Etceterini

A beautiful early example of Jean Bugatti’s masterfully engineered touring model, this unique Type 57 is numerically just the 56th example built and among the first 30 cars invoiced. The chassis was clothed with Bugatti’s 4-door pillarless saloon Galibier coachwork and was delivered through Parisian agents Bucar to the Belgian rally driver Ginet Trasenster on behalf…

Following