Where would we be without extravagance?... If fanciful artist’s never set their mind to fanciful artwork, we would most certainly live in a dull and bland world. I’m relatively sure that Andy Warhol could have cared less if the public embraced his “pop” art. After all, a different colored Campbell’s soup can is still – well, a soup can. Did Leonardo da Vinci care if purported purveyors of fine art scoffed at his, rather non descript and ambiguous; Mona Lisa. Did they think her too homely? I doubt it. Artists follow a different path, one seemingly immune to the hurled insults and banal banter bestowed upon them. They do it because they can. They have talent – and that talent won’t be squelched by mere public opinion. If that weren’t the case our featured 1935 Delage D8 85 Roadster DV would be a figment of our collective imaginations. Luckily, we don’t need to dream about such an extravagant automotive sculpture because Delage capitulated, way back in 1935. I love this car so much, that this is my second blog, in as many years, specifically about her and her tangible beauty. In fairness, Delage, Delahaye, Bugatti and Talbot Lago were truly makers of customer centric custom designs. In most cases owners simply shipped finished chassis’ to coachbuilders for the fabrication of the body and interior. The result of many of these collaborations led to beauty in style that the world hasn’t witnessed since. Our featured car is NOT a product of Figoni et Falaschi – as you might expect, no – this breathtaking classic was built by Henri Chapron. His coach-building firm was not necessarily into extravagance, as their designs were far more utilitarian. Pretty, yes – sometimes plain, yes. Our featured car, however, has so many unique and captivating intricacies it takes every minute in an hour to study and document them – mentally. Where to begin? How about at the front fascia where you are greeted by a bumper that protects the fender mounted driving lights. Both the bumper and the lights are delicate, it seems, but appropriate for such an artsy car. That theme is carried forward to the cowl mounted headlights. The delicate lattice work that covers, not only the lights, but also the long and elegant pods where they reside. The “Graham-esque” grille does remind me of a Graham Hollywood a bit, but with, oh, a million more handcrafted louvers. The louvers are everywhere, from the triangular hood to the side engine covers. There is judicious chrome guarding the bottom of the front fenders and a sizable gravel shield that deflects the inevitable rocks and stones that the front tire kicks up., mounted at the leading edge of the rear fenders. The narrow windshield is framed by two spotlights, which, in 1938, were probably quite welcome for their extra illumination in the dark. And, you could crank the windshield (bug-less) day in the country. Which, come to think of it, is probably an oxymoron. Outback, behind the seating area is the “mother in law” or rumble seat, whose invention was surely the perfect revenge. Mother in law’s tend to be very free with personal opinions and observations. She’ll question your selection of the flamboyant Delage, on that you can be certain, so put her in the way back. You’ll hear nothing over the din of the wondrous straight eight engine, that Delage was able to massage under that long and narrow hood. Being French, of course, nearly made it obligatory to affix suicide doors to the body (perhaps your mother in law should have been seated there). Take a close look at the intricate wheel covers (it wouldn’t fair to categorize them as merely, hubcaps). They are a singular work of art alone, all by themselves. After the original owner; an Algerian doctor, took delivery of her, he asked another talented coachbuilder to make a few changes (more chrome, mostly). That coachbuilder was Robert Calbot. Mr. Calbot, at one time, worked for the predictably flamboyant Saoutchik, Coach building firm, so it is easy to discern his previous influence. With room out back for the mother in-law, or perhaps a henpecking spouse, this might be the most practical and functional piece of automotive artwork extant. She smites me – and you? Enjoy Paul #delage, #frenchcars
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 13:00:01 +0000
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