1929 Muller Front Drive (Ruxton) “Alligator” (Chassis #1004)

Can you imagine two cars chained together, nose to nose, engines thundering on the infield of the 1930 Indianapolis 500? In one corner, wearing black coachwork with gray interior weighing in at 3,650  pounds, the 1929 Ruxton factory special known as the Muller Front Drive Special. And in the other corner, weighing in at a stout 4,320 pounds, a 1929 L-29 Cord. As the starter dropped his hand the two cars roared to action…in reverse! It was an automotive Tug of War—pre-war madness at its finest—and a fitting subject matter for this, my 100th installment of Hidden Treasures.

That same Indy weekend the Muller Front Drive Special was clocked at 105 mph at the Indianapolis Speedway with racers Bob McDonough and Peter Kreis at the controls. By all historical accounts, this was a very special automobile.