Tag Archives: French Cars

1947 Delahaye 135M Narval “Cover Girl” at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

February 15, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

Only automobile aficionados know about Delahayes. But when anyone asks me who made the most beautiful cars of all time, I usually drop the Delahaye name. They are gorgeous, they are elegant, they are as French as French can be.

Any connoisseur of pre-war automobiles will know of all the stunning machines that came out of France in the early-mid 1900s. Many might argue that Bugatti or Talbot should hold the crown of beauty instead, but Delahayes have always dropped my jaw in a way that no other marque ever has. They are magical machines with the power to make everything around them disappear.

The 1947 Delahaye 135M you see here turned many heads at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. It is one of a few hundred 135Ms produced in the difficult post-war era. France was ruined and there wasn’t much room for ostentatious luxury cars as the country was being rebuilt. As a result, most post-war Delahayes were exported to wealthy buyers outside of France. Delahaye’s larger military contracting business kept them afloat until they lost a major contract with the French government, and went bust in 1954.

This beautiful black Delahaye 135M Narval was built for a wealthy industrialist in Ohio. It’s design was inspired by the elegant motion of aquatic mammals, specifically the Narwal. It was built for the President of The Prima Company Ohio, and was showcased in a magazine ad for “Covergirl Dress Flats by Prima,” hence the car’s nickname “Cover Girl.”

This Delahaye stands as a masterpiece of art on wheels. Enjoy the gallery.

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Car Shows, Cars We've Seen

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Blue Carbon at the Quail Lodge

February 10, 2016 ndubs77 2 Comments

No matter what you may think of the Bugatti Veyron, there is no denying the hefty presence it has when you see one in person. It’s not a particularly big car, and it doesn’t have the flashiest exotic shape either. The Veyron is very round, some might even say bulbous, but it has an essence of sheer quality that will make almost any car near it seem shamefully cheap.

I recently heard somewhere that these Super Sport model Bugattis cost Volkswagen a whopping $6 million each to produce. That means VW lost $2-4 million on each Veyron they sold. Most cars are a lot cheaper in build than their price tag would suggest, especially in the luxury arena. Not the Bugatti Veryron, though, and it really does show when you see the car up close in the real world.

I know I’ve been one to criticize the Veyron from time to time, but that’s mostly for people reasons, not because of the car itself. Sociologically, the braggadocios Veyron got played out pretty quick, and Bugatti even struggled to move the last few units. But there’s no denying what a significant technological achievement this car is, even despite the existence of the LaFerrari, Koenigsegg and the other, newer hypercars.

Sure, there are quicker cars out there. But the Veyron doesn’t just do 250 or 260 mph, it makes it an easy affair. I often joke that the Bugatti’s real achievement wasn’t in breaking the 250 mph barrier, but in that it would allow Paris Hilton to do it in heels while texting, petting her toy dog and taking a selfie. That is a massive engineering achievement, and if you tried the same in a Hennessey Venom GT…. well, you’d probably wind up losing your phone.

What a fantastic objects these later-production Veyrons are, when Bugatti started getting fancy with the color schemes. This Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which we found at the Quail Lodge during Monterey Car Week, just looked unreal with it’s two-tone French Racing Blue and blue carbon fiber bodywork. If I were spec’ing up a Bugatti Veyron for myself, this would surely be the epitome of my desire.

Enjoy the photos of this serious stunner!

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Car Shows

Best Of Show Winners from the 2015 Concours of America at St. John’s

January 5, 2016 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

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Six months back, Nick, Shane, and I were all in attendance at the 2015 Concours of America, over in Plymouth MI. Nick’s shown us all the highlights and I’ve done a few features on one or two muscle cars and a set of dry-lake race cars, as well as a very unique Corvette. However, nothing gets in front of Best of Show, and at this show, one award is given to the best American car, and one is given to the best imported car. The winners this year genuinely embody the best of what the pre-war world of cars had to offer 80 years ago. Continue reading Best Of Show Winners from the 2015 Concours of America at St. John’s →

Car Shows, Uncategorized

Various Racing Machines in the Laguna Seca Paddock

January 4, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Some more shots from the Paddock of Laguna Seca during Monterey Car Week, here is a gallery of awesome racing cars, old and new.

I always love seeing the old pre-war racecars sitting right next to more modern racecars, like Group C, because it really puts in perspective how far the automobile has come in just a few decades. That said, the drivers of those older racing cars were men among men. Those cars were not especially slow at all, reaching over 100mph, but with very primitive technology.

Enjoy the spectacle!

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Car Shows

1938 Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Legere Special Sport Roadster at the Concours of America

October 9, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

I was totally blown away by this magnificent 1938 Peugeot Darl/Mat at the Concours of America this year. A two-tone yellow paint scheme is always sure to turn some heads, but combined with such nice lines, it took me a while to pick my jaw up off the grass.

The Peugeot Darl’Mat was a sports and racing car of the era. It even saw a class victory at Le Mans in 1938. Underneath its gorgeous bodywork from Marcel Pourtout, this particular car is a Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Legere… the lightest model with the biggest engine.

The 402 Darl’Mat was powered by Peugeot’s 2 Liter overhead valve 4 cylinder engine, which was mated to a 4-speed preselector gearbox. This was all cutting edge tech for racing back in the era, with similar designs found in other notable French racers, such as Delahayes.

