First published in ���� by Motorbooks, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, ��� First Avenue North, Suite ���, Minneapolis, MN ����� USA © ���� Motorbooks Photography © ���� Peter Harholdt All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher. Te information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred incurred in connection with the use of this this data or speci�c details. We recognize, further, We further, that some words, model model names, and designations mentioned mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder. We use them for identi�cation purposes only. Tis is not an official publication. Motorbooks titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales-promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, ��� First Avenue North, Suite ���, Minneapolis, MN ����� USA. o �nd out more about our books, visit us online at www.motorbooks.c at www.motorbooks.com. om. Digital edition: ���-�-�����-���-� Softcover edition: ���-�-�����-���-� Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bodensteiner, Peter. Art of the classic car / by Peter Bodensteiner. Bodensteiner. p. cm. Includes index. Summary: “Art “Art of the Classic Classic Car showcases showcases the most most beautiful and in some cases rare vehicles of the early 20th century. Each car is showcased with breathtaking photography and coupled with explicit, informative prose detailing the particular history of each model”—Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-0-7603 978-0-7603-4415-6 -4415-6 (hc w/�aps) 1. Antique and classic cars. 2. Automobiles. I. itle. L15.B57 2013 629.222—dc23 2013008756 On the front cover: ���� Mercedes ���K Acquisitions Editor: Darwin Holmstr Holmstrom om On the back cover: ���� Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor I Creative Director: Rebecca Pagel On the frontis: Jordan Speedway Series Z Ace Designer: Chris Fayers On the title page: ���� Figoni & Falaschi Delahaye ���M Cover designer: Simon Larkin Competition Coupe Printed in China �� � � � � � � � � �
A RT O F T H E
CLASSIC CAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY
PETER HAR DOLDT WOR DS BY
PETER BODENSTEINER
Contents Introduction Section I:
Open Cars ���� Mercer ��R Raceabout ���� Stutz Bearcat ���� Edsel Ford Model �� Special Speedster ���� Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor I
Section II:
Convertibles ���� Cord L-�� Cabriolet ���� Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace Roadster ���� Packard Twelve Runabout Speedster ���� Duesenberg JN Roadster ���� Mercedes-Benz ���K Special Roadster ���� Delahaye ���MS Roadster ���� Delage D�-���S Cabriolet
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Section III:
Coupes ���� Bentley Speed Six Blue Train Special ���� Cadillac Fleetwood V-�� Aero-Dynamic Coupe ���� Packard Twelve Model ���� V-�� Sport Coupe ���� Chrysler Imperial Model C� Airflow Coupe ���� Delahaye Model ��� M Coupe ���� Bugatti Type ��S Atalante ���� Delage D�-���S Aérodynamic Coupe ���� Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H-�C “Xenia” Coupe ���� Alfa Romeo �C����B
Section IV:
Sedans ���� Duesenberg SJ Convertible Sedan ���� Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow ���� Hispano-Suiza J-�� Sedanca ���� Cord ��� Model C�� Beverly Sedan ���� Chrysler Town & Country Acknowledgments
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Introduction
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hat is a classic car? Te Classic Car Club o America has its deinition, the Antique Car Club o America has its de�nition, and your insurance company, state, or country may have one as well. In this book, we’re not concerned about these—instead, we take a step back, look at a variety o body styles, builders, and countries o origin, and strive simply to deliver a selection o interesting and ofen beautiul cars, ones that I think any red-blooded car enthusiast should want to know more about. In other words, we are de�ning “classic” in a broad sense, using the word to indicate cars that are worth remembering years and decades later. It is true that the majority o these cars were likely built beore you and I were born. While enthusiasts
gravitate toward vehicles that were popular when we were young and impressionable, or most o us, none o the cars here �t that description. In any case, i you are already a car enthusiast, the chances are that you have a particular area o interest, and it’s likely that you’re most interested in more recent vehicles than those depicted here. Don’t be too hasty to disregard these cars, though, even i they seem to be quite different rom your avorites. I invite you to read an entry or two in this book, gaze at the beautiul photographs, and see i you can’t spark a new automotive interest. Te same motivations that caused engineers and designers to create the cars you already love also drove the men who built the automobiles ound in Art of the Classic Car . Te creators o these classic cars had the same goals as car builders rom any era—to make more
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power, improve handling, or to make an impactul statement with color and shape. Te creativity visible in the cars these early automotive proponents built is just as impressive as that employed in any other era— or even more so, given the technological constraints o earlier times. Are you a an o light, nimble sports cars? Check out the Mercer Raceabout or a truly bare-bones driving experience, or the Ala Romeo �C����B or a more elegant approach. Do you like big horsepower? ake a look at the big V-�� engines in the Packard Model ���� Sport Coupe or the Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow. Hot rodders will like the Edsel Ford Speedster, built on a modi�ed ’�� Ford chassis. Do you like orced induction? Early auto-makers ofen turned to superchargers in an era when turbochargers (or more accurately, turbosuperchargers) had
yet to be become prevalent. Cars like the Duesenberg SJ and the Mercedes-Benz ���K used supercharging to provide some boost. Lovers o big land yachts should check out what Cadillac was up to in the early ����s. Racing ans are sure to �nd some inspiration in the Mormon Meteor I or the Stutz Bearcat, cars that achieved a great degree o success in land-speed and circuit racing, respectively. It’s my hope that by studying these earlier expressions o automotive innovation, you will gain a greater appreciation or the history o the automobile. Not only will you enjoy yoursel, but you’ll emerge having broadened your horizons. Perhaps you’ll even pick up some inspiration or a vehicle o your own. I you do, know that you are ollowing in the ootsteps— and honoring the legacies—o the creative minds who have come beore you.
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Section I
Open Cars
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rom the beginning, every automobile in order to simpliy and enhance the driving needed only a ew basic components: an experience. Te other two cars in this section, engine or power, wheels, some means o while newer, do away with a roo altogether or transmitting power between the engine different considerations—outright high-speed and wheels, a chassis to locate all these racing in the case o the Mormon Meteor I , and components, and a driver and perhaps style with the Edsel Ford's Model �� Speedster. some passengers. Providing shelter or comort to It’s one thing to drive a car that is open to said humans was a secondary consideration. the elements, but it’s another thing altogether Not surprisingly, two o the cars in this to drive one that doesn’t provide even the most book that stray the least rom this undamental rudimentary top. It requires a different level collection o parts are in this section and are o commitment rom both its drivers and its the earliest cars in the book. Te ���� Mercer passengers. Ultimately, though, we treasure such Raceabout and the ���� Stutz Bearcat were among cars because they discard all that can be rivolous the �rst cars that one could consider sports cars, and super�uous and give us instead something eschewing roos and doors, among other things, real, something raw.
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Mercer ��R Raceabout ore than ��� years have passed since this car was built—nearly the entire history o the automobile. Yet here, in the Mercer Raceabout, we see the �rst glimpse o a philosophy o design that has always created and nurtured the essential passion or driving in those who experience it. Te Mercer sketched the blueprint: light weight, a com petent chassis, minimal creature comorts or useless gadgets, two seats, and with a willing engine driving the rear wheels. A host o cars ollowed the Mercer’s lead over the decades afer its creation, including the Jaguar XK���, roadsters rom the likes o MG and Ala Romeo, the Datsun ���Z, Mazda’s RX-� and Miata, and today’s oyota G-��/Scion FR-S/ Subaru BRZ triplets. Like many o the aorementioned sports cars, owners o the Mercer Raceabout could take their autobobiles directly to the
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racetrack. Afer �nishing ��th in the ���� Indianapolis ���, the Mercer team reinstalled their car’s headlights and enders and drove it back to the company’s headquarters in Mercer County, New Jersey. Mercer made do with a smaller engine in a lightweight car. Tat was not a prescription or victory at a track like Indianapolis, but on smaller circuits and in hillclimbing competition, which rewarded handling over horsepower, the Mercer was a orce. Spencer Wishart, one o the top drivers o the era, once drove a Mercer straight rom an Ohio dealership to a dirt-track event and won a ���-mile race. Te Raceabout was designed rom the ground up to perorm. Designers achieved a low center o gravity by placing the engine deep in the chassis, and by giving the driver and passenger low seating positions. Te car had no top, no body, and only minimal enders. Te driver sat behind a steeply raked steering column and no windshield to speak o. Te external shif column used an H-pattern arrangement to select each gear, another eature that later became typical.
