Tag Archives: Delahaye

All Adjectives Used To Define Exquisite – Marin Sanoma Concours d’ Elegance

Among the hand chosen, to require all the “Adjectives Used To Define Exquisite”, participants gathered at Marin Sanoma Concours d’Elegance for the May weekend 18th – 20th was GALPOT’s Geoffrey Horton and his pristine Jaguar XK 140 FHC SE/MC.

Hispano Suiza K6, Mairn Sanoma Concours d'Elegance

So far as I can tell the vehicle above is a Hispano Suiza K6 built somewhere between 1934 and 1937 with bodywork by Pourtout. 204 K6’s were built in France before hostilities in Spain forced the manufacturer to abandon motor vehicle manufacture focus on the production of aircraft engines.

Talbot Lago T 150 C SS Goutte d'Eau, Marin Sanoma C d'E

Consecutive three time Le Mans winner, driving Bentleys, Woolf Baranto ordered the Talbot Lago T150C SS with “Goutte d’Eau”, water drop, bodywork by Figoni & Falaschi in 1938. The car belongs to the Mullin Automotive Collection which celebrates the art deco movement at the Mullin Automotive Museum located in Oxnard California.

Delahaye Type 165 Cabriolet, Marin Sanoma C d'E

Judged to require all the adjectives to define exquisite at the 2012 Marin Sanoma Concours d’Elegance was the 1939 Delahaye Type 165 Cabriolet again with bodywork by Figoni et Falaschi and belonging to the Mullin Automotive Museum !

Jaguar D-Type, Marin Sanoma C d'E

D-Type Jaguar chassis XKC#404 registered OKV 3 was part of a three car works team at Le Mans in 1954 where it retired with gearbox failure, at Rheims Peter Whitehead and Ken Wharton were able to make the car last 12 hours and crossed the line first. The car was acquired by John Love in 1959 and he drove it two victories before Neville Austin bought it drove it to two further victories, giving the car at least four known victories on the African continent.

Jaguar XK 140 FHC SE/MC, Marine Sanoma C d'E

Geoffrey Horton’s 1955 XK140 can be seen getting thoroughly inspected by the Concours d’Elegance judges above, he was awarded second place in the Imports to over $3,500 1946 through 1962 class.

Ferrari 330 GT TR Replica, Marin Sanoma C d'E

The Ferrari above started life as a silver Ferrari 330 GT which appears to have been sold new to the German importer Auto Becker Gmbh & Co in 1965. Somewhere between 1965 and 2002 the body was replaced with a TR 59/60 replica as seen here.

Porsche 906, Marin Sanoma C d'E

The 1966 Porsche 906 above is credit with numerous class wins from 1966 to 1977 in the hands of drivers 1966 E-modified champion Don Wester, Lew Florence from 1967 – 68, Milt Minter and John Morton in 1970/71 and Harald Kirberg from 1971 to 1977 when the car appeared with a different body in the rejuvinated Can Am series.

Shadow Mk II, Marin Sanoma C d'E

Looking a tad workman like in the company outlined above was the Shadow Mk II above. A one off built for Jackie Oliver to drive in the 1971 Cam Am series. Powered by a 8.1 litre / 494 cui Chaparral prepared Chevrolet V8 Jackie scored a best third place finish at Edmonton when the car appeared painted white with black lettering on all the upward facing surfaces except the rear wing. This car now belonging to Mr Losher won the Closed Wheel Sports Racing Cars class of the Marin Sanoma Concours d’Elegance.

I hope you will join me in congratulating Geoffrey on his second place class award and thanking him for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “All Adjectives Used To Define Exquisite” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” and that you will join me again tomorrow when I shall be visiting Middle Barton Garage which is celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Continental Elegance – Delahaye 135 Competition #46864

Photographs of today’s featured car, a Delahaye 135 Competition, come courtesy of Geoffrey Horton from February’s Dessert Classic Concours d’Elegance.

Delahaye 135 Competition, Dessert Classic C d'E

The 135 Competition chassis was designed as a road car, this one has a Figoni & Falaschi body originally built in 1936. at least half a dozen French Coachworks offered bodies for the 135 chassis so no two are exactly alike.

