William B.

Ruger was an avid collector of the multi-cylinder Classics of the 1930s and was particularly passionate about the twelve-cylinder Lincolns, of which he owned and enjoyed several very fine examples.

The last Lincoln V-12 in his collection was this car, the very rare seven-passenger touring built by Willoughby of Utica, New York, a firm more renowned for their closed limousine bodies.

Willoughby produced this style for the Model K in 1937, 1938, and 1939 only, and production each year was severely limited.

Today only three examples of the body style have survived: the example offered here, another 1937 model, and a single 1938 model.

According to previous owner Sam Kingston, this seven-passenger touring was built for Russell Leffingwell, chairman of the board of J.P.

Morgan & Company, who used it for travel to his summer house on Lake George in upstate New York.

In the mid-1940s the car was sold by the family to the late Curtis Blake, co-founder of Friendly’s and an avi...