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Te oot brake was marginal at best, so a hand lever controlled rear drum brakes to add much-needed stopping power. Mercers utilized shaf drive between the engine and rear wheels, whereas most competitors o the day used chain drive. Modern-day writers repeatedly comment that the car eels remarkably modern and nimble to drive, save or its inadequate brakes. As Ken Purdy wrote in Te Kings of the Road , “Most antique automobiles are not ast, and this one is.” Mercer guaranteed its customers that the car would top �� miles per hour, a bold claim in the pre-World War I era. Its inline our-cylinder, �.�-liter engine produced �� horsepower at �,��� rpm, but the torquey -head engine had less than �,��� pounds o curb weight to carry around. With a little tuning, ��� mph could be reached. oday the Mercer Raceabout is the most desirable pre–World War II car built in America. Tey typically change hands at more than $� million. Tey have never been inexpensive, like the everyman sports cars that came afer it. When new, a Raceabout cost $�,���, comparable to the price o a home. Tat said, it’s impossible to overstate the importance o the Mercer’s in�uence. Every time an automaker decides to g o back to the roots o what truly makes a car un to drive, they build another link in the chain stretching back to the Mercer Raceabout.
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S������������� �� I������� N����� R� ������� �� to �� C����� Steel-steel, oil immersed T����������� Tree-speed manual C���������� Fletcher or Stewart updraf I������� Dual, magneto W����� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg
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Stutz Bearcat
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wing to its reputation as a avorite o raccoon coat– wearing swells o the Roaring wenties, and numerous pop-culture reerences through the decades, the Stutz Bearcat maintains an uncommon level o cultural relevance today, even among those who have no idea what the car actually is. Stutz Bearcat—the name rolls so easily off the tongue. It serves as a kind o shorthand, as an emblem o a bygone era. Tat probably accounts or the Bearcat popping up in everything rom an episode o Te Simpsons to a Velvet Underground song. Unprecedented and widespread success as a perormance machine gave the Bearcat its ame originally. Afer entering his �rst production car—reportedly built in only �ve weeks— in the 1911 Indianapolis 500 and �nishing in 11th place, Harry C. Stutz adopted “Te Car that Made Good in a Day” as his company’s slogan. Stutz gained additional notoriety when ��
Erwin George “Cannonball” Baker drove an early Bearcat rom San Diego to New York in 11 days, 7 hours, and 15 minutes, breaking the previous coast-to-coast record. Te Bearcat delivered a new kind o sporting driving experience to the public, and also had a spirited rivalry with the Mercer Raceabout (see page ��). Tese two sports cars aced each other ofen, particularly on American racetracks, and battled or the loyalty o enthusiast drivers. Te Mercer had a signi�cant weight advantage o some �,��� pounds. Te Bearcat had the Mercer beat, i less emphatically, in the horsepower stakes. Tis Bearcat, a Series C model, has a our-cylinder engine with ��� cubic inches o displacement—a six-cylinder engine was also available. Te cylinders were cast in pairs, and the -head design eatured twin spark plugs or each cylinder. Early Bearcat engines ranged rom �� to �� horsepower.
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Te Bearcat’s minimal bodywork, including a simple hood and trim enders, kept its weight relatively low. It had no doors, no windshield (a monocle windscreen could be �tted to the steering wheel column), no cowl, and no top. A stiff clutch and an intimidating hand-crank starter helped give the Bearcat a reputation as a “real man’s” car. As with later marques like Ferrari and Porsche, racing success led to increased status among a certain t ype o car buyer. Te Stutz became the “it” car among wealthy buyers who could afford to spend a bit more on a vehicle that made up in perormance what it
lacked in practicality. By the ����s, though, the company catered to customers a bit more, adding creature comorts to its roadster such as doors, a windshield, and a top. Stutz’s relative success as a company boosts the Bearcat when evaluating the overall scorecard o its battles with the lithe and nimble Mercer. Long afer Mercer was gone, and even afer model production ended in ����, Bearcats continued racking up racing victories and could still be ound in competition through the rest o the ����s. Despite this, by ���� Stutz had quit making cars. oday, it is estimated that ewer than a dozen original Bearcats exist.
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S������������� �� I������� B����� Rear drums only; no ront brakes W����� Houk center-lock, wire spokes S��������� Rigid axles with Hardord shocks, semielliptic springs T����������� Tree-speed manual, external shif lever W�������� ��� inches/���cm C���������� Single updraf Schleber
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Edsel Ford Model �� Special Speedster
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eauty in simplicity—i ever there was a vehicle that embodies the meaning o that phrase, it is this one-off Model �� Speedster built under the direction o Ford Motor Company president Edsel Ford. Inspired by sports cars he saw in Europe during a visit in the early ����s, Edsel asked E. . “Bob” Gregorie, Ford’s chie designer at the time, to design a low and racy car. Te resulting car was based on a modi�ed ���� Ford (Model ��) rame and was powered by a stock �athead V-� (later replaced by a more powerul Mercury motor). Te body itsel is like the top hal o a butter dish with wheels, but in all details and proportions it delivers the impression o a low, sleek, ast, and un car. Te split ront grille is laid back at just the right angle, while underneath another, wider ��
grille is �anked by two round headlights. Tis lower portion o the car recedes like a wedge rom the very ront o the car back to the rear wheels; this taper keeps the bluff ront and horizontal hood rom looking too blocky. Cut-down openings aside the passenger compartment add a racy element and urther break up the car’s �at sides. A low-pro�le split windshield just in ront o the cockpit gives a sporting driver the barest protection rom the wind. Edsel died in ����, and the Speedster disappeared a ew times over the ensuing decades. It resuraced in ���� and eventually made its way back to the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Michigan, which is now operated as a historic site. Ford House had the car restored to its ���� con�guration.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� Mercury V-�, ��� ci/�.� liters P���� ��� bhp B��� Sheet aluminum over aluminum structural ramework E������ Straight dual exhaust, enclosed in bodywork W����� �,��� lbs/��� kg W�������� ��� inches/���cm
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Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor I
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he Mormon Meteor I is the one true racing car in this book. Fittingly it is a Duesenberg, rom the remarkable American company that made quite a name or itsel in the early ��th century with both elegant street cars and successul competition cars. In act, this car was �rst called the Duesenberg Special , and was constructed speci�cally or Ab Jenkins. Jenkins had set various speed records at his home state’s Bonneville Salt Flats, many o them endurance records set while circling an enormous oval laid out on the Utah salt. Jenkins looked to Duesenberg to produce this massive, ast roadster that could travel at high speeds or hours, or even days. It was built on a ���-inch Model J chassis. J. Herbert Newport designed the car’s narrow aluminum body, with its raked grille and windshield and dramatic airings, or its occupants as well ��
as or the our wheels. A �at belly pan and a tapered tail urther streamlined the car. Te car’s �.�-liter straight-eight Duesenberg engine had dual overhead cams, and two Stromberg carbs ed an intake that was boosted using a centriugal supercharger. A standard Duesey SJ engine made ��� bhp; with the help o cam-grinding legend Ed Win�eld, the Jenkins car’s mill pumped out ��� bhp. Jenkins, co-driving with ony Gulotta, managed an average o ���.��� mph or �� hours to set a new record, but that record was soon surpassed. Jenkins knew he needed more power, so he installed a Curtiss Conquerer V-�� aircraf engine more than twice the size o the Duesenberg engine, subsequently dubbed the car Mormon Meteor II , and eventually set a ���.�� mph ��-hour mark, among other records. Jenkins elt this was probably the limit o the chassis though, so he soon constructed the Mormon Meteor III , which carried on with a Curtiss engine. He retired the old car’s chassis, installed a Duesenberg engine, and drove it on the road or more than ��,��� miles. It is now restored to its ���� con�guration.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� Straight eight, � valves per cylinder, ���.� ci/�.� liters S����������� Centriugal, gear-driven C���������� �.�:� T���� Firestone ��-inch/��cm W����� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg T����������� Warner Hy-Flew three-speed manual
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Section II
Convertibles
A
nyone who has ever possessed a but they can see you better too. You’ll �nd that convertible (and i you haven’t, I open communication with your ellow man and recommend you make a point to a timely smile go a long way. do so), knows that driving a car It’s all part o the charm. With a convertible with the top down completely you can smell the countryside as you drive by. changes the experience o driv- You can eel each microclimate as you wind ing a car. Anyone who has spent their automotive through a shaded orest road. You can hear the lie caged within glass and steel can have no river running alongside you, or the thunder in comprehension o this—it’s something that the distance. And, needless to say, i you should �nd yoursel behind the wheel o any o the must be elt �rsthand. It’s not all wind-in-the-hair un, though. You classic convertibles eatured in this section, your are no longer immune to bird droppings, insect top-down drive will only be enhanced as you attacks, sunburn, windburn, or the occasional are conveyed by one o the most elegant vehicles rock thrown up rom the road. Tere’s nowhere ever built. When you arrive at your destination to hide rom your ellow motorists or rom and climb out o one o these attention-grabbing nearby pedestrians—you can see them better, rides, take my advice and don’t orget to smile!
