Tag Archives: Palm Springs

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 !

145 Inch Prototype – Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster Prototype

In July 1930 Chrysler launched the second generation CG Imperial referred to in the sales literature as the Imperial 8.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

The 8 referred to the new L head 6.3 litre 384.8 cubic-inch, nine-main bearing straight 8 motor which developed 125 horsepower in it’s original incarnation.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

The CG’s chassis has an imposing 145″ wheel base, the same as a contemporary Duesenberg.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

Imperial 8’s could be ordered with either roadster, coupé, saloon / sedan or limousine bodies, the latter could be ordered with a way ahead of the curve dictaphone.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

This particular car photographed by Geoffrey Horton at the 2013 Desert Classic meet in Palm Springs is a 1931 CG with a prototype body by LeBaron.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

Unusually this roadster, which is believed to have been taken to the Chicago Auto Show, has no running boards.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

When the current owner bought this car he it restored in burgundy and silver in the absence of any knowledge as to the cars original colour scheme.

Chrysler Imperial 8 CG LeBaron Roadster, Desert Classics, Palm Springs,

The 145″ CG Imperial 8’s were only manufactured for one year the succeeding CL only had a 133″ wheel base.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “145 Inch Prototype” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Polymethyl Methacrylate Wheel – Delahaye 135MS Chapron Vedette

The competition version of the 135M that I looked at last week, known as the 135MS, had a more powerful motor giving up to 160hp and a wheel base a shade under 10 inches / 25cm shorter.

Delahaye 135MS, Chapron Vedette Convertible

The 1947 example featured today was sent to Henri Chapron for the Vedette, French for star, Cabriolet bodywork.

Delahaye 135MS, Chapron Vedette Convertible

Henri Chapron set up his studio in Paris in 1919 and started designing bespoke bodywork the following year.

Delahaye 135MS, Chapron Vedette Convertible

Chapron’s method of design was to dictate his ideas to an artist and then keep having the drawings refined until they matched his minds eye.

Delahaye 135MS, Chapron Vedette Convertible

The interior of this car features a steering wheel made from polymethyl methacrylate, a synthetic organic polymer known then by the trade name Plexiglass and known today by the trade name Lucite.

Delahaye 135MS, Chapron Vedette Convertible

This Vedette was sent to the 1947 Paris Motor show where it won the Concours d’Elegance thus vehicle is regarded as one f the finest examples of Chapron’s skills.

Delahaye 135MS, Chapron Vedette Convertible

After the demise of the likes of Delahaye in the mid 1950’s Henri Chapron continued designing cabriolet body work for Citroen DS and SM models, he and his 250 craftsmen are believed to have built around 8,000 bespoke bodies by the time his studio shut down in 1985 seven years after it’s founder died aged 92.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took these photo’s of the Chapron Vedette at the Palm Springs Desert Classic last year.

Thanks for joining me on this ” Polymethyl Methacrylate Wheel” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”. I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a trip to the Classic Motor Show in Birmingham. Don’t forget to come back now !

Brock’s Fantuzzi Body – de Tomaso Sports 5000 #P70-001

In 1965 Alejandro de Tomaso turned his attention to building a run of 50 sports racing cars, to be known as the Sport 5000 using the central backbone chassis architecture of his Vallelunga road car as a starting point.

de Tomaso Sport 5000, Modena

Photo Courtesy Bill Noon / Symbolic International.

He replaced the 100 hp 4 cylinder Ford Kent motor used in the road car with a 475 hp 4.7 litre / 289 Ford V8 sourced from Carroll Shelby of the type developed for the Cobra sports racing cars.

de Tomaso Sport 5000, Modena

Photo Courtesy Bill Noon / Symbolic International.

The open top aluminium body work was designed by Pete Brock, who was responsible for designing the Cobra Coupé bodywork for Carroll Shelby, a year earlier and crafted by Fantuzzi.

de Tomaso Sport 5000

Photo Courtesy Bill Noon / Symbolic International.

The cars first public appearances, with rear wheels covered, were in the 1965 Turin Motor Show and 1966 Modena Racing Car Show. Around this time Ghia had stepped in with some financial assistance and the car was known as the Ghia de Tomaso. In March 1966 Pierre Noblet, Franco Bernabei, Umberto Maglioli were entered to drive the car in the Sebring 12 Hours, but it failed to show up.

de Tomaso Sport 5000

Photo Courtesy Bill Noon / Symbolic International.

The Sport 5000 entry for the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours was refused by organisers Automobile Club de l’Ouest, but in July 1966 Roberto Bussinello drove the Sport 5000, on it’s competition debut, in the Cuircuito del Mugello road race where the car retired on the opening, 66 km, lap.

Palm Springs Concours d'Elegance

The only Sport 5000 built at de Tomaso’s Modena factory would never race again, by this time Shelby had turned his attentions to the Ford GT40 programme and production of the Sport 5000 was put on indefinite ice.

Pete Brock used elements of the Sport 5000 design including the adjustable rear wing, in the Suzuki Hino race car, while de Tomaso used the strengthend chassis design in the Ford 289 and later 302 cui V8 powered de Tomaso Mangusta.

The unique Sport 5000, a contemporary of the Ford GT40 and Ferrari P3, did not surface again until after Alejandro de Tomaso died in 2004. In 2006 a second car was built known as a 70P using the original cars panels as a template for the copy.

Earlier this year the de Tomaso Sport 5000, which is now being offered for sale by Bill Noon’s Symbolic International, was seen, above, by Geoffrey Horton at Palm Springs Concours d’Elegance.

My thanks to Bill Noon at Symbolic International for sharing his photographs of the Sport 5000 and to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photograph too !

Thanks for joining me on this “Brock’s Fantuzzi Body” edition of Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an American project that took Jaguar back to Le Mans in the mid 1980’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

Luxury Elegant Loss Leader – Continental Mark II

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Continental was designed to be a stand alone luxury and elegance brand from Lincoln to compete with GM’s Cadillac and Chrysler’s Imperial Brands that would build on the success of the 1940’s Lincoln Continental.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Having considered and rejected the idea of employing an outside team to design such an important vehicle Ford designated a team from it’s own special products division comprising chief stylist John Reinhart, chief body engineer Gordon Buehrig assisted by Robert McGuffery Thomas and chief engineer Harley Copp to design the Continental Mark II in late 1952.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Ford had hoped to build the car using unibody / monocoque construction but Copp is credited with rejecting the idea on grounds of tooling costs for what was always intended to be a low volume hand built vehicle, and so the car was built with separate chassis and body.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

For a car that was launched in 1956 there is a remarkable absence of chrome work giving it, size not withstanding, a refined European look. Power came from a factory blueprinted (hand made from closest to specification hand picked parts), 6 litre / 368 cui Lincoln V8 that was tuned to give 300 hp.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

The likes of Continental owners Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Shah of Iran had only one option choice to make, wether or not to have the US$595 factory fitted air conditioning or not. Elizabeth Taylor was given a Continental Mark II by Warner Brothers that was specially painted to match the colour of her eyes.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Priced at US$ 10,000 in 1956 the Continental cost the same as a contemporary Rolls Royce or two Cadillacs, until the arrival of the US$ 13,074 Cadillac Eldordo Brougham in 1957. Surprisingly Ford reckoned they were loosing US$ 1,000 on each Continental Mark II built.

Continental Mark II, Desert Classic C d'E, Palm Springs

Between late 1955 and 1957 around 3000 Continental Mark IIs were built at the end of the production run the Continental brand was reabsorbed into the Lincoln brand and the name hence forth continued as a Lincoln model name.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for the photographs of today’s featured 1956 model seen earlier this years at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance at Palm Springs.

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

Palm Springs – Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance

This year the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance moved to the Desert Princess Country Club and Doral Desert Princess Resort in Palm Springs California on February 24th and Geoffrey Horton has kindly sent sent today’s selection of photographs to us an overview of some of the vehicles present.

Jaguar XK 140 FHC SE, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs, CA

Geoffrey own 1955 Jaguar XK140 FHC SE/MC was looking more resplendent than ever in the spring California sun.

Mercedes Benz 28/95, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs, CA

When I saw this photo of a 1923 Mercedes Benz 28/95 I wondered if it was perhaps a creation from Gary L Wells workshop but in fact this beast with a 7.2 litre / 439 cui six cylinder aeroplane motor converted for road use is all the work of Mercedes Benz. The short wheel base version of the roadster, like the one seen here, was originally given the Targa Florio name after Mercedes Benz victories on the torturous Sicilian track in 1921 and 1922.

Ruxton Model C, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs, CA

Looking similar to a Cord L29 is this 1929 Ruxton Model C which like the Cord L29 has front wheel drive and a straight 8 engine but unlike the Cord L29 of which 4400 examples were built only 500 Ruxton Model C’s are thought to have been built the two tone lilac paintwork is standard for the period.

Marmon V16 Series 144, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

Last year Geoffrey shared photo’s of a Marmon V16 Limousine, above is the last Marmon V16 sold in 1933, a Coupe version of which just 5 others are thought to remain.

Chrysler Imperial, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

Although powered “only” by a 6.3 litre / 384 cui straight 8 Geoffrey’s car of the show was without question this 1931 Chrysler Imperial which appears to have a sheen just a little brighter than all of the other vehicles seen on the day.

Tucker 48, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

This 1948 Tucker 48 chassis #1003 featuring a motor in the boot / trunk and rear wheel drive is one of 51 built and is expected to fetch between US$1.5 and 1.9 million at auction on March 9th.

Cunningham C3, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

Moving forward five years this 1953 Cunningham C3 is one of 20 Roadsters built in West Palm Beach, it is fitted with 331 cui Hemi V8 and was shipped to Turin for coachwork to be fitted by Vignale. In addition to the roadsters Cunningham built 5 C3 convertibles.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

This US Spec 1957 Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster would have originally been distributed by Studebaker Packard Corporation.

Maserati, 3500 GT, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

According to the owner of this 1959 Maserati 3500 GT was sold new in Mexico and it “may” have once belonged to left wing Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos.

Shelby Cobra GT500, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

The 1968 Shelby Cobra GT 500 above is fitted with a 428cui interceptor motor and had clocked well over 100,000 miles prior to a two year restoration in 2005, since when it has won a Best in Show award at the 2007 Cobra Owners Concours and been drag raced at California Speedway.

Ford Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

Geoffrey tells me the ’32 Ford Roadster above belongs to well known IMSA racer Rick Knoop and packs 400 hp.

Ferrari 512M, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm, Springs, CA

Finally a Friday car this much modified Ferrari 512 S was upgraded to M spec in 1971 and upgraded further by the Filipinetti team with a Porsche 917 windscreen to what has become known as M/F spec. Drivers of the car in period include Ronnie Peterson, Henri Pescarolo, Mike Parkes and Joakim Bonnier.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs and a smidgen of welcome California sunshine.

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