Artcurial Auction was a true highlight of Retromobile 2022

Pre-war classics for every taste and purse

On the classic pre-war side, there was an impressive 1934 Delage D8S Roadster sold for €429,120, a 1950 Delahaye 135 M cabriolet coachbuilt by Barou sold for €149,000 and an unsold 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aérolithe. Now you might be wondering, the World’s most iconic car remained unsold at Artcurial?

The answer is simple, this car is a replica, albeit one of the best in the world. The original car was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1935. Designed by Jean Bugatti and called the “Type 57 Coupé Spécial”, it had a (back then) futuristic, Art Deco-inspired form.

The car was built on an original Type 57 chassis. The model launched two years earlier, giving rise to the most successful Bugatti touring cars and excelling in competition, winning at Le Mans in the 24 Hour race. However, Bugatti was not yet racing the type 57’s in 1935 when the Coupé Spécial was designed. Its aerodynamic shape and characteristic crest earned the name Aérolithe, meaning meteorite.

The replica is built as faithful to the original as possible, by restoration specialist David Grainger, based on a chassis close to the Aérolithe. The chassis belonged to an early car in the series, complete with its engine, transmission and part of the running gear. Also, the chassis and interior were laid out as close to the original as possible. The car received many accolades and awards but could not find an appropriate bid.

It was not the only Bugatti on the floor, as a few interesting specimens were also offered, smaller and less desired models, albeit originals, mainly from the Bruno Lafourcade Collection.

The red 1925 Bugatti 35B (a Reconstruction par Ventoux Moteurs Engineering) was sold for €655,600, the green 1920 Bugatti Type 13 was sold for €268,200, while the light coloured 1928 Bugatti 35/51 (a Reconstruction Petit Coupé Friderich) was sold for €333,760.

One of our favourites was a light blue 1925 Guyot Spéciale GS25 2L that did not find a buyer. Albert Guyot was a successful race driver of the ’20s, an official driver for Delage, Rolland-Pilain, Ballot, Bignan and Duesenberg, lining up at the start of numerous international Grands Prix.

Not far behind on our list is the fancy 1938 Peugeot 402 Éclipse, a white coupé-cabriolet with a red interior sold for €210,984. The 402 Éclipse is an exceptional car, a world-first hard-top coupé-cabriolet using a hand-operated mechanism.

After the first few artisanal versions were built in the Pourtout workshops to a design by Georges Paulin for clients of Émile Darl’Mat, Peugeot decided to launch its own production on the base of the 401 and later the 402 models.

Another favourite is the 1930 Cadillac V16 Série 452 Roadster coachbuilt by Fleetwood, equipped with a monstrous 7.4-litre V16 engine, sold for a moderate €307,400.

Also, the blue 1926 Lorraine-Dietrich B3/6 Sport Skiff 3 seater coachbuilt at Labourdette with a wooden inserts left lasting impressions.

The blue 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B coachbuilt at Hibbard et Darrin was sold for €226,480. We can’t help thinking that this niche is where we see the biggest chance of price increase (apart from ordering a new car these days : ) ).

Another pre-war beauty was the beige 1938 Talbot Lago T23 Major Cabriolet, which sold for €131,120, but also the bicoloured 1936 Panhard et Levassor Dynamic X77 (140) was interesting and a steal for merely €33,376.

Here we take a rhetorical break before the post-war cars, as we reached some 150 photos in our gallery until here.

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