian, and collector Peter Helck. Having been preserved by the Riker family for decades, the extensive and exceedingly rare inventory of original Locomobile team spares and components were ultimately acquired by the current caretaker and historian in 1997, along briefly with the legendary “Old 16”, now on permanent display in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The 1906 Locomobile on offer is a spectacular, recreated pre-WWI brass-era American race-bred automobile, reassembled from many of those original documented factory team components. Powered by a thunderous and fiery Locomobile 16.2-liter (990-cubic-inch) F-head four-cylinder racing engine, this remarkable vehicle represents one of the most significant surviving links to America’s breakthrough international racing success and famed two-car 1908 Vanderbilt Cup winning race team.

“All of us as car fans and race fans can be grateful that this extraordinary automobile has been reunified,” said John Kruse, Owner and Auctioneer. “Because so many of its original parts have been preserved, repaired and as needed, rebuilt and added, it can be experienced and used today, something I hope the new owner takes advantage of. This is a visceral driving experience; the car was built with the capacity to win races and it sounds and is incredible. Few automobiles could better embody the pioneering spirit, engineering ambition, and racing heritage of the formative years of American motoring.”

Full details and video links to the 1906 Locomobile ’Vanderbilt Cup’ Racer and its provenance are available here at kruseauctions.com, along with information on bidder registration. Interested parties can also contact info@kruseauctions.com or call 1.260.927.0000. The sealed bid auction runs from 11am EST on June 23rd to 3pm EST on June 30th.

About Kruse Auctions

The legacy of auctioneering in the Kruse family started in 1952 in Auburn, Indiana, the birthplace of the collector car auction industry in America. Over the decades, some of the most significant cars in the world have changed hands there, and Kruse Auctions continues the tradition today.

Still headquartered in Auburn and led by John Kruse, a lifelong auctioneer and motorcar specialist, Kruse Auctions represents significant collector automobiles with discretion, transparency, and measurable results. Relationships within the global collector community drive meaningful outcomes for clients. From rare, pre-war automobiles, to American and European classics and iconic sports and supercars, Kruse Auctions achieves landmark results that reflect both market strength and buyer confidence.

As well as specializing in the sale and acquisition of collector automobiles at auction, Kruse Auctions offers specialist appraisal, collection consultancy, private sales and estate planning services. Its annual auction schedule includes the Auburn Spring Auction in April and the Auburn Auction & Show, staged over Labor Day Weekend in conjunction with the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival. Kruse Auctions also presents stand-alone sales of significant private collections and scheduled online and sealed bid auctions. The company’s dedicated collector car facility encompasses more than 200,000 square feet, including a fully equipped live auction arena and secure, climate-controlled indoor space for hundreds of motorcars.

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