2014 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS d'ELEGANCE TO FEATURE FERNANDEZ ET DARRIN COACHWORK

August 11, 2014 by Pebble Beach Concours

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 6, 2014) -- In 1934, at the height of the classic era, the French coachbuilding firm of Fernandez et Darrin received a rare and impressive order from Anthony Gustav de Rothschild of the wealthy Rothschild banking family. He wanted not just one but two striking custom-built Hispano-Suiza automobiles. The K6 Coupé Chauffeur with an open front was sure to accent the lavish style of his wife 'Yvonne' while the sophisticated J12 four-passenger Coupé de Ville, with its semi-teardrop design, would be the perfect sporting companion for his own daily use.

'When you see these two cars together, there's just nothing like them!' said Anne Brockinton Lee, who currently owns the Rothschild pair with Robert M. Lee and will be showing them in a special Fernandez et Darrin Coachwork class at the forthcoming Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday, August 17. 'This is the most interesting, breathtaking, swoopy pair of formal cars ever built. For anybody. By any coachbuilder.'

Gino Fernandez, a business savvy gentleman, and Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, a designing genius, first met at the summer Concours d'Elegance de l'Automobile at the Parc des Princes. Finding that they each were talented and each in need of a partner, they came together in 1932 to form Fernandez et Darrin Coachwork in Boulogne-Sur-Seine. The firm of Fernandez et Darrin was known for its high-beltline designs that elongated the car bodies, their low split V-shaped windshields, and their early use of skirted fenders. Although the firm only lasted five years it created some of the most desired designs of its day and garnered the wealthiest of clients.

The special Fernandez et Darrin class at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours will include everything from a 1931 Delage D8 SS 100 Cabriolet to a 1938 Buick 80, a 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Coupé Chauffeur, and a 1933 Duesenberg J Cabriolet that was once owned by actress Greta Garbo. The Rothschild pair owned by the Lees will be making their debut after three years of restoration.

When asked which of the pair is her favorite, Anne coyly praised both: 'Because the K6 was designed for a lady, I have a great affection for it. But the J12 is drop dead gorgeous. This year on the Tour all my girlfriends will be riding with me in the K6, and Bob with all the husbands will be in the J12.'

Visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net for additional information about the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and to purchase tickets for the event.