This Delage is quite a work of automotive art. The fine details and the sheer craftsmanship of its build in addition to its seamlessly elegant design made it stand out at the Radnor Hunt Concours this year. The alligator leather and the chrome trim were incredible, but the crown jewel of its details was definitely its hood ornament, a crystal woman with a swept headdress.
Such a striking machine. I’ll let the photos do the talking from here. Enjoy the gallery!
We had a beautiful day yesterday for the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance. There were some incredible cars in attendance, and we took hundreds of photos. Here are a few highlights for you to chew on…
1939, we all know what was happening in Europe at that time, but on the brink of the second World War, this Delage was competing in the last races before the onset of mass destruction.
It was the end of an era for the automobile, and after the war things would be faster, but they sure wouldn’t look as good. I mean look at the swooping fenders on this thing, it was as much about style as it was about speed. Pre-war era racing was a unique time in automotive history, one that will never be equalled in many respects. Racing had a lot more charm back then, it was more dangerous for it, but that also added to the appeal.
Enjoy daydreaming about this French masterpiece!
Continue reading This 1939 Delage D6 3 Liter Gran Prix is from the last glory days of French racing
A Delage at Pebble Beach, to the seasoned, is not a surprise, nor is anything bodied by Figoni et Falaschi. The design house mixed with that automobile manufacturer is a match truly made in heaven, like mixing the best Chardonnay with the perfect high-end French meal. Delage is a well-known brand among the prewar automotive cognoscenti and the D6-70 shown here has a rich history. This is a car that may have won a concours event when new in 1936 and its unique coachwork and body style, coupled with the fetching paint combination, convinced me to stay a bit and take some photos. I wasn’t the only one captivated, either–the judges awarded this D6-70 the French Cup award and a Second In Class trophy for the European Classic Early class. It’s not the enormously entertaining D8-120, but it’s pint-size charm still holds plenty of classic appeal. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1936 Delage D6-70 Figoni et Falaschi Milord Cabriolet at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Here is the first batch of our highlights from the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It was a great year this year, with loads of unique automobiles in attendance, including 16 of the 17 remaining Ruxtons (shown above). Maseratis were also featured this year for the marque’s centennial, as well as a stunning showcase of Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, and some truly beautiful machines with coachwork by Darrin.
This is rolling artwork at its finest, so enjoy the photos. There’s much more to come!
Continue reading Highlights from the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Part 1
“They don’t make them like this anymore…”
That is a phrase I must have heard uttered over a dozen times during the weekend of the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance by people gazing at the magnificent pre-war automobiles on display. And they definitely don’t make cars like these anymore. In fact, most manufacturers of these majestic machines have long been defunct. The likes of Duesenberg, Packard, Minerva and Delage are all absent from the vocabulary of modern automobillia, and it’s a real shame because the cars they made were nicer (relatively) than even the top-of-the line Rolls Royce today.
In fact, as I’ve said before, Rolls Royce is really the only company from this era that still makes the same type of cars today as it did back then. Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz still exist, but have both moved their base of operation far down market. Yes, the pre-war era was a different time, when the automobile was a blank canvass for craftsmen to as they pleased. There was a lot of art-for-art-sake in these cars, and that’s something that is mostly absent from modern cars now that accountants and health and safety people run the show.
So the relative gray-scale of the cars we know today makes ogling over these pre-war gems an activity to be savored. I am really hoping for a renaissance of creativity in the auto industry, where the artistry will come back and add to all of the modern technology and design. The cookie-cutter designs of modern cars have gotten extremely old, and a design that aims to please anyone is also boring to everyone. So I’ve got my fingers crossed.
For now, though, just enjoy gazing at these incredible pre-war machines. The attention to detail, and the sheer craftsmanship is simply breathtaking to behold. Enjoy the cars!
Continue reading Pre-War Cars at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance
The French are not known these days for timeless, elegant styling. Wind the clock back 75 years, however, and they had the honor of calling companies like Delage and Delahaye home, two manufacturers that could lay claim to some of the most beautiful Depression-era automobiles ever produced. This particular Delage is one of the last D8s built before the Germans invaded France in 1940 and with its Vanvooren coachwork looks absolutely stunning. It is a shame that this striking car did not win any awards at Amelia this spring. Notably, it’s the only car I felt obligated to photograph after the rest of the show field had left for the evening at the close of the Concours. Although the starting rod failed, it did not have any problem making my heart skip a beat that day in Florida. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1939 Delage D8-120S Coupe at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
We attended the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance last weekend and were absolutely blown away by the quality of the cars that were present. This post is a highlight feature on the pre-1950 era cars that caught my eye at the show. The post-1950 era highlights will go up on Friday and there are many more individual features to come.
Enjoy gazing at these magnificent automobiles.
Continue reading Highlights from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Pre 1950)
Most of the cars we feature are quite special, but this Delage D8 120SS Aerodynamic Coupe is a special sort of special. This car is the only one of its kind, a unique short wheelbase variant of the D8 120S Aerodynamic Coupe. Going off of what I’ve found about this car, the 120SS shares the same 4.7L inline-eight cylinder engine found the D8 120S. Producing as much as 160hp, this motor gave the car quite a large amount of punch for its day. Its top speed was said to be in excess of 115mph.
Originally the D8 120SS was a commission order for some European prince, but after World War II it wound up in the Gerry Albertini collection in London. Today it has been recently restored by RM Restorations, and is poised to be a major contender in the concours circuit.
This is one truly stunning automobile, likely my personal favorite from The Elegance At Hershey this year. We wound up only having a short time to get our photos this year, on account of bad weather, so I hope to see the car again soon to capture even more of its details. That said, I am happy with the photos I got, so enjoy.
Continue reading The Elegance At Hershey: 1937 Delage D8 120SS Aerodynamic Coupe
We attended the The Elegance at Hershey this past weekend. It was actually our second show of the day, so time was precious to begin with, but the rain wound up cutting the event even shorter. It actually turned out to be favorable for us because most people left the show, leaving the cars largely unobstructed for photographs. The clouds also made the lighting fantastic for shooting classic cars, by both reducing glare and making to colors more striking. Our time in Hershey was a bit rushed, but I like how the pics came out. There were some really fantastic cars there too. This is an overview gallery of the event. There will be specific features to follow. Enjoy. Continue reading The Elegance at Hershey 2013
Mind Over Motor 