delahaye

ONE DAY AT “TECHNIKMUSEUM SPEYER” IS NOT ENOUGH – 2

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Hi all, thank you for reading the first part of my review of “Technikmuseum Speyer”. This is the second part.

When leaving the first hall, you should turn right. In the narrow space between fence and the building, you can see a few locomotives. In the furthest space, there is a Chinese steam powered one which is really really huge. Some plants, crawling out from the edges, create a still life which contrasts with the massive power of the machine. My favourite on tracks is the German V200 (represented by the successor V220) which looks as if if it had been designed by a comic artist… Continue reading

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CHAPRON DANDIES AT PEBBLE BEACH

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Chapron at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance… During a car week obsessed with auctions and economics, Pebble Beach shared the grace and elegance of Carrossier Henri Chapron.

Located in Levallois-Paris, Chapron was part of the French Art Deco movement along with Figoni et Falaschi, Pourtout, Guilloré, Saoutchik and Franay. Eventually his firm was bought by Delahaye and reached a height of 350… Continue reading

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LOUWMAN WILL TELL YOU HOW TO PURCHASE A DREAM AUTOMOBILE! – PART 2 

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All of this made a great time journey, BUT the real deal started for me when I stepped into the world of the finest of the finest. Before I did, accidentally, I grew like a giant after drinking something from a little bottle. I wasn’t able to get out of the Spyker hall with the wonderful aircraft, which was not a bad place at all to hang around. Luckily I remembered from Alice in Wonderland that I I had to eat some cake in order to get back to normal size. I was now smaller as before, especially when staring at those great historic heroes…

Next I ended up at the section of race icons and wonderful vintage and classic supercars. I listened with interest to some great stories about these heroic automobiles, told by… Continue reading

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POTW–LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGTHER

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Let me first wish you a HNY, now that we are in 2016! Today I like to share with you a photo I absolutely love… why? It shows a Hispano-Suiza, an Amilcar and a fierce racer which could perhaps be a Mors? This year I will definitely be on the road in a number of rallies with Amillion (my Amilcar CGS), but there is one more thing I wish for this year. I hope my dad will accompany me in his, hopefully finally completed, Hispano ‘Grand Sport’, so that we can both have fun in our prewar beasts, one of which is a small beast ; ) Hispano Senior and Amilcar Junior, or as Simon, one of CHB’s writers told me, Hispano the elder and Amilcar the younger. These terms are used in the art world and as I call vintage and classic cars art as well, the elder and the younger it is! Or as we say in Dutch, like father, like daughter (although it would usually be son instead of daughter, obviously…).

Also a good moment to show my appreciation for my parents for giving me this most incredible name Atalante, and for my dad for passing on this great automotive passion, which is FORMIDABLE! To come back to a question raised by Simon, my dad started at young age with… Continue reading

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DARE YOU?

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A great Bull Mastif guarded this rare Delahaye,
Just daring some car thieves to drive it away.
They’d sure better pause… Continue reading
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POTW – A FAMOUS FRENCH AUTOMOTIVE MOVIE-STAR ; )

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This time a POTW session of our 1938 135M Delahaye Chapron cabriolet. As you may already have seen, our Delahaye has a role in an upcoming Dutch war movie with my dad as the chauffeur! : ) So today will be all about this automotive actor! The 135M is already getting the manners of a famous movie star, so it demanded to be featured in a POTW of its own… (in a special scene as a kind of dirty trials racer) ; )

As you can see, after recordings, the Delahaye needed a beauty treatment as it was very DIRTY! This is how stars want to be treated… Like I said before, some classic cars need to shine like a diamond, such as this piece of eternal elegance designed by that master coachbuilder Henri Chapron! So remember this face, it will be on screen as of next year 5th of May, the day of the première of this movie! Click here for more POTWs!Schermafbeelding 2015-10-13 om 21.02.49

MY CLASSIC DRIVERS DEBUT – STARTING BIG IS THE BEST WAY!

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http://crankhandleblog.comThis week I experienced a VERY SPECIAL day! My first time driving a classic car and not just a classic car, but one of our lovely BIG Delahayes (the 1938 two tone blue coloured 135M cabriolet with Henri Chapron coachwork). Most people say you need to start small and I will follow that advice in my search for my first own classic car, but starting BIG is really more my kind of doing things… ; )

The very first moment of driving away was really strange! Steering on the right hand side appears not really to be so weird and soon it starts to feel quite natural, but steering and braking is not anything like in a modern BMW! Steering round on a roundabout is much harder work than I am used to. The cable brakes on this heavy car (about 1700 kg) work extremely well but you need to… Continue reading

HIGH CLASS FROM VANVOOREN

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As we continue with the Parisian coachbuilders, today is the turn for Vanvooren who was located with his workshop in the north-western Parisian suburb of Courbevoie. This coachbuilder was one who built on high class chassis like Hispano-Suiza, Bugatti, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Delahaye and Delage. A great example of one of his creations is the 1939 Bugatti 57C Atalante that won an award at Chantilly. Vanvooren is best known for his work from the 1930s on those grandiose chassis of the era, but the company had already been active from 1910 and persisted until 1950. Vanvoorens style could be described as advanced with a conservative elegance, combined with very high standards.

Achille Vanvooren did good business with those expensive marques… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X2 – CHAPRON BONUS

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Just couldn’t resist to put out one more POTW with some awesome pics of a Chapron Delahaye. Apparently this poor car raised a lot of interest, especially inside, so I wonder what was going on… do you know? My best guess is that this was one of those street markets where second hand cars were traded. Never trust such markets where more than once a car was sold with one or more wooden pistons in the engine to make it run for a couple of minutes until the deal was done and the seller had taken to his heels. For sure these are magnificent historical pics! Click here for the other pic!http://crankhandleblog.com

HENRI CHAPRON, THE VANGUARD AMONG THE GREAT FRENCH COACHBUILDERS!

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The next couple of days CHB will be dedicated to some great Parisian coachbuilders, kicking-off with Henri Chapron! Of course… because we have two Delahayes with Chapron coachwork.

Henri Chapron is definitely a big name when talking about prominent French coachbuilders. His influence can be detected in nearly every custom-built French body from 1935 to 1955, regardless of the house by which it was designed and built. His designs are sober as well as elegant, in an outstanding way. His identity could be described as vanguard, never ahead of his time.

Let’s first take a look at where it all started, how he developed into this profession and how his style and his business evolved… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X5 – TALKIN ABOUT COACHBUILDERS!

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With this week’s topic being coachbuilders we just can’t ignore this flashy Art Deco masterpiece designed by Jacques Saoutchik! This 1949 Delahaye Type 175S Saoutchik Roadster must be one of the most outstanding coachwork designs, honored at the time at many prestigious concourses! A massive body that is titled ‘the most beautiful car in the world’ by many! One of them was English actress and sex-bomb Diana Dors, who once owned it.

In 2010 the masterpiece Roadster was sold for $3,3 million at the RM Sports & Classics Auction at Monterey in California. One POTW is just not enough for this wonderful piece of ART so POTW X5! I probably don’t have to… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

A TRUE DRIVING PLEASURE IT IS!

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Always a pleasure to be on the road with one of the Delahayes! A very fine car which always performs so well. In about two weeks we (me and my dad) will head towards Chantilly with this 1938 Delahaye 135M – Henri Chapron chassis – to join the French Delahaye Club. Of course I will make a report of all of that!

A nice thing that is to come, is about blessing cars and the Saint Christopher! There is a specific reason for that subject in combination with the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, so just making you curious already ; ) For sure this Delahaye is ready to go all the way to France, not by trailer because we always drive the cars to their destination. The journey towards such events is a pleasure in itself! Driving those cars is one of the best parts next to meeting wonderful people at events and enjoying so many mind-blowing fantastic cars, with often intriguing stories! So, stay tuned for new adventures in France in two weeks time!

Click here for an impression of the most elegant concours Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille – hope to see you there! Click here for more pics of this delightful 135M!http://crankhandleblog.com

THE ART DECO LOVING DANDY MAHARAJA YESHWANTRAO HOLKAR II OF INDORE – PART 1

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http://crankhandleblog.comFirst some background! Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar III (1890-1978) ruled the Princely State of Indore (9,519 square miles with 19 gun salutes) from 1903 to 1926. He was already quite an unconventional Maharaja and one of the first in Central India who, around 1906, acquired an automobile! He always purchased (lots of) cars for a reason… for some kind of a utilitarian purpose. He was just more of a practical collector than a petrol head.

Now about that futuristic master dandy, which he really was… Continue reading

THE DANISH TREASURE, SPEECHLESS!

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After Artcurial’s auction of the wrecks from the Baillon collection last February, Bonhams will sell end September the incredible collection of 48 cars from the Frederiksen collection. This time not a heavily neglected collection, but a ‘PERFECT’ one, with emphasis on perfect!
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Watching the video it seems that Henrik is not entirely sure about his decision… He literally said this when he saw his collection for the very first time lined up outside his wonderful property; “So maybe I should cancel it, to sell, because… Continue reading

CALL 9-1-1! A TALBOT-LAGO T150 C FIGONI-FALASCHI TEARDROP IS BEING SLAUGHTERED!

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We have all seen the sleeping beauties, barn-finds and perished cars, passing by, but this? You might wonder how it is possible that anyone destroys such stunning cars on purpose! A Talbot-Lago T150 C – or CSS – with Figoni-Falaschi teardrop coachwork, an exceptional Delahaye 135 M – or MS – with Saoutchik coachwork and a Bugatti – probably a type 44, that definitely didn’t survive. Many other special cars have been sacrificed like this at stockcar racing events. If only they had known what there were doing… Continue reading

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