Tag Archives: Pre War Cars

Cars We've Seen, Obscure Autos, Opinions

The Magnificent Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe at Amelia Island

November 21, 2016 ndubs77 3 Comments

I’m sure many of you know about the most expensive car on Earth (arguably), the 1936 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe. Well, this Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe was the show car that inspired the Atlantic’s design. At the 1935 Paris Auto Salon, the Aerolithe was had a striking and divisive effect on the crowd. It was unlike any car ever seen before because of its swooping coupe shape and also because its body was made entirely of electron magnesium, a metal nearly impossible to work with. It was aptly dubbed the “Electron Coupe.”

Despite initial mixed opinions in Paris, the Bugatti Aerolithe went on to inspire many other French car designs to come during the Art Deco era, including the famed Type 57 SC Atlantic. Interestingly, though, the Aerolithe vanished shortly after the Paris show, and has never been seen again.

Continue reading The Magnificent Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe at Amelia Island →

Cars We've Seen

If you’re gonna have a woody, why not make it a Rolls?

October 24, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

This stunning Rolls Royce woody was on the track for the concours at Lime Rock. Have you ever seen a wagon so elegant?

Car Shows, Uncategorized

Purple Pierce Arrow at the Hershey Elegance

June 15, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

Out on the show field at Hershey, this deep purple 1919 Pierce Arrow seemed to come from its own planet. Almost blue, but clearly purple in person, it was a crowd favorite at the show this year.

Its wooden wheel spokes and white tires only added to its striking appearance. This is the sort of car I go to Concours events to see, something old and crazy that will absolutely blow my mind. This Pierce did not disappoint!

Enjoy the gallery.

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Automotive Lifestyle, Car Shows

Elks Lodge 2016 Car Show General Gallery

Gallery June 3, 2016 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

Last year, I brought a Miata to this show, and I somehow managed to win 3rd place in the Import class (well, there were 3 of us). This year, the Lincoln may not have won anything, but my favorite car at the show won Best in Show, and the rest of the field wasn’t half-bad either. I spent the entire afternoon taking photos, talking to participants, and generally having a ball at the fact that the show was just steps away from my residence. This is the third year the show’s been running and the Elks Lodge in Piscataway does a beautiful job of getting the word out and getting some beautiful classic cars to turn up and show off their best. Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows, Uncategorized

1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton at the Concours of America

May 25, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

A nice blue on different blue Duesenberg for your Wednesday! Don’t we wish America still made a car with this much class? We may be heading in the right direction, though.

-Nick

Car Shows

A Prohibition-tastic Cord L-29 at Amelia Island

April 29, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

1931 was an interesting time. People were still riding the wave of craziness from the roaring 20’s in many ways, but there were more and more symptoms of the Great Depression popping up all over. It was a trying time, to be sure, and people weren’t even allowed to drink to cope with it all. That wouldn’t do at all, especially not if you were wealthy and flamboyant.

This flashy orange and yellow Cord came with just the solution, a full cocktail bar hidden away in a secret compartment in the passenger door. I mean, laws are for the working class, they shouldn’t be drinking because they have to be working. But when you’re rich and set for life, you play by a different set of rules. You should be able to have a drink while you’re out driving your sports car.

This 1931 Cord L-29 is actually a replica of a show car that Cord featured during the era to promote their brand. Needless to say, it’s quite striking, and getting these photos took lots of patience because people were swarming the car.

Enjoy the gallery!

Continue reading A Prohibition-tastic Cord L-29 at Amelia Island →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance

Gallery March 22, 2016 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

Yesterday, Nick posted the Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, at Amelia last week. Today, we have the other Best of Show winner from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This is the Concours d’Elegance Best Of Show winner–a stunning Rolls-Royce Phantom II. I’ve been across a very large amount of prewar Rolls since I started covering Concours events in September 2010, but nothing quite like this monster. Continue reading 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance →

Car Shows

2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Gallery 1

March 18, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Here is our first round of highlights from the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. There were so many incredible cars, of various eras, present that it’ll take a few of these galleries and numerous individual features to cover them all.

Racing legend, Hans-Joachim Stuck (pictured above), was the guest of honor. He rolled up during the award ceremony at the wheel of the Porsche 962 in which he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was epic!

Best in show awards went to a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Town Car with some fancy coachwork (see below), and also to a 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupula Coupe, which was my personal favorite car at the show, as well. The Pegaso had a unique color scheme of bright yellow with red-wall tires and a pea green interior, and it’s striking curves and crafted details definitely made it the sight to be seen.

Enjoy this first highlight reel, and stay tuned for much more to come!

Continue reading 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Gallery 1 →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

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

1932 Ruxton Model C at the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance

February 5, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Ruxton built unique front-wheel-drive cars in the early 1930s, although they were only able to actually produce cars for a few months. The company was plagues with mismanagement through its entire conception, and wound up fizzing out as the Great Depression Took hold, causing financial strains across the board.

The cars themselves were bold and beautiful. They sat much lower than most of their contemporaries thanks to the lack of a driveshaft running underneath the car. Many Ruxtons featured striking gradient-striped paint jobs, like the one you see here.

We saw many Ruxtons the last time we were at Pebble Beach, this one included. It was a great pleasure to see it again this year at the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance.

Enjoy the photos of this beautiful car!

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

The Thunderbolt, a Custom Rolls Royce with a WWII Tank Engine

January 25, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

Some things just need to be built. Even without a practical purpose, some things must exist because they will make the world a better place. Inspiration is a powerful force in our world, and things that are born out of passion serve to inspire further passion in others. If that isn’t a worthy cause, then I don’t know what is.

This is the Thunderbolt, a custom built Rolls Royce Boat Tail Speedster with a fire-breathing WWII tank engine under its massive hood. It is the embodiment of childhood dreams, and an homage to a more elegant time, when cars were truly works of art and craftsmanship.

The Thunderbolt’s mighty engine is a 27 liter Rolls Royce Meteor V12. It produces 600-700hp and over 1,600 ft/lbs of torque. The Meteor engine was the tank derivative of the famous Merlin engine used in the Spitfire fighter plane. And when the owner says to be careful when starting the car, he means because it literally shoots 5 foot flames out the side exhausts (See the video).