1938 Peugeot 402 Darlmat Pourtout Special Coupe

This 1938 Peugeot 402 Darl'Mat is believed to be one of six coupes built on the 402-series Légère (lightweight) chassis. It wore a two-tone exterior of French beige and black, and it was given by Emile Darl'mat in late December 1938 as a Christmas present to team director Alfred Giauque. While Darl'mat believed the roadsters had the greatest competition potential, Giauque favored the coupe body style and believed them as the more capable design.

After World War II, the car was acquired by Jeanne Werotte of Paris in February 1954 who sold it four years later to fellow Parisian resident Andre Perigne. It was exported to the United States in the late 1960s or early 1970s where it joined Dr. William O'Brien's collection in Reno, Nevada. By the early 2000s, the Darl'mat was in a state of partial disassembly when it was sold to Los Angeles-based broker Raymond Milo to Kenneth Pierson, the proprietor of Heritage Auto Body Restoration in Mesa, Arizona. The current custodian acquired it in 2002 and commissioned a comprehensive restoration. Upon completion, the car was shown at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, followed by additional work performed by RM Auto Restoration. In 2007, the car was shown at the Phoenix Art Museum's acclaimed 'Curves of Steel' exhibition.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022