After conservation work will be carried over the next few months, the car will be exhibited in a climate-controlled environment. Visitors will not be able to touch this pieces of auto history, but they will be able to study it up close.
Biltmore conservators will work on the car’s interior and exterior this month, while the undercarriage and mechanical components of the car will be conserved by B.R. Howard & Associates.
“We are thrilled about the opportunity to work on such a rare automobile and bring another piece of Biltmore's rich history and collection into view," said chief conservator Nancy Rosebrock. "This car represents a great deal of history about the interests of the Vanderbilt family. The research and conservation process is very exciting for us."
The intention is not to make the car look as it did when it was new to George Vanderbilt, but to present it as an artifact of family history that has survived, albeit with some modifications that are now part of its story. "Our approach to preserving the Stevens-Duryea will be guided by the same ethics and standards of practice we adhere to when working on any object in Biltmore House," said Rosebrock. "Our goal is to preserve the object in its current state, not restore it to a completely new condition."
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