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Cord L–�� Cabriolet
A
t �rst glance, the Cord L-�� may not appear to be a remarkable car, at least or its era. Upon closer examination, however, this L-�� could be called revolutionary—no less a visionary than Frank Lloyd Wright, who once owned this car, declared it so. Te L-�� was the �rst ront-wheel-drive car to be manuactured in any signi�cant quantity. Among others, Cord selected Harry Miller to engineer the car. Miller had set the racing world on its ear with his superb ront-wheel-drive racecar designs that succeeded at Indianapolis. For Miller, ront-wheel-drive had two primary advantages. First, it eliminated the need or a driveshaf to be placed underneath the car. Tis allowed the chassis and body to sit much lower, which enhanced both handling, through a lower center o gravity, and aerodynamics, by presenting a smaller body to the air rushing by. Second, with the drive wheels at ��
the heavy end o the vehicle, the traction o those tires was enhanced and power could be translated into orward momentum that much more effectively. ranserred to the L-��, these ront-wheel-drive advantages were apparent to Wright. In his autobiography, Wright predicted that the principles o ront-wheel-drive were logical and scienti�c, and that all cars would eventually be set up that way. By the ����s, the auto industry’s widespread adoption o ront-wheel-drive had largely ollowed Wright’s prediction. Te L-��’s transaxle was placed in ront o its long, straighteight engine. Tis in turn necessitated a long hood. Cord’s Al Leamy only emphasized the car’s low, long nature in his body design. A color-coordinated radiator surround, a low roo�ine, and raised accents running the length o the car helped stretch out the vehicle’s visual impression. Te L-��’s impact on the larger automobile industry was blunted by the stock market crash that immediately ollowed its introduction. Cord was orced to lower prices and only moved a ew thousand cars beore production ended in ����.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ��� bhp straight eight, ��� ci/ �.� liters B��� P���� $�,��� F���� S��������� de Dion solid axle, quarter elliptic lea springs W����� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg T�� S���� �� mph/��� kph
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Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace Roadster
O
ne o the last Jordan model cars ever built is also the only one o its kind known to exist—the Model Z Speedway Ace Roadster, o which only �� were made. Like many companies, automotive and otherwise, Jordan ailed to make it out o the Great Depression, but not beore making some cars o remarkable quality and uniquely American style. Te Cleveland, Ohio-based Jordan Automobile Company, was ounded in ����. During the ����s, Jordan made its mark on automotive culture and advertising through a popular ad campaign or its Playboy roadster and Blueboy sedan; their tagline was, “Somewhere West o Laramie.” At one point Jordan had �� dealers in the United States, and during its history more than ��,��� Jordan cars were built. ��
Te Model Z Ace was introduced in ����. It had a lowmounted body on a long ���-inch wheelbase rame. Its body was built by another Cleveland �rm, the Facto Auto Body Company. It had a large �.�-liter, straight-eight engine (mated to a ourspeed gearbox) that made ��� bhp at �,��� rpm. Jordan sought to capture some o the interest in aircraf during this period by using toggle switches or various accessories and even incorporating an altimeter into its dashboard. Jordan wasn’t completely dependent on gimmicks, however—it used high-quality components and even included �lters or its oil and uel, an automatic windshield washer, thermostatically controlled radiator shutters, and other unique and advanced eatures. Its engine’s crankshaf ran smoothly on �ve main bearings, and the car stopped with the aid o ully hydraulic brakes. Unortunately, the Ace Roadster's price and market timing doomed it rom the outset. Priced at over $�,���, it arrived just one year afer the stock market crashed and eliminated the ability o many potential customers to afford such a car. Found in 1998, this lone surviving Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace Roadster was restored, and received a class award at the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
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S������������� �� I������� C������ Double-dropped, pressed-steel, seven crossmembers E����� Straight eight, aluminum pistons, ��� ci/�.� liters I������� Dual points and coils C��������� win choke T�� S���� ���+ mph/160+ kmh
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Packard Twelve Runabout Speedster
T
his car is a kin to the Packard Sport Coupe ound else where in this volume. It thereore ollows that it shares many characteristics with that car, down to its rarity; while �� Sport Coupes were made, only � Runabout Speedsters were built. Setting this particular Runabout Speedster apart rom the others (all o which still exist) is that this car was ordered by actress Carole Lombard or her husband and ellow Hollywood leading light, Clark Gable. Tese two stars enjoyed romantic drives in the Duesenberg JN Roadster detailed in the next chapter. A lowered windshield, a rear-mounted spare tire, and spun disc wheel covers were among the distinctive custom eatures o Gable’s Packard. Like the Sport Coupe, the body o the Runabout Speedster was built by LeBaron at the direction o Edward Macauley, ��
director o design and the son o Packard president Alvan Macauley, and possibly with some input rom Dietrich, another coachbuilding �rm with which Packard worked. Following lessons learned since introducing its �rst ��-cylinder engine in ����, Packard installed a ��� ci V-�� engine to provide ample and smooth power. Surrounding this impressive engine was a long hood, the appearance o which was extended by an unbroken beltline that reaches rom the color-keyed grille surround all the way back to the rear o the car. Six identically sized vents are spaced evenly on the hood side, each graced with a horizontal chrome spear. A seventh, identical vent in the cowl scuttle, combined with a suicide-door cutline that mirrors the edge o the hood side, provides additional design continuity to the side o the car. Te skirted rear enders taper to the rear and down to a point, as does the rear deck behind the intimate cockpit. Te Packard Model ���� was designed to show off the high level o quality and style the automaker could produce. Te act that these cars remain so highly prized is proo this goa l was reached.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ��-degree V-��, modi�ed L-head, ��� ci/�.� liters H��������� ��� bhp at �,��� rpm T����� ��� lbs-f at �,��� rpm B����� Cable-operated drums with vacuum assist T����������� Tree-speed synchromesh W�������� W����� ��� ���� ⁄� inches/���cm
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Duesenberg JN Roadster
I
t’s easy or the average person to complain about the rich and amous. But automotive enthusiasts must sometimes put such eelings aside when the resources o the wealthy create the automobiles that inhabit one’ one’ss dreams. Te Duesenberg JN Roadster o actor Clark Gable is such a car. It was one o only �� JNs built, o which only � had convertible coupe bodies. And what a body that was—a raked-back windshield gave a sense o speed to the otherwise upright center portion o the body, which was surrounded by gorgeously shaped enders and coated in a creamy paint color that oozed smooth style, apropos or a top star like Gable. It’s not hard to picture Gable cruising the countryside with wie Carole Lombard in this car, and that is in act what they the y ofen did. Tey undoubtedly enjoyed the car’s cozy Cognac leather interior, which contrasted beautiully with its exterior color.. Bohman & Schwartz color S chwartz modiied the Rol lston body at ��
Gable’s direction. Tese upgrades included rear ender spats and the dual rear-mounted spares—perhaps a questionable addition, at least in terms o style. Te JN was an offshoot o the Model J, introduced in ���� as an update to a somewhat aging design. Along with a ew other styling changes, the body was set on rame rails or a lower appearance. Duesenbergs always had powerul engines, and with the light Roadster body this JN, despite lacking the supercharger ound on other Duesys, was a ast car. Te car was a Special Award Winner at the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and also won Best o Show at Meadow Brook and Amelia Island. It was one o the top draws o the ���� Gooding & Co. Pebble Beach auction, but it was not sold on the block.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� Straight eight, Lycoming manuacture P���� ��� bhp V��������� DOHC, our valves per cylinder W����� ��-inch/��cm diameter T�� S���� Approximately ��� mph/��� kph P���� $��,���
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Mercedes-Benz ���K Special Roadster
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hey say beauty is in the eye o the beholder, but is there a beholder unable to see the undeniable beauty o this elegant automobile? Te Mercedes-Benz ���K chassis was the ultimate evolution o the company’s prewar designs, and some people have even said it is MercedesBenz’s masterwork. Te ���K evolved rom the ���K (denoting a �.�-liter displacement) introduced in ����. Te engine grew in size but retained the overhead-valve straight-eight con�guration. Te K stands or “kompressor,” indicating a supercharged engine. Te Roots-type supercharger only engages under ull throttle, allowing sophisticated motorists to call on the extra power (and the supercharger’s accompanying whine) only when necessary.
