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1949 Delahaye Type 175 news, pictures, and information | ||
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 |  |  | Roadster Coachwork: Saoutchik Chassis Num: 815023 |
| Sold for $3,300,000 at 2010 RM Auctions. | |||
Delahaye returned to automotive production in 1946. Their first post-war effort, the Type 175 chassis, was the starting point for this 1949 Paris Auto Show entrant. The car sports one-off coachwork by French aerodynamicist Jacques Saoutchik.
The body features fully skirted fenders, a disappearing top, and extensive chrome accenting. This car is considered one of the most extreme uses of Baroque automotive styling.
Saoutchik was born in 1880 near Minsk, Russia and emigrated with his family to Paris in 1899. He entered the business of furniture making. Seven years later he had become successful enough to purchase his own shop and soon entered the world of coach building. His creativity and designs evolved and his craftsmanship and quality were undeniable. His work was intertwined with the clients desires matted to his own ambition and creativity. Many of his vehicles had long hoods, flowing fenders, and low windshields. During the thirties he worked on perfecting the popular teardrop style that is one of the most breathtaking and memorable of all the designs ever created. The designs simulated motion even while standing still.
Production of automobiles in the United States during World War II was post-poned in favor of supporting the war effort and the creation of war materials. At the conclusion of the war, the automotive industry scrambled to create new products that the public may enjoy. Coachbuilders and craftsman found themselves with a dilemma - there were very few luxury chassis in which to use as a base to build their product. The producers of luxury automobiles that had survived and were still in business after the war had mostly transitioned to doing the work in-house rather than outsourcing to coachbuilders. Unit body construction was another factor squeezing out the trade of custom craftsmanship in the automotive industry.
By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2007
Production of automobiles in the United States during World War II was post-poned in favor of supporting the war effort and the creation of war materials. At the conclusion of the war, the automotive industry scrambled to create new products that the public may enjoy. Coachbuilders and craftsman found themselves with a dilemma - there were very few luxury chassis in which to use as a base to build their product. The producers of luxury automobiles that had survived and were still in business after the war had mostly transitioned to doing the work in-house rather than outsourcing to coachbuilders. Unit body construction was another factor squeezing out the trade of custom craftsmanship in the automotive industry.
By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2007
 |  |  | Coupe de Ville Coachwork: Saoutchik Chassis Num: 815044 |
| Sold for $440,000 at 2010 Gooding & Company. | |||
This elegant vehicle was built specifically for the 1949 Paris Auto Salon and is said to have taken Saoutchik an entire year to complete. The original price tag was $20,000, making it one of the most expensive vehicles of its day. The first known owner was Jack Pry of Washington, D.C., one of the largest foreign car dealers in the United States. Under his care, the car was exhibited - alongside the Phantom Corsair and a post-war Bugatti - at the 1952 International Motor Sports Show at the Grand Central Palace in New York City.
It is believed that the next owner was Mrs. Wladzia Podbielniak of Chicago, Illinois. Her husband, Walter, was an internationally famous petrochemical engineer with dozens of major patents to his name who became fantastically wealthy when he discovered a way to produce Penicillin in continuous batch formulations.
Mrs. Podbielniak's collection was sold in the 1950s at the 'palatial French chateau' on Lake Shore Drive. The car was purchased by the Harrah Automobile Collection. At the time, the cars odometer read 20,600 miles. In the early 1970s, Bill Harrah married country singer and former Las Vegas showgirl Bobbie Gentry. He had the Delahaye restored as a present for his new wife. The car was restored in the original two-tone color scheme of grey-beige and cream and had an air-conditioning system installed. Unfortunately, the marriage dissolved just four months after the knot was tide, so Ms. Gentry never saw the Delahaye.
In 1981 and 1982 the Delahaye was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Years later, it was sold to automotive auctioneer Tom Barrett of Paradise Valley, Arizona. In 1989, Mr. Barrett sold the car to J.B. Nethercutt.
In 2010, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA. It had an estimated value of $250,000-$350,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $440,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.
By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010
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| Barrett-Jackson Generates Nearly $109 Million In Sales | |
 | • Sets Record Attendance At The 42nd Annual Scottsdale Auction • Batmobile sells for $4.62 million dollars to a lifelong fan to worldwide audience; marks second-highest single-car sale at Barrett-Jackson •1,343 cars sold •$108,766,069 gross sales – A 17% increase over 2012 •300,000 in attendance •Charity cars – 21 total for $5,005,000 Scottsdale, Ariz. – Jan. 22, 2013 – Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions™, generated nearly $1...[Read more...] |
| Sold! Barrett-Jackson's 5000 Series Generates More Than $29.2 Million In Scottsdale | |
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| Last Mercer Will Compete At Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance | |
 | When the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic commences on August 7, Johnny Crowell will don his leather cap and goggles and settle in behind the wheel of his 1925 Mercer Series 6 Raceabout -- the last Mercer ever to exit the factory. The Roebling family along with designer Finley Robertson Porter debuted the Mercer Raceabout Type 35R in 1911. The result was one of the most admired sports cars of the early era: a stripped-down, two-seat speedster designed to be driven fast. By 1925, they had perfec...[Read more...] |
| September 15 d'Plaisir Road Rallye will precede | |
 | The September 15 road rally that precedes the Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance the following day has been named the d'Plaisir Road Rallye in honor of the 2012 Concours' theme 'French Curves.' It begins with lunch at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Rolling Hills, traverses the stunning views and winding roads of the Peninsula and ends at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates with a helicopter golf ball drop and a reception honoring Concours Grand Marshals Peter and Merle Mullin...[Read more...] |
 1949
Delahaye
models |
| Delahaye 135M |
| Delahaye Type 135 MS |
| Similar Vehicles | |
 | 1948 Cadillac Saoutchik Series 62 |
 | 1947 Delahaye 135 M |
| Similar Automakers | |
| Auburn | Daimler |
| Delage | Duesenberg |
| Hispano Suiza | Hudson |
| Isotta | Packard |
| Peerless | Pierce Arrow |
| Talbot-Lago | Voisin |
| Delahaye: 1941-1950 |
| Similar Automakers |
| Delahaye History |
| Other models by Delahaye |
| Related Articles and Event Coverage |
| RM Auctions - Sports & Classics of Monterey |
| Gooding and Company - Pebble Beach Auctions |
| Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance |
| Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance |
| Type 135 Type 145 Type 148 Type 235 |
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