TG57Roadmaster

At Meadow Brook in 2009, a 1948 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet by Faget & Varnet, a small Parisian coachbuilder. At the time, the owners took their elderly poodle everywhere with them, even to the awards stand! TG

The Peter Mullins Foundation's 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet by Figoni & Falaschi took Best of Show, European at Meadow Brook in 2009. TG

1939 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet by Figoni & Falaschi and the Triple Tree Aerodrome's 1938 Spartan 7W Executive in the Aero Expo at the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival. 1939 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet by Figoni & Falaschi and the Triple Tree Aerodrome's P-51 Mustang, "Tempus Fugit". TG

1936 Delahaye 135 Cabriolet by Henri Chapron, from the French magazine Miroir du Monde. TG

In the September 25, 1930 Heraldo Deportiva, a Spanish sports magazine, Kissel billed itself as “The American High Quality Car”. TG

1937 Dodge Westchester Suburban station wagon at the 2022 AACA Grand National in Virginia Beach, VA. TG

The Minerva sport phaeton by Murphy appeared in the April 1930 issue of SOCIAL magazine, published in La Habana. Apparently the Castagna Mercedes-Benz was owned by Al Jolson. “This latest model, from one of the most important European factories - Belgium - is one of the highest exponents of modern automobile engineering. Its smooth suspension makes it one of the most comfortable in the world. The almost absolute absence of engine noise has been the standard with which it has achieved worldwide popularity. The bodywork of this model is manufactured by Murphy, of California. (Courtesy of “Minerva Autos Inc.”, N.Y.)” The caption for the Mercedes-Benz… “This formidable German factory introduces us to its famous model "SS", of 250 HP with which they can obtain effortlessly 107 MPH. Bodied by the most notable of Italian designers : Castagna. This extraordinary model is a cabriolet convertible, sport, for 4 passengers. Its speed records on European tracks are currently the most remarkable. (Courtesy of "Mercedes-Benz Cg." Inc., N.Y.)” TG

The Minerva sport phaeton by Murphy appeared in the April 1930 issue of SOCIAL magazine, published in La Habana. The Castagna Mercedes-Benz was owned by Al Jolson. “This latest model, from one of the most important European factories - Belgium - is one of the highest exponents of modern automobile engineering. Its smooth suspension makes it one of the most comfortable in the world. The almost absolute absence of engine noise has been the standard with which it has achieved worldwide popularity. The bodywork of this model is manufactured by Murphy, of California. (Courtesy of “Minerva Autos Inc.”, N.Y.)” The caption for the Mercedes-Benz… “This formidable German factory introduces us to its famous model "SS", of 250 HP with which they can obtain effortlessly 107 MPH. Bodied by the most notable of Italian designers : Castagna. This extraordinary model is a cabriolet convertible, sport, for 4 passengers. Its speed records on European tracks are currently the most remarkable. (Courtesy of "Mercedes-Benz Cg." Inc., N.Y.)” TG

It really is a lovely design, top up, too.

The Saoutchik “Transformable” from the December 1925 issue of Omnia. A year later in the magazine’s December 1926 issue, this ad for the Transformable on a Lincoln L chassis appeared. We know that at least one Lincoln L Saoutchik Transformable was built, seen in this Getty Images period photo, but with different fenders, wire wheels, the added trafficators and a Grebel spotlight. TG

This image appeared in the August 26, 1932 issue of La Vanguardia, a popular Spanish newspaper published in Barcelona. It is the same Fiol-bodied car described at Coachbuild. com (top up and down) as being PII #126MY from 1933. It is also noted as, “126MY, 1931 Continental chassis for Don Luis Coromina”. As it appears in print in August 1932, which is the proper description? From the Emilio Polo Archive, Limassol, Cyprus. TG https://www.coachbuild.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3907

The Barcelona firm of Mateu, Marrugat y Cia. is known for their coachbuilt Hispano-Suizas, Elizaldes and busses, so it may be a bit of a stretch to get this 7-passenger 1935 Ford recognized by the CCCA. That is, if you could even find one. Found in the October 1935 issue of Revista Ford, published in Barcelona. From the Emilio Polo Archive, Limassol, Cyprus. TG

1936 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 Town Car by Brewster, at the 2010 RM/Sotheby's Auction at Meadow Brook. https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mb10/vintage-motor-cars-of-meadow-brook/lots/r184-1936-buick-roadmaster-town-car-by-brewster/194429 TG