Delahaye 135 Competition, Dessert Classic C d'E

Underneath the striking bodywork the 135 featured independent front suspension and 120 hp 3.6 litre / 217 cui six cylinder motor.

Delahaye 135 Competition, Dessert Classic C d'E

Variations of the 135 chassis recorded victories 1935 Coupe des Alpes, 1937 Monte Carlo Rally and 1938 Le Mans 24 Hours events.

Delahaye 135 Competition, Dessert Classic C d'E

Between 1935 and 1938 it is believed 453 Delahaye Competition chassis were built.

My thanks to Geoffry Horton for sending me his photo’s of this magnificent vehicle.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Continental Elegance’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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2012 Ranchero Mirage Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance – Palm Springs

It is a huge pleasure to know that the 2012 Concours d’Elegance season got underway a couple of weeks ago in Palm Springs, not least because thanks to Geoffrey Horton I’ll be able to shore some photo’s of altogether sunnier climbs as Europe struggles to get spring underway.

Benz, Desert Cassic C d'E

Geoffrey sent me a stack of photo’s of which I have picked a few to give a flavour of the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance today, starting with Barney Oldfield’s 1909 Benz about which at the moment I know very little, but which in the coming weeks I hope to find out more for a future post.

Delahaye, Desert Cassic C d'E

The only thing I know about this 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition is that the exquisite bodywork is by Figoni et Falaschi, likewise I hope to find out more for a future post.

Rancho Mirage Desert Classic C d'E

It looks like the air display team was flying Harvard trainers but I can’t be absolutely sure about even that !

Kurtis, Desert Classic C d'E

The 1946 Kurtis Millar was one of the few new cars built for the 1946 Indy 500, it was raced without success by Leon Duray in ’46, ’47, ’48, I look forward to sharing a few more of it’s secrets in the week leading up to the Indy 500 in May.

Dyna Flow, Desert Classic C d'E

The forth generation Buick Roadmaster is probably best remembered for the introduction of the Dyna Flow automatic transmission that had previously fitted to WW2 ‘Hellcat’ Tanks also manufactured by Buick. Dyna Flow was the earliest automatic transmission on a passenger vehicle to make use of a torque converter for smooth, if inefficient automatic changes of gears.

Kurtis 500M, Desert Classic C d'E

Above is one of around 20 Kurtis Kraft 500M models built between 1954 and 1955 complete with fibre glass body and 135 mph capability.

Gogomobil, Desert Classic C d'E

On the 15th October 1957 film maker Peter H. Backhaus and his wife Marlotte set off on a round the world voyage in a two tone red and white Goggomobil Coupé TS 300 similar to the one above. They reached Japan where a technical defect requiring new parts that were refused entry by customs officials meant that Glass GmbH who manufactured the Gogomobil and sponsoring the adventure ended up having to supply Peter and Marlotte with a new car, a later Isar T700 model which meant once they had completed their circumnavigation Peter and Marlotte had to film the entire journey to Japan a second time so that only the second car appeared in the documentary Backhaus made of the journey.

The entire enterprise took some 5 years, but the film “Traumreise zu Dritt – Im Goggomobil um die Welt” “Dream trip threesome – In Goggomobil around the World” was a huge hit when it was released in Germany in 1964.

ALFA Romeo T33, Desert Classic C d'E

Among the many racers from the late 60’s early 1970’s was this 3 litre / 183 cui V8 ALFA Romeo T33 sports prototype which appears similar to the 1971 spec 33/3 driven by Henri Pescarolo and Andrea de Adamich which out lasted the Porsche 917’s at Brands Hatch to win the BOAC 1000kms. Similar T33/3’s of Vaccarella / Hezemans and de Adamich / van Lennep survived to take a one two on the Targa Florio in 1971 after all the Porsche 908’s crashed. Despite the best efforts of the Andretti family, where he had been staying, to wear him out, Ronnie Peterson with de Adamich also won the Watkins Glen endurance race in a T33/3.

NuArt Can Am, Desert Classic C d'E

Finally anyone with cash burning holes in their pockets might like to consider purchasing a 700 hp NuArt Can Am and taking part in the spec series Unlimited Racing Championship which is scheduled to run with 4 ALMS ‘Heritage’ Series race weekends and eight additional race weekends.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s fabulous photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Desert Classic’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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