1937 Peugeot 402 Darl Mat

Emile Darl'mat was a Parisian Peugeot dealer during the early-1930s and was one of the world's largest. He was well known among the racing community and worked tirelessly to return Peugeot to the motorsports dominance it enjoyed immediately before and after World War I. To help in his endeavors, he created special Peugeot-based automobiles with leading-edge performance and styling. He was even granted access to Peugeot's factory resources.

Two other resources that Darl'mat pursued were Paris coach-builder Marcel Pourtout and designer Georges Paulin. Darl'mat had a history with both individuals; he had worked with Pourtout on a car for the 1927 Salon de l'Automoible and with Paulin on a Peugeot 301 with streamlined bodywork, which was created for display at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair.

Paulin, who's early profession was dentistry, had gained prominence in the automotive community by developing and patenting an automatic retractable metal roof mechanism, predating the Ford Skyliner of the late-1950s. Paulin and Pourout made plans to build it on a Peugeot 301 chassis, but Peugeot initially considered the roof mechanism to be overly complicated. So the duo purchased a bare chassis from Darl'mat and constructed the cars, dubbed 'Eclipse,' on their own. A companion model was later built on the larger 601 chassis. The mechanism proved popular, resulting in Peugeot licensing the design from Paul and produced 430 retractable-hardtop 402 models, dubbed the 402 BL Eclipse Decapotable, between 1935 and 1939.

Darl'mat conceived an idea to create a sporting model of Peugeot's 302 and fitting it with a two-liter engine from the 402. The bodywork was created by Pourtout, which involved Georges Paulin, who penned a flowing, teardrop-winged body with a vestigial boat-tail rear end. Other unique design cues including a flowing grille, medallion-shaped hood side vents, and heart-shaped rear license-plate housing. The bodies were created from lightweight aluminum sheets and hand-formed over wooden bucks.

The two-liter, overhead-valve, four-cylinder was fitted with dual carburetors and mated to a Cotal four-speed pre-selector gearbox. Competition versions, which were similar to the road-going versions, were met with great success. In 1937 and 1938 they competed at the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans, achieving a Sterling Class Victory in the latter year. Later production examples were built using a lightened, or legere, 402 chassis.

This particular example, chassis number 688 928, is built on the 402 DSE chassis. The 'DSE' stands for 'Darl'mat Sport à boîte de vitesses Electromagnétique,' with electromagnetic referring to the Cotal four-speed gearbox.

An individual in France owned this car from 1981 to 1987 before passing it to the current caretaker. It is finished in French Blue and was given a full restoration by the previous owner using all the original components. The original engine was rebuilt and is believed to have 15,358 original kilometers and the original Cotal pre-selector four-speed gearbox.

Inside, there is black leather upholstery with black carpeting and a matching black tonneau cover. There is an engine turned aluminum dash and the special 'banjo-style' steering wheel with Bakelite rim, which reads 'Peugeot Darl'mat' around the center ring. Bakelite was a new material and often found on French cars of this ear. This car also has a roll-down windscreen and a slightly unique hood bulge.

In total, there were 105 examples of the Peugeot Darl'mat produced, including six for racing. Production was comprised of 53 roadsters with low doors (like this example), 20 coupes, and 32 cabriolets. 38 examples were built as combination 302/402 models, while the remaining 67 examples were built on the lightened 402 chassis. It is believed that just 30 examples of all types remain in modern times.

This vehicle wears a faithful factory-authorized replica body that was created in the 1980s.

In 2012, this car was brought to the Monterey Auction presented by RM Auctions where it was sold for the sum of 203,500 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2014