Automobile Enthusiasts

I love the luxury cars from that era, especially those built by the French coach builders. Delahayes and Delages are some of the most sensuous automobiles ever taken from pen to sheet metal, yet remain almost unknown to most American car buffs. Even the mass produced French "People's Car", the lowly Citroen CV2s, don't have a straight line on them.

When I was young I had a ruler set that included something called a French Curve. I pondered the use for such a tool, but never actually had a reason to employ it. Much later in life when I saw my first Delage, those days in grade school all came rushing back to me as I saw those gracefully flowing curves caught in the sweeping fenders and body of a true work of art that just happened to have a steering wheel:



People often wonder how so many examples of these very low production cars are still in existence. The reason is that they were always coveted and maintained by their wealthy owners. Unlike many old muscle cars, these art deco era cars were never left in a field or even a dirty garage. They were kept in pristine condition and polished by caring chauffeurs from the time of purchase until they were sold at a premium or handed down to lucky heirs. During WWII these cars were even hidden away from the Nazi seige the same way Rembrandts were safely secreted away. Those that did fall into Axis hands were still preserved as spoils of war and most survive to this day.