Progressing beyond the light and relatively affordable, two-cylinder Model A of 1903–1904, the fledgling Ford Motor Company soon offered several four-cylinder models and by late 1905, the range-topping, six-cylinder Model K. While Henry Ford was primarily focused on his concept for an inexpensive “people’s car,” which would soon manifest as the iconic Model T, the luxurious Model K was produced through 1908. Powered by a 400.5 cid L-head six-cylinder engine, the Model K was offered in touring or runabout body styles, with the latter guaranteed to attain 60 mph. Approximately 1,000 examples of the Model K were built in total, all at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit. Today, it is believed that just 23 examples have survived.

This rare 1907 Ford Model K, chassis K516, carries exceptional known history, beginning when famed collector Henry Austin Clark Jr. discovered it on a Chicago used-car lot in amazingly complete and original condition. While in Mr. Clark’s ownership, the Model K was restored in its current gray and red color scheme, participated in the AACA’s annual Glidden Tour, and was showcased inside the famous Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton, New York. During this period, the Ford was also immortalized in a famous painting by artist Leslie Saalburg and featured on the museum’s popular series of postcards.

In 1962, Mr. Clark sold the Model K to noted early Ford enthusiast and collector Richard E. Williams of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, who displayed this rare machine in his exceptionally well-curated collection, housed within a beautifully designed and built facility modestly known to friends and visitors as the “Car Barn.”

In August 1995, the Model K was acquired by Mark Smith and has since been housed among his considerable assemblage of early Fords. Used little and essentially as purchased nearly 30 years ago, this Model K appears to have aged gracefully since it was owned by Mr. Clark, one of the great heroes of American car collecting.

A model seldom offered for public sale, this Model K is a worthy trophy for any serious collector of American antiques, and its provenance is second to none, having been a fixture in three significant collections since its discovery in the late 1940s. For the devoted Ford enthusiast, this is a rare opportunity indeed.

*Please note that this Lot, like all vehicles in this Auction, has been in long-term static storage and may not be currently operational. It will require mechanical attention prior to any road use.

Gooding & Company presents and conducts the Estate of Mark Smith Auction under the authority of John J. Rendemonti, Executor of the Estate of Mark J. Smith, duly appointed by the Circuit Court of the State of New Hampshire, Probate Division, Case Number 312-2022-ET-00072. The Estate has compiled available title and/or registration paperwork for the Vehicles offered in the Auction and will provide such paperwork to the Buyer if it is available. However, as set forth more fully in the Conditions of Sale, neither the Estate nor Gooding makes any representation or warranty with respect to any existing certificate of title or registration with regard to any Lot in the Auction. Any Lot may be sold on a Bill of Sale. By participating in this Auction, all bidders and buyers recognize that Estate and Gooding have expressly disclaimed all such warranties concerning the availability or sufficiency of any title or registration documentation.