As with many 1930’s French cars, this Peugoet’s visual beauty drew me in. In addition to its striking color combo, it has some stunning detail work all around.

With just over 100 Peugeot Darl’Mats built, this car is quite a rare sight, especially when you account for the coachwork.

This surely won my own personal Best In Show award at the Concours Of America this year. Enjoy the gallery!

-Nick Walker

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Cars We've Seen

Citroen Acadiane spotted in Malvern, PA

October 8, 2015 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

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As Nick and I were about to leave the Radnor Hunt Concours last month, I happened upon this old Citroen van and shot a few pictures of it. Not knowing what it was, I thought it was an old Mehari or 2-CV. Turns out, I’m wrong. This is a Citroen Acadiane panel van, and it’s about the size of a mail truck. They made over 200,000 of these, but I doubt many survive–it’s old and French, and like old Citroens, it probably does well at rotting in a field. Luckily, this one looked quite nice. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Citroen Acadiane spotted in Malvern, PA →

Car Shows

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2015 RADNOR HUNT CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE: PART 2

September 23, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

And now we bring you our second round of highlights from the 2015 Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance. These were some of the more modern cars on the field, everything from supercars like the Porsche 959 seen above, to a Dodge Charger with a 426 Hemi under the hood. The Radnor Concours was really great this year.

Enjoy the gallery!

Continue reading HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2015 RADNOR HUNT CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE: PART 2 →

Car Shows

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux at the Concours of America

August 18, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

A beautiful example of 1930’s era French car design, this Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux turned many a head at the 10 Concours of America. Another Bugatti, a much rarer Type 57 SC Atlante won best in show, but it was all black and much less fun to look at than this wild yellow and black Bug (I know, cars snobs are rolling their eyes right now). In fact, the Bugatti Atlante that won used to be a 2-tone yellow, which was 100x cooler than the all-black it is now…. sometimes there is a good reason that a car does not have the original paint job.

Either way, this Type 57 Ventoux was my favorite Bugatti at the show. It was very “Cruella DeVille.”

Enjoy the pics!

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Car Shows

1934 Hispano-Suiza J-12 Sedanca Drophead Coupe at the Concours of the Americas

August 5, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

This incredible green 1934 Hispano-Suiza J-12 took our breath away at this years Concours of the Americas.

Back in the 1930s, the V12-powered Hispano-Suiza J-12 was among the most expensive luxury automobiles on the market. The chassis alone cost around $10,000, and then it still had to have a body fitted by a coach builder. The Hispano you see here had its coachwork done by Fernandez & Darrin.

Style didn’t come much more stylish than this back in the day, and you know this would turn more heads today than a modern Rolls Royce.

Enjoy the pics!

-Nick Walker

Car Shows

Highlights From the 2015 Greenwich Concours Day 2

June 5, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

On Day 2 of this year’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance we were blessed with a sudden downpour that made everyone run for cover. However, it also covered all of the immaculate cars in some beautiful water droplets, making for some wonderful photos. Rain and clouds also really make the colors “pop”, so I actually prefer it to direct sunlight for shooting cars. I’d imagine that the gentleman in the silver Porsche RSK Spyder (below) might disagree, though.

There were some truly beautiful cars displayed on Day 2, including that bright yellow/green Lamborghini Miura you see above – we saw him driving around on the streets of Greenwich before the show, and promptly lost bowel control. Thankfully we all had a change of pants in the car.

I should also point out that the green Ferrari Daytona Spider (seen below) is the only one ever made in that color, so one of the rarest examples of an already rare car. The Pagani Huayra was also said to be “one of one”, but every Pagani is built custom to order, so every other Huayra is equally “one of one” – people just love to toot their own horn, I guess, but an incredible car for either way. (My Subaru is “one of one” too, if you count it’s unique stone chips)

I thought last year’s Greenwich Concours was the best in recent memory, but this one just may have topped it. There’s more to come from the event, but enjoy looking through our highlight gallery of Day 2!

Continue reading Highlights From the 2015 Greenwich Concours Day 2 →

Car Shows

1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelivio at Bonhams Auction

March 11, 2015 ndubs77 2 Comments

While perusing through the field at the Bonhams Auction at the Quail Lodge, we were stopped in our tracks by this incredible 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio. Red and Black is one of my personal favorite color combinations on a car. That mixed with the swooping Art Deco lines of this vintage Bugatti made it just perfect.

This Type 57 was actually pretty powerful back in its day, with a 170hp supercharged inline-8 engine. If a Bugatti represents the utmost in luxury automobiles today, it was surely just as true back in the pre war era.

This stunning Type 57 Stelvio was coach built by Carrosserie Gangloff of Colmar, France. And what a magnificent job they did with it!

This Bugatti is exactly the sort of thing I look for in an Art Deco era luxury car. It has all of that swoopy style you could want, and it had some high technology and performance for its time. You can get more info on this car here.

Enjoy the photos of this immaculate machine!

-Nick Walker

Car Shows

Highlights from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Part 2

September 12, 2014 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Here is part 2 of our highlights from the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This was the first time a Ferrari has ever won best in show (see above), as well as a very uncommon occurrence where a post-war car takes the top honor.

Enjoy the photos of these incredible cars!

Continue reading Highlights from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Part 2 →