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Te ���K incorporates independent suspension at all our corners, using a coil-sprung swing axle at the rear. Large, hydraulically assisted drum brakes are another advanced eature or the period. At more than �,��� pounds, it is not a sports car, but with its sophisticated suspension and powerul engine, it is a comortable, capable car. What sets this car apart is its body. Te ���K chassis was �tted with a variety o bodies, rom limousines to cabriolets to coupes. Te Special Roadster body was designed by Hermann-Ahrens, and the body was built by Mercedes-Benz’s in-house coachbuilder, Karosserie Sindel�ngen. Tis ��-oot-long two-seater (leaving aside a rumble seat hidden in the back) is incredibly well proportioned. Te upright, triangular grille announces a long, straight hood, leading to a split and laidback windshield. Behind the cockpit, the car slopes away at just the right degree, joining the rear enders as they complete their sweep up rom behind the doors. Only �� Special Roadsters were built, and only by special order. One such order was placed by the Prussian von Krieger amily, an aristocratic clan whose crest adorns the driver’s door o the car to this day. Henning von Kreiger was the �rst owner, ollowed by his
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sister, Gisela. Baroness von Krieger was a leading light in European high society during the prewar years and lived a lie o privilege, embodied in the sweeping lines and hand-built �nishing o her ���K Special Roadster. Te von Kreiger amily �ed the Nazis during the war, but they didn’t leave this special car behind. Te ���K was shipped to Switzerland in ���� or saekeeping, and when the Baroness emigrated to the United States afer the war, the car was shipped over by boat and kept in Greenwich, Connecticut. Von Kreiger returned to Europe in later years, but the car remained in storage and eventually passed to her heirs. When the car �nally emerged, the ashtray still held cigarette butts with Gisela’s lipstick on them and her silk g love was ound under the seat. Te restored car won the prewar Mercedes-Benz class at the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. In ����, afer being repainted in as-delivered black, it was auctioned by Gooding & Co. or $��.�� million including buyer’s premium at its Pebble Beach event.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ������������ Cast-iron monobloc (head and block one piece) P���� ��� bhp T����������� Four-speed, automatic top two gears L����� ���.� inches/���cm W�������� ���.� inches/���cm T�� S���� ��� mph/��� kph
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Delahaye ���M S Roadster
A
t �rst glance this car might seem to be merely a topless version o the Delahaye coupe (chassis number �����) ound elsewhere in this book. And, in some respects it is, in that it is built on a "competition” Delahaye chassis, and was styled and bodied by Figoni & Falaschi. It repeated many o the chrome styling accents that had worked so well on the coupe. Tis roadster was built or the ���� Paris Auto Salon (the coupe debuted there in ����) and eatured several new eatures that Figoni and Falaschi subsequently patented. Tese included the ront ender design; the crank-down windshield and olding convertible top, which disappeared into the body; and seats with a light, tubular construction that were suitable or competition. Other signi�cant highlights included a centrally ��
mounted ront headlight and red leather interior appointments and matching carpets provided by Hermès, the French luxury goods purveyor. Like chassis number �����, this roadster has quite a history to tell. First, it was purchased by the Brazilian ambassador to France, who returned the car to F&F to have the central headlight removed and to add bumpers. Afer World War II began, the car was sold to a Frenchman, who attempted to hide it. He was unsuccessul, but ortunately that was not the end or this beautiul roadster. An Italian officer spirited the car away to Italy, where it turned up again in ����. Te car was returned to Figoni’s workshop, where it was restored. Te car passed through two more owners in France, and was painted blue, beore it was sold to current owner Miles Collier o Naples, Florida, in ����. At that point it had been driven less than �,��� miles, but its age dictated a mechanical reresh and a repaint. It remains in the Collier Collection today.
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S������������� �� I������� C������ N����� ����� E����� Cast-iron straight six, two OHV per cylinder, ���ci/�.� liters P���� ��� bhp at �,��� rpm C���������� Tree Solex ��s T����������� Four-speed manual W�������� ���.� inches/���cm
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Delage D�-���S Cabriolet
W
hen a car’s doors open in an unusual way, it can cause a level o ascination among onlookers. In some cases this appeal is completely out o proportion with that o the vehicle itsel (Bricklin SV-�, I’m looking at you). Tat is not the case with this stunning Delage Cabriolet and its unique— and patented—doors. Tis D�-���S was one o only a ew o the Saoutchik-bodied Delages to receive these special doors, which used a pantograph mechanism to extend the door panels away rom the body. As doors opened, they moved parallel to the body side and slightly to the rear, leaving the entrance to the ront seat completely unobstructed. Aside rom the doors, according to French car expert Richard Adatto, this car was much more subdued than the typically �amboyant Saoutchik bodywork. ��
Tis particular car was one o the last examples o about �� Delage D�-���S cars built, the S denoting an updated, lower, and more sporting chassis than the ��� chassis introduced in ����. Tis car was commissioned by the French government to be displayed at the ���� Paris Auto Salon. Te timing wasn’t very good—the show was canceled ahead o the �ghting with Germany that began in September. Te car was hidden beore the German invasion but reemerged afer the war, again in government service to be driven in parades and or other official duties. Te car was then sold in ���� to a manuacturer o travel trailers, who added a hitch and photographed the car all over Europe with his trailers. Later the car was restored to its original con�guration and eventually sold to John W. Rich or his Pennsylvania museum in ����. At the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance it won the Elegance in Motion rophy and the Most Elegant Convertible award.