An H6C from Paris...it may be chassis 12377, motor 320338. ”Paris - IX Automobile Elegance Contest in the Parc des Princes, June 1930. The Hispano-Suiza car of Mme. Higgins, Gaston Grümmer bodywork, which won category no. 5, ‘Four-door interior drives’ in the closed car series.” TG

Walt, it’s so good the hear that you know of and have Omnia, L’Illustration and others (I would expect no less!), and I’ve just scratched the surface of Polo’s holdings. I’ll go back to Limassol in the fall and dive deeper into his archive, which eventually will be available for researchers once it’s organized. He collected and wrote much as you do, and I found many obscure publications covering salons and shows all over Europe. We’ll talk more about it soon. La Vanguardia was a large tabloid newspaper that was short on pages but long on auto coverage - I’m sure you’ll enjoy these pages. Not the best paper quality, but quite legible and informative. Look forward to chatting soon! TG

Two different Hispano-Suiza coachbuilt “Transformable” ads… From the July 1922 issue of Englebert Magazine, a Belgian tire and rubber products company magazine, published in Liège. From the December 1925 issue of Omnia, a popular French automotive and lifestyle magazine. We have just begun to mine the Emilio Polo Archive, and I must say it’s like being a kid in a candy store. TG

Another gem from the Emilio Polo Archive, an H6C Cabriolet de Ville from a 1930 issue of La Hispano Suiza Revista. Paris - IX Automobile Elegance Contest in the Parc des Princes, June 1930. Here is the splendid Hispano-Suiza 46 CV car, bodywork R. Duvivier, which after having obtained the first prize in the “cabriolets and landaulets” category, was awarded the Grand Prix for the “Transformables” series. TG

I love this picture of a young dad and and his toddler - 1931 Minerva AL Convertible Sedan by Rollston, at the RM/ Sotheby's 2013 Art Of The Automobile auction, New York. https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ny13/new-york---art-of-the-automobile/lots/r124-1931-minerva-al-convertible-sedan-by-the-rollston-company/296133 TG

You opened this thread in 2017 with an image of this car, ID’ed as a Model H. I’m glad it’s resurfaced.

My quest now is to find an actual photo of the car. The rendering certainly got around… TG

Yes, with an auction estimate of $8-10M. Last year in a phone call they were asking much more, pie in the sky money. Saw it at Hershey in ‘89 - amazing!

I had a lengthy chat in Charlotte with the gent who researched the car’s history. They had original build docs that showed the factory paint scheme and replicated it. It’s really a stunner - from a distance and up close. There were some great cars competing at the Zenith Awards, but I predicted that the Du Pont would win. Let’s hope it continues to be shown on the concours circuit.

This image appears on the same page with the Prince of Monaco’s H6C De Villars Torpedo, above. Mlle. Deutsch De La Meurthe won the 940-kilometer Women’s Paris-Cannes Rally of 1930 in this H6C Torpedo. Both images can be found in Emilio Polo’s second Hispano-Suiza volume, the SAH Cugnot Award-winning, El Vuelo De Las Cigüeñas, (The Flight Of The Storks, 1999). Besides writing the 3 Hispano-Suiza volumes, Emilio Polo was a prolific writer of automotive history, with articles that appeared in many Spanish auto magazines and was the author of other car books. A frequent vintage rally and concours participant, he restored several of the old cars in his collection and was very well known in the hobby in Europe and beyond. After Sr. Polo's passing, a friend bought his rather large archive last year and it now resides in Limassol, Cyprus. It's a fascinating collection of bound volumes of early auto magazines, automotive guides, auto and topical magazines, reference books and more - one man's decades-long acquisitions of material that touches on all aspects of motive transport, mostly in Spanish and French. Stay tuned... Emilio Polo in his Madrid office, around the time of the publication of his first Hispano-Suiza book, Los Orígenes De Una Leyenda. (The Origins Of A Legend, 1994). TG

We should have of repository for Hispano-Suiza on the Forum. I’ll get the ball rolling with this query… The Prince of Monaco’s H6C Grand Touring Torpedo by De Villars won first prize in Class A at the XXII Monte Carlo Concours d’Elegance in 1930. Emilio Polo’s Volume 2 indicates the Prince ordered two chassis within two months of each other: (12/29) chassis # 12248, motor # 302192; and (1/30) chassis # 12266, motor # 302208. Do we know if the De Villars Torpedo survived? The image was found in this 1930 issue of La Hispano Suiza Revista, from the Emilio Polo Archive, Limassol Cyprus. TG

The Du Pont Model G at the 2022 AACA SE Spring National in Charlotte in April, where the captivating Club Sedan won its Senior. TG