As a part of its June, July, August, and September Demonstration Days, the Seal Cove Auto Museum will be offering a series of curator led discussions featuring four “Hidden Gems of the Collection.” The June Demo Day will highlight the 1911 American Underslung. Visitors will learn about the car’s manufacturer, provenance, and mechanical features during these up-close, photo-friendly events. Talks will be scheduled for 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM on each day. Rides in antique autos will be offered, weather permitting.
Custom built for Larz Anderson, a prominent US diplomat, the Underslung was delivered during Anderson’s diplomatic posting to Belgium in 1911. With Larz Anderson’s death in 1937, the car’s ownership passed to his widow Isabel Weld Perkins Anderson, a Boston-area heiress and author, who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums, including the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA. In 1948 Isabel gifted the car to her nephew Briggs Swift Cunningham, racing car constructor, driver, team owner, manufacturer, and automobile collector. Cunningham also skippered the victorious yacht Columbia in the 1958 America’s Cup race.
The 1911 American Underslung is part of the Richard C. Paine Jr. Charitable Trust’s collection.