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S������������� �� I������� C������ N����� ����� E����� Straight eight, ���ci/�.� liters P���� ��� bhp at �,��� rpm T����� ��� lbs-f at �,��� rpm T����������� Cotal preselector our-speed manual W�������� ��� inches/330cm
Section III
Coupes
I
’ll just come out and say it: two-door cars Coupe—such an audaciously large car with only rarely make sense. Unless a vehicle is so short two doors simply screams that its driver is well that it will only accommodate one door on beyond having to worry about practical matters each side, a car is almost always more practical, when selecting his automobile. Te two-door cars in this section showcase more useul—in short, better at being a car— with our doors. the practice o coachbuilding prevalent in the ruth number two is that two-door cars early ��th century, when a customer would are usually better-looking than our-door cars, choose a manuacturer’s chassis, then have it and this is the reason two-door cars have always equipped to his or her exact speci�cations, somebeen built. A two-door is just a much better times by that company or by another outside way to make a statement o style, elegance, and �rm. Cars built by a carrosserie, or coachbuilder, power with an automobile. Look at the ���� are among the most spectacular and unique Delahaye ���M and try to imagine making such a automobiles ever built, and we’re lucky to be stunning car as a our-door; it just can’t be done. able to show you some o these cars in gorgeous ake the massive ���� Cadillac Aerodynamic detail in the pages to ollow.
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Bentley Speed Six Blue rain Special
B
entley enjoyed a brie, brilliant tenure as a manuacturer o top�ight perormance automobiles, but it is this period o time that continues to anchor the allure o the Bentley brand today. Tis period o glory lasted just over a decade, rom when the �rst Bentley automobiles were produced in ���� until the �rm entered receivership in ���� and Rolls Royce purchased its assets. During that time, Bentley’s brawny and reliable machines managed to win the �� Hours o Le Mans �ve times. Besides its ounders Walter Owen and Henry Bentley, the South Arican mining millionaire Joel Wool Barnato brought much-needed cash to the �edgling car company, and became one o Bentley’s most important �gureheads. Barnato also
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showed his prowess behind the wheel, winning three o those Le Mans victories rom ���� through ����. Understandably, Barnato had a great deal o con�dence in himsel and his Bentleys. In March ����, at a party in Cannes, France, Barnato bragged that his Speed Six could get him to his club in London aster than the amed Blue rain express could travel between Cannes and Calais. One hundred pounds sterling was put on the line and Barnato took the challenge. Te next afernoon, Barnato and his riend, Dale Bourne, lef Cannes just as the Blue rain lef Cannes station. Despite a rainstorm, a blown tire, dark and unamiliar French roads, and the necessity o a cross-Channel erry ride, Barnato and Bourne arrived at the Conservative Club in London by �:�� p.m. the next day. Te Blue rain arrived in Calais exactly our minutes later. Te car seen here is not generally believed to b e the car that beat the Blue rain. Rather, most believe it was delivered to Barnato two months afer the race, whereupon he dubbed it “the Blue rain Special” to commemorate his recent cross-country victory (Barnato’s daughter, or one, claimed that this car was in act the one driven in the race). In any case, this custom-bodied Speed Six Bentley is worthy o any and all the recognition it receives. Its body was built by
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J. Gurney-Nutting and Co., and it is stunning. Te gunslit-height windows (additionally concealed by individually �tted shades), along with the sloping astback roo�ine, tall, black wire wheels, and dark-green paint create an air o menace that isn’t ofen associated with cars o the period, except perhaps or those that erried gangsters like Capone and Dillinger. Te aggressive theme continues with the car’s long hood, which houses a �.�-liter straight six producing upwards o ��� horsepower. Numerous louvers accent the hood sides and low rame covers that run along each side, below the body and between the peaked and �ared enders. A bustle-back look, which extends the car and carries the sloping roo�ine rearward when viewed in pro�le, is created by a tool chest and luggage compartment behind the passenger cabin. Inside are three leather-appointed bucket seats, one o which resides sideways behind the two ront seats, with a cocktail cabinet nearby. oday the car rarely makes public appearances. When it does, it is ofen accompanied by the Mulliner-bodied Bentley that probably actually raced the Blue rain, as both cars are owned by Bruce and Jolene McCaw o Seattle, Washington.
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S������������� �� I������� V��������� Four valves/cylinder, SOHC C���������� wo SU HVG� C���������� R���� �.�:� G������ Four-speed manual W���� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg W�������� ���.� inches/���cm
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Cadillac Fleetwood V–�� Aero-Dynamic Coupe ixteen cylinders! Te thought o such an engine is audacious even today, and was just as much so in ���� when Cadillac introduced its V-�� to the world. It seems odd that the existence o the massive �.�-liter engine, produced rom ���� through ����, coincided with the Great Depression, but such was the strength o the Cadillac brand back when it dubbed itsel “the Standard o the World.” Te Cadillac V-�� was the �rst such engine offered or passenger car use. Tis engine eatured overhead valves with hydraulic lash adjusters and twin carburetors. It delivered ��� horsepower and even more torque. Te Cadillac Fleetwood V-�� Aero-Dynamic Coupe (back then Fleetwood was a coachbuilder or Cadillac, not simply
S
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a model name) was the �rst Cadillac show car. It was created under the direction o GM design legend Harley Earl or the ���� Chicago Century o Progress Exposition, where it graced the General Motors exhibit. Te car’s ���-inch wheelbase, the longest ever used on a Cadillac production car, made it quite big, especially or a coupe. While it certainly doesn’t look particularly slippery by today’s standards, the Aero-Dynamic did introduce the astback styling that would become commonplace in the ����s. Te coupe’s designers also relocated the spare tire inside the trunk—unusual in an era when spare tires were typically mounted outside vehicle bodies. Other unique aesthetic touches are the twin �shtail-style
exhaust outlets located below the rear bumper, which were shaped to enhance the V-��’s exhaust sound. Te V-�� engine itsel was made to be visually appealing, with hidden wires and plated uel lines dressing up the massive lump; a �rewall concealed wiring and plumbing. Writers o the time indicated that the car could idle along at � mph while in top gear and then, with a tip o the throttle, quietly thrust away to high speeds because o the �exibility o this remarkable engine. Afer the World’s Fair the Aero-Dynamic was offered or sale. O �� bodies built only � were known to have been equipped with the V-�� through ����, making this car very rare indeed.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ��-degree V-�� T����������� Tree-speed manual selective synchromesh E����� ������ ��� lbs/��� kg W����� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg I������� Five-passenger P���� $�,���
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Packard Model ���� V-�� Sport Coupe
W
hile the cars built on Packard’s Model ���� chassis are considered among the best and most beautiul Packards ever made, they are somewhat at odds with the rest o Packard’s output as a car manuacturer. Packards were high-quality, solidly built cars, without a doubt, but high style and advanced aesthetics were not typically part o the company’s recipe. Tat changed with the Model ����, which carried the Sport Coupe body seen here, as well as the LeBaron-built Runabout Speedster body seen elsewhere in this book. Packard built them to prove the company could build cars the equal o anything else in the world, including rom a stylistic standpoint. Several styling eatures made the Sport Coupe distinctive, and even highly in�uential on European manuacturers and ���
designers. Te hood and cowl incorporated several visual tricks, which one o the car’s designers, Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, described as a “alse hood,” to extend the length o the car’s ront, leading back to a split windshield that echoed an earlier Packard show car. Te rear quarter windows taper to a point as the body wraps around to the rear, where a split rear window repeats the triangular taper. Peaked, torpedo-shaped enders were another hallmark o the car that helps give a long and elegant appearance despite its relatively short, sport-minded wheelbase o ��� � ⁄� inches. With its gently sloping roo�ine and sleek ully skirted rear enders, the Sport Coupe successully incorporated elements o streamlining that had become popular during the ����s. With a powerul V-�� under the hood, the Packard Sport coupe pulled like a train as well. Te V-�� offered a shorter overall length than the popular straight-eight designs o the period, yet could make more power. At more than � liters o displacement, it ensured that the driver o the Sport Coupe would travel not only with style, but with speed.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ��-degree V-��, modi�ed L-head, ��� ci/�.� liters H��������� ��� bhp at �,��� rpm T����� ��� lbs-f at �,��� rpm B����� Cable-operated drums with vacuum assist T����������� Tree-speed synchromesh W����� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg
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Chrysler Imperial Model C� Air�ow Coupe
T
he Chrysler Air�ow is one o the clearest examples o a consumer product that ailed because it was ahead o its time. Indeed, when a car company sets out to create a new model today, they address aerodynamic and saety concerns while building a unitized body that also serves as the car’s chassis. Te Air�ow did all o these things well beore other carmakers did, and because o that it can be considered a genesis point or the modern automobile. However, the Air�ow’s abject marketplace ailure can be seen as a cautionary tale about why carmakers shouldn’t let their engineers run roughshod over sales and marketing concerns. Chrysler was an engineering-driven company at the time o the car’s introduction. Te Air�ow was billed as the �rst ���
S������������� �� I������� E����� ���ci/�.� liter straight eight P���� ��� bhp T�� S���� �� mph/���kpm T����������� Tree-speed manual W�������� ���.� inches/���cm W����� �,��� lbs/�,��� kg
“ride-inside” motorcar, because passengers were centered between the axles and did not ride atop a ladder-style chassis. Tis subjected passengers to less vibration. Te car’s unitized construction meant that the body was much more rigid than a conventional car’s. Somewhat counterintuitively, this also assisted ride and handling, as bumps in the road were lef to the car’s suspension to deal with, rather than transmitted through the body to the passengers. Unortunately, because o the car’s ailure in showrooms, its engineering innovations (such as placing the wheels at the corners
o the vehicle with minimal overhang and aerodynamically efficient styling) were not adopted industry-wide or some time. Introduced in ����, only about ��,��� examples were sold between Chrysler and DeSoto models that �rst year, despite many more preorders. Te car’s waterall grille, short hood, and lack o conventional enders signaled that this was no ordinary automobile, and or buyers it proved to be a step too ar into the uture. In ����, consulting designer Norman Bel Geddes added a more conventional-looking grille to the Air�ow; owners o ���� models could have their cars upgraded to the new look.
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Delahaye Model ���M Coupe
T
his car provided inspiration or the designs o many highend coachbuilders afer its introduction in ����. While it is a Delahaye, the name Joseph Figoni is equally important to its history. Figoni designed the enveloping, streamlined body-work or his Figoni and Falaschi coachbuilding �rm, and it is considered to be one o Figoni’s �rst coupe designs. Te car wears its black aluminum body like a �nely tailored dress, with dramatic, re�ective swooshes and scallops accentuating its sensual curves. Both ront and rear wheels are enclosed; the headlights are also hidden rom view by �ne-barred, �ush-mounted grilles. Tese grilles complement the central radiator grille’s vertical bars and the hood-side vents, which have similarly spaced bars that sweep downward and are accented by three chrome ���
boomerang-shaped curves. Te radiator grille is divided by a strip o chrome that runs back to the hood, where it splits into three strips—the two side strips continue along the length o the body, sweeping down the doors and rising dramatically over the rear enders; the central strip runs straight back along the hood top to the triangular cowl. Above the car’s beltline, �ush-mounted door handles add another splash o chrome. A large sunroo takes up most o the panel above the passengers; the roo then slopes downward to incorporate the split rear window. We lack the space to detail all o the car’s ascinating history, but highlights include: hiding rom the Nazis, ownership by Mexican actress Dolores del Rio, an ill-advised trip through an eastern snowstorm, an exchange or paintings that turned out to be ake, a restoration in two-tone blue, a class win at the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and a ���� restoration that reunited the car with its original engine and brought back its black paint.
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S������������� �� I������� C������ N����� ����� E����� wo OHV per cylinder, cast-iron straight six, ���ci/�.� liters P���� ��� bhp at �,��� rpm C���������� Tree Solex ��s T����������� Four-speed manual W�������� ���.� inches/���cm
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Bugatti Type ��S Atalante
T
he cars o Ettore Bugatti were unmatched in their ability to combine elegance and speed with little compromise. Bugatti himsel, an Italian-born engineer living in France, created Grand Prix–winning racers and grand road cars, and all were both ast and beautiul. Te ype �� came about in the early ����s as the company strove to create a chassis that could be used or a variety o body styles. Among those, the ��S Atalante was the most sporting and low-slung (aside rom racing versions), with its axles mounted above the chassis centerline and a short wheelbase. It was also the most exclusive body style. O the Atalantes that were built, no two are exactly the same. Some have roll-back tops, others have independently mounted headlights, and some have lengthened rear enders. ���
Many o them use contrasting colors to show off their bodylines, as chassis number �����’s yellow French curve accents the deep black bodywork and encircles the car’s bubble-shaped roo. A split rear window, teardrop-shaped side windows, and skirted rear wheels add more allure to the distinctive shape o this Bugatti. Front and center, o course, is Bugatti’s signature upright horseshoe grille. Te ype ��S chassis was victorious at the ���� �� Hours o Le Mans, and that perormance pedigree carries over to the Atalante. Its high-compression straight-eight engine produces ��� horsepower in a car weighing around �,��� pounds. Bugatti also produced a ype ��SC, which added a supercharger to produce ��� horsepower and a top speed o ��� mph.
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S������������� �� I������� B���/F���� Steel over steel W�������� ��� inches/���cm L����� ��� inches/���cm H����� �� inches/���cm E����� DOHC, two valves per cylinder, ���ci/�.� liters T����������� Four-speed manual
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Delage D�–���S Aérodynamic Coupe
T
o win but one Best in Show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is a remarkable achievement. o win our times is something else altogether. Sam and Emily Mann won their ourth Best in Show in ���� with this very car, a ���� Delage D�-���S with a Pourtout coachbuilt body. During the year ����, the Pebble Beach concours honored the Delage marque with a centennial celebration o the automaker’s genesis in ����. Eight cars represented Delage, a company that was eventually absorbed by Delahaye in ����. Delahaye then introduced a new eight-cylinder engine in ���� in its D�-��� and D�-��� chassis, which were the basis or a number o cars that were built by the top coachbuilders o the day. his particular car, however, is built on a prototype ���
chassis that eatured a lowered suspension, a narrow track, and a larger engine. One look is all you need to know that this is an incredible automobile. Te car’s laid-back but sharp-ramed radiator grille contrasts nicely with the sweeping lines that carry the ront enders back to the cowl scuttle, and the ully skirted rear enders and sloping roo�ine back to the car’s pointed tail. Te side glass is particularly elegant, with no weatherstripping—however practical—wedged between the ront and rear windows. Tere is almost no chrome trim either, nor parking lights or bumpers. An immaculately turnedout engine bay and a set o �tted luggage round out the stunning appearance o this unique automobile. Afer Marcel Pourtout completed the car, it debuted at the ���� Paris Auto Salon. Louis Delage was listed as the car’s owner until ����. It came to the United States in the mid-����s and went through a series o owners beore Mann became aware o the car and was able to purchase it. Afer more than two years o restoration and body repair, it emerged to the delight o the Pebble Beach audience.
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S������������� �� I������� C������ ������ ����� E����� ���ci/�.��-liter cast-iron straight eight, � valves per cylinder P���� ��� bhp at �,��� rpm T����������� Cotal planetary �-speed, columnmounted shifer W����� �,��� lbs/ �, ��� kg W�������� ��� inches/ ���cm B����� ��-inch/ ��cm drums
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Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H–�C “Xenia” Coupe
T
he name “Xenia” evokes the exotic, the unique, and the eminine. Tis incomparable work o automotive art lives up to that expectation in ull. Te Xenia is in act named afer the late wie o its initial owner and creator, Andre Dubonnet. Te Frenchman, who made a ortune making orti�ed wines, was also an inventor and racing driver. Dubonnet loved Hispano-Suiza automobiles and had many custom vehicles built on their chassis. Dubonnet designed a unique independent suspension system, which was �tted to the Xenia. Te coupe’s bodywork, built by Saoutchik, was designed by Jean Andreau, whose experience in creating streamlined aircraf is obvious. Te car’s panoramic windshield was well ahead o its time. No production car would have one until GM brought them out ���
in the ����s. More curved glass pieces were used to complete the rest o the canopy-like greenhouse, which tops off a uselage-shaped body. Te car’s two doors open with a trapezoidal mechanism, while the side windows lif up like a bird’s wings. Te ront enders look at least somewhat conventional, but the rear enders are shaped somewhat like the airings one would �nd on the wheels o a streamlined propeller plane, and they taper into a wide, �at tail. Te tail’s three points, with scallops between, would look at home on the Batmobile. Under the car’s hood is the Hispano-Suiza H�B engine. An inline-six o nearly � liters, it has overhead valves and produces ��� bhp (although some believe this car’s engine may be upgraded to produce ��� bhp). Te car was hidden away during World War II; afer surviving the scourge o war, it reappeared in ����. Afer passing through the hands o the president o the French Hispano-Suiza club and others, it was ully restored and shown at the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It won Best o Show at the ���� Goodwood Festival o Speed.
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S������������� �� I������� C������ ���� Hispano-Suiza H�-C C������ N����� ��� E����� OHC, aluminum inline six T����������� Four-speed manual S��������� Four-wheel independent “Hyper�ex” coil spring suspension B����� Drums, servo-assisted
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Alfa Romeo �C����B
A
lthough it could easily be considered one o the more beautiul cars selected or this volume, in act this Ala Romeo’s looks do not reside at the top o the list o this car’s most remarkable attributes. Instead, it is the innovative construction that makes this elegant coupe stand apart. While the word superleggera has been adopted by Lamborghini most recently to describe “super light” versions o its road cars, in act this term was �rst used to describe a construction technique that was used to great effect in the �C����B. Rather than the conventional body-on-rame arrangement, superleggera construction used triangulated, small-diameter tubing welded together to create a very light, very stiff chassis, upon which a body would be ormed and shaped. Maserati’s later “Birdcage” racecar, which incorporated superleggera-style construction,
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was so named because part o its network o chassis rames was exposed and looked much like a birdcag e. Te result was a car that weighed �,��� pounds when equipped with its hand-ormed, aluminum body—at the time, cars o a similar style and size might weigh more than �,��� pounds. Tis certainly helped the car perorm, so much so that this particular car, chassis number ������, was the winner o the inaugural Watkins Glen Grand Prix in ����. Underneath the car’s Corrozzeria ouring body, the car has a twin-supercharged straight eight under the hood that produces ��� bhp. It also has independent ront and rear suspension and hydraulic drum brakes. Each o the �� or so examples o this car that were built is different; this one can be identi�ed by its slotted rear ender skirts and the side-hood louvers that extend into the cowl scutttle. Upon its restoration this Ala Romeo was shown at the ���� Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it won best o show. It repeated that perormance at the ���� Villa d’Este Concorso in Lake Como, Italy.
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S������������� �� I������� B��� S������ Felice Bianchi Anderloni E����� DOHC, two valves per cylinder, all-alloy straight eight, ���ci/ �.� liters S������������ win Roots-st yle W�������� ���.� inches/ ���cm F���� S��������� Double trailing arms, coil springs, hydraulic dampers R��� S��������� Swing axles with radius arms, transverse elliptic lea spring, hydraulic and riction dampers
Section IV
Sedans
A
our-door car doesn’t have to had come beore. It also pushed orward new be ho-hum, and the cars in design ideas, leaving old clichés in the past. Its this section are anything but. auction price o more than $� million proves a car In act they showcase luxury needn’t be a coupe or convertible to command a and innovation on par with high price. everything else in this book. Our two Chryslers point in opposite direcake the ���� Duesenberg SJ Convertible tions. Te Air�ow was way ahead o its time, with Sedan. Tis �,���-pound Depression-era drop- an aerodynamic, unitized body that set many top could exceed ��� miles per hour—admirable precedents but ailed to �nd many customers. numbers today, let alone �� years ago. Under- Te own & Country, despite being the newest neath its long hood is the Duesy’s speed secret: a car in this book, reaches backward to incorporate centriugal supercharger, an uncommon eature in wood in its construction to a degree matched by a production car, to say the least. ew cars beore or since. All o these sedans, or Te ���� Silver Arrow was built by Pierce- different reasons, exempliy the art o design and Arrow as an exclusive luxury car to top all that engineering that make any car a work o art.
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Duesenberg SJ Convertible Sedan
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he Duesenberg marque is truly one o the most outstanding in American automotive history, particularly in terms o the excellence o the cars it produced. As part o the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg company, headquartered in Indiana, the brand got its name rom the Duesenberg brothers, August and Fred, who had built Indianapolis ���–winning race cars. Some ��� Series J Duesenbergs were built ollowing the model’s introduction at the ���� New York Automobile Salon. Like many o the automakers o the era, the Duesenberg company ocused on building chassis and engines, letting outside coachbuilders create bodywork suited to the demands o the end customer. Tis Duesenberg SJ Convertible Sedan was, according to historian Randy Ema, unusual in that the ���
body was ordered by the Duesenberg company, not a customer. Tis gave Duesenberg a car to have on hand which could b e shown to prospective customers. Te car is built on Duesenberg’s ���.�-inch, short-wheelbase chassis. Duesenberg’s Gordan Buehrig designed the body, which was built by the Derham Custom Body Company. Like many Duesenbergs this car is quite massive; in typical Duesy ashion, however, its ��� cid Model J engine is up to its job. Te engine is a our-valve, double overhead-cam straight eight. As denoted by the car’s SJ designation, it is equipped with a supercharger to build even more power. Unlike many Duesenbergs, this engine has a beautiul �-into-� exhaust maniold that emerges rom the side o the hood, rather than the characteristic our �ex pipes. Te engine could propel this �,���-pound-plus behemoth to more than ��� mph—a notable speed or a passenger car o the time.
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S������������� �� I������� H��������� ��� �–�� ���/ �–�� ��� � seconds �–��� ���/ �–��� ��� �� seconds C������ N����� SJ-��� S��� P���� $��,���
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Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow
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ierce-Arrow built �ne luxury cars rom ���� through ����—a remarkably long time in an era o great attrition among auto manuacturers. Te �rm did eventually succumb during the long years o the Great Depression, but not beore it produced a luxury car to top all its previous efforts—the Silver Arrow. Only �ve Silver Arrows were produced, and only three examples survive today. Tis car, the �rst Silver Arrow to be publicly auctioned since ����, was sold or $�.� million at the January ���� Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Introduced at the New York Auto Show in ����, the Silver Arrow broke new ground with its orward-thinking styling. Most notably, the Silver Arrow did away with running boards; instead, its ront enders �owed straight back into a slab-sided body, an arrangement other manuacturers would soon imitate (though usually without hiding spare tires within said enders, ���
as the Silver Arrow did). Te enders also integrated the car’s headlamps, as opposed to the conventional practice o mounting the lamps on separate brackets. At the very ront o the car was a dramatically leaned-back waterall grille that added to the car’s sensation o speed. Te de�ning eature o the rear was the pair o tiny, triangular rear windows mounted up high—a clear example o orm trumping unction, as can happen with any vehicle so stylish. A long V-�� lay under the car’s hood, providing ��� horsepower— enough grunt to push the big car past ��� mph, and enough to earn the vehicle pace car duties or the ���� Indianapolis ���.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� Cast-iron ��-degree V-�� V��������� Side valves, two per cylinder D����������� ���ci/ �.� liters B����� Hydraulically assisted drums T����������� Tree-speed manual W����� �,��� lbs/ �,��� kg
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Hispano-Suiza J-�� Sedanca
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o modern-day readers, the words town car conjures the rectangular-bodied Lincoln sedan popular with real estate agents and mid-level managers o the ����s. Lincoln borrowed the name to recall its original meaning, that o a our-door car with an open ront seat and a closed rear compartment—in other words, something you’d have a chauffeur drive or you. In Europe a town car was called a Sedanca de Ville, and in this line o classi�cation, the HispanoSuiza J-�� was called a Sedanca Drop-Head Coupe, having only two doors but the open-ront, closed-rear styling o a town car. Te custom body o this car is rom Fernandez & Darrin, the Paris �rm o American Howard “Dutch” Darrin and Argentinian-born J. Fernandez. Fernandez & Darrin built many cars on Hispano-Suiza chassis, which was among the most expensive o the day. Tey spared little expense in out�tting their bodies, speciying high-grade cast hinges, closely itted ���
bodywork, and a distinctive, polished brass belt molding. Te company produced about 300 bodies during its seven years o existence, but very ew o them survive. Te V-�� engine that Hispano-Suiza introduced in its J-�� in ���� is remarkable or its size (nearly �� liters, with a square, ���mm bore and stroke) and its smooth power delivery—paramount or providing a VIP with a comortable yet speedy ride to his or her destination. Each engine was milled straight out o a ���-pound aluminum billet. A seven-main-bearing crankshaf weighing about �� pounds no doubt helped the coupe move more like a locomotive than a passenger car. It needed �� seconds to reach �� mph, but could motor on up past ��� miles per hour. While Hispano-Suiza had previously produced advanced overhead cam engines, the J-�� engine reverted to an in-block camshaf and overhead valvetrain to reduce the amount o mechanical noise emitted rom the engine. Only approximately ��� examples o this exclusive, expensive automobile were produced beore production ended in ����.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ���ci/ �.�-liter, ��-degre e V-��, OHV P���� ��� bhp C���������� Dual Solex downdraf I������� Dual Scintilla magnetos B����� Servo-assisted mechanical drums T����������� Tree-speed synchromesh manual
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Cord ��� Model C�� Beverly Sedan
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hen it was introduced, this car seemed to embody the uture o the automobile. Te ��� kept the ront wheel-drive technology rom earlier Cord cars but wrapped it in a striking Art Deco–style body that eschewed running boards and eatured innovative, crank-operated, concealed headlights. It was intended to slot above the Auburn and below the Duesenberg in the marketplace, and was priced similarly to a Cadillac. Gordon Miller Buehrig, an in-house designer or the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg company, directed the creation o this beautiul car. In lieu o a separate ront grille, the ront o the car was equipped with louvers that ran below the hood line on one side o the car, wrapped around the ront o the car and down the other side, and ended at the cowl. ���
Among the other unique advances were a unitized body and independent ront suspension beneath its pontoon enders. All our doors were stamped using the same die, saving money and adding to the car’s unique look. Coupe Cord ���s were called “Westchester” or “Beverly”; this car was called an “armchair” Beverly because, inside the car, each o the our passenger seats was an individual unit equipped with its own armrest. Te driver also enjoyed a tachometer, and the dash had a built-in radio. A preselector gearbox controlled the �ow o power rom the Lycoming engine back to the driven rear wheels. While the Cord ��� was quick, with its ���-bhp V-� engine, and the ollowing year’s ��� model, equipped with a centriugal supercharger, was legitimately ast, it wasn’t enough to propel the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg company into the uture. Te company went out o business in ����, having �nally been ground down by the Great Depression.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� ��-degree V-�, aluminum heads, ��� c i/�.� liter T����������� Four-speed preselector, vacuum/ electric shifing T�� S���� �� mph/��� kph �–�� ���/�–�� ��� �� seconds
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Chrysler Town & Country
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his “woody” wagon may seem like a bit o an outlier among the other cars in this book. I would argue that, when looked at in a certain way, it is a bridge between the past and the present. First, it is the latest car built within these pages, rom ����, beore the United States entered World War II. It is not a coachbuilt, one-o-a-kind car, nor is it a run-othe-mill production car, given its extensive and beautiul wood body. Once upon a time wood was a common material to use in cars, even as structural pieces. oday you’d have trouble �nding something other than a Morgan using wood in such a way. Te own & Country was also hand-built—another common attribute in the classic era that is quite uncommon today. Te own & Country’s shape was a departure rom other wagons—with its stylish astback roo (a.k.a., barrel back), and the low-mounted, dual side-hinged rear doors, one might
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consider it something other than a wagon altogether. Te metal roo encompassed the rear window and sloped down to the beltline above the luggage doors. Te rest o the body between the roo and enders was made o wood—white ash or the structural pieces and beautiully contrasting Honduran mahogany or the darker, inset panels. Only ��� o these were manuactured; ��� were nine-passenger versions like this one. However However,, the own own & Country registry lists ewer than �� nine-passenger survivors. Te own & Country, being a high-end luxury model, was equipped with Chrysler’s Fluid Drive. It consisted o a �uid coupling between the engine and clutch that allowed the driver to stop or start the car, and to shif between �rst and second gears, without using using the clutch—perect clutch—perect or or easy around-town around-town driving.
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S������������� �� I������� E����� Flathead “Spit�re” straight six, ��� ci/� liters P���� ��� bhp T����� ��� lbs-f W�������� W����� ��� ���.� inches/���cm W����� W�� ��� �,��� lbs/�,���kg P���� $�,���
Acknowledgments We would like to thank the ollowing people or making their historic automobiles available or this book: Academy o Art University, San Francisco, CA: ���� Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow om Armstrong, Issaquah, WA: ���� Duesenberg SJ Convertible Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, Auburn, IN: ���� Cord Cabriolet L-�� Robert and Sandra Bahre, Oxord, ME: ���� Packard welve Runabout Speedster, ���� Packard Model ���� V-��, ���� Hispano-Suiza J-�� Sedanca William E. (Chip) Connor, Carmel, CA: ���� Bugatti ype ��S Atlante Richard and Debbie Fass, Vienna, NJ: ���� Cord ��� C�� Beverly Sedan Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI: ���� Edsel Ford Model �� Special Speedster John J. and Nora L. Heimerl, Suffolk, VA: ���� Chrysler Imperial Model C� Air�ow Coupe Herrington Collection, Bow, NH: ���� Mercedes-Benz ���K Special Roadster Peter Heydon, Ann Arbor, MI: ���� Chrysler own & Country Sam and Emily Mann Collection, Englewood, NJ: ���� Duesenberg JN Roadster, ���� Delage D�-���S Cabriolet Bruce and Jolene McCaw, Redmond, WA: ���� Bentley Speed-Six Blue rain Special Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation, Oxnard, CA: ���� Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza “Xenia” Coupe Te Nethercutt Collection, Sylmar, CA: ���� Cadillac Fleetwood V-�� Aero-Dynamic Coupe Jim Patterson/Te Patterson Collection, Louisville, KY: ���� Delahaye Model ���M Coupe Price Museum o Speed, Salt Lake City, U: ���� Mercer ��R Raceabout, ���� Stutz Bearcat Te Revs Institute or Automotive Research at the Collier Collection, Naples, FL: ���� Delahaye ���MS Roadster John W. Rich, Jr., Frackville, PA: ���� Delage D�-���S Cabriolet Jon and Mary Shirley, Bellevue, WA: ���� Ala Romeo �C����B Edmund J. Stecker Family rust, Pepper Pike, OH: ���� Jordan Speedway Series Z Ace Harry Yeaggy, Cincinnati, OH: ���� Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor I
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