Tag Archives: d’Elegance

Three Year Delivery – Packard 1107 Twelve Club Sedan

Today’s featured 1934 Packard 1107 Twelve Club Sedan is believed not to have been delivered to Earl C Anthonny’s dealership in San Fransisco until May 1937.

Packard 1107 12 Club Sedan, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

The Club Sedan was priced at $4060 new excluding the pair of side mounted spare tyres, heater and radio which cost $79.50.

Packard 1107 12 Club Sedan, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

The original owner of the car appears to be unknown but subsequent owners have included North California Packard owners club Projects Director John Kilkenny and been part of the Jack Passey collection of vintage vehicles.

Packard 1107 12 Club Sedan, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Current owners Allen and Ana Nelson acquired this vehicle in 2004.

Packard 1107 12 Club Sedan, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

They had the engine rebuilt and exterior restored while the interior remains largely original.

Packard 1107 12 Club Sedan, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

This Twelve is believed to be one of 51 Club Sedans built in 1934 and one of just 12 remaining.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs taken at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in 2012.

Thanks for joining me on this “Three Year Delivery” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for FIAT Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !

Thermostatic Shutters And Controlled Body Ventilation – Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster

In 1932 Packard reintroduced V12 motors to power it’s top of the range products which like it’s V12 powered products sold up until 1923 were marketed as Twin Sixes.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

In 1933 the Packard marketing department opted for the simplified “Twelve” designation for it’s 160 hp 445 cui / 7,456 cc V12 powered models the Tenth Series 1005 and 1006.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The 1005 was built on a chassis with a 142 inch wheelbase and the 1006 on a chassis with a 147 inch wheelbase.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

New for 1933 were twin plane or V shaped in plan radiator cowls with colour coded shells to match the rest of the body, which on the shorter 1005 chassis was available in 10 different styles.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

Also new for ’33 were the thermostatic shutters in the side bonnet / hood panels which helped keep the engine running at optimum temperatures.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The Tenth Series bodies were marketed with new controlled body ventilation to minimise unpleasant drafts within.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

In all 244 Tenth Series were sold in 1933 of which 50 are believed to have been Convertible Roadster’s of which 16 are believed to have survived.

Eight weeks after a complete restoration of today’s featured Twelve was completed by Nick’s Old Car Specialties in Redlands, California it won a Best of Show at the Marin Sonoma Concours in the summer of 2013 and followed that a couple of weeks later with Automotive Best of Show honors at Dana Point, picking up a third Best in Show at the 7th Annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance in February 2014.

My thanks once again to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photograph’s taken at the 7th Annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, Palm Springs in February 2014.

Thanks for joining me on this “Thermostatic Shutters And Controlled Body Ventilation” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for FIAT Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Pillarless Vue Panoramic – Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé

By 1937 when today’s Delage D8 120 was built, Louis Delage had sold the controlling interest in his company to his French rival Delahaye who continued to market cars with both brand names.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The 1936 Delage D8 100 and 1937 Delage D8 120 were designed to top the ranges of both brands.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The Delage D8 120 like the D8 100 introduced a year earlier used Delahaye sourced steel ladder chassis frames.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

There seems to be a good bit of confusion about the origins of the engine used in the D8 120 with some sources believing it to have origins in a Delahaye truck and by others to have origins in the Delahaye 135MS straight 6, so far as I am aware both of these suggestions are no more than chewing the cud piffle of the highest order.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

I believe the D8 120 engine is a 120hp developement of the straight eight Delage first built in 1929 with it’s capacity now stretched to 4,302 cc / 262.5 cu in.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

As before the Delahaye take over top of the range Delages were supplied only as rolling chassis onto which the creme de la creme of boutique coach builders were given instructions by customers as to their exact body requirements.

The Aerosport Sport Pillarless Vue Panoramic body on today’s featured car, now owned by the Peterson Museum, is by Letourneur & Marchand a Parisian coach building company founded in Paris on the 1st of April 1905.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs taken at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, Palm Springs a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pillarless Vue Panoramic” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some of the 400 cars collected by a man who know’s more about the inside of cars than most and has made a fortune out of writing books about how to take them apart and put them back together again. Don’t forget to come back now !

Noble Character And Distinction – Mercedes Benz W128 220SE Cabriolet

Looking through my picture library for cars to write about this month I came across Geoffrey Horton’s photograph’s of one more Mercedes Benz 220SE seen here at Palo Alto Concour’s d’Elegance a couple of years ago.

Mercedes 220SE Cabriolet, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

The strap line on the US sales literature for the 220SE Cabriolet and Coupé noted that these were “Two Personal Cars of Nobel Character and Distinction”.

Mercedes 220SE Cabriolet, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

The literature drew attention to the unitised frame floor with a subframe for the engine, the recirculating ball type steering, which has since been almost universally replaced by rack and pinion steering, and the rear swing axle suspension.

Mercedes 220SE Cabriolet, Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

UK sales literature concluded “… these modern cars with their perfect matching of beauty, power and roominess are rightly considered favourites in their class.”

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

Thanks for joining me on this “Noble Character And Distinction edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at another Delage. Don’t forget to come back now !

Creating Agile Brands – Mercedes Benz W128 220SE

Unlike last weeks featured 220SE today’s example, seen at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance by Geoffrey Horton, is one of the more numerous LHD examples.

Mercedes Benz 220SE, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

When new it’s Bosch fuel injected engine would have produced 134hp at 5000rpm, sufficient to give the 220SE a top speed of 100 mph.

Mercedes Benz 220SE, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

San Franciscan Walter Landor took delivery of this 220SE while in Italy and toured Europe in it commencing July 1960.

Mercedes Benz 220SE, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Walter Landor born in Germany became the youngest fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts at 23 after completing his studies at Goldsmiths College in London.

Mercedes Benz 220SE, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

He settled in San Francisco after traveling to the US as part of the design team for the British Pavillion at the New York Worlds Fair.

Mercedes Benz 220SE, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Walter launched Landor Associates with his wife from his living room table, the company with the strap line “Creating Agile Brands” now has offices in 33 cities around the world.

The current and only second owner of this 220SE Colour Consultant Bob Buckter bought it in 1980 15 years before Walters death, after a “mishap” in 1999 Bob had the car fully restored to it’s current Concours Class winning condition.

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

Thanks for joining me on this “Creating Agile Brands” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gelände Sportwagen – Mercedes Benz W153 230S

Alongside Mercedes Benz Land Speed Record, Grand Prix and Sports Car programmes during the 1930’s the company also built a small number of Gelände Sportwagen of three types to compete in Rallies such as the Brandenburg Rally and Deutsche Alpenfahrt for the 1938 and 1939 seasons.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The most numerous was the 170VS with a 60hp 4 cylinder motor fitted to a modified W136 tubular cross braced frame of which 30 examples were built between 1938 and 1939.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The 230S was powered by a 58hp six cylinder motor which offered more torque than the 170VS that was fitted to a pressed-steel ladder-structure W153 frame of which 19 examples were built in the same time frame as the 170VS.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The Gelände Sportwagen programme concluded in 1939 with the 230SV which was an improved version of the 230S but with a short stroke engine that still only produced 58hp, but was more reliable than the 1938 model.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The spartan light weight bodies were of elektron with aluminium wings / fenders, the boot / trunk of these cars carried the fuel tank, a spare front tyre with normal tread pattern and rear knobbly treaded tyre plus a selection of spares and tools that might be required on route by competitors who were required to carry out any repairs without any outside assistance.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The frame on today’s featured W153 230S, was found after a two year search by the Mercedes Benz Classic Centre in 2002 and restored with many new fabricated parts in time for Mercedes Benz 125th anniversary in 2011.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took these photographs at Dana Point Concours d’Elegance in 2014.

Thanks for joining me on this “Gelände Sportwagen” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another French Concept car. Don’t forget to come back now !

Unknown History – Ferrari 250 GT/E #3509

Today’s featured 1962 Series 2 Ferrari 250 GT/E chassis #3509, was supplied to a person or entity known only as Berlet in Italy.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Niello Concours at Serrano

Exactly when current owner Bill Finkbeiner bought the car, or even who from, is not known at this time, if you know any further history about the car please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Niello Concours at Serrano

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs of #3509 taken at Niello Concours at Serrano last year.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Niello Concours at Serrano

Thanks for joining me on this “Unknown History” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres.” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at a one off Formula 5000 car. Don’t forget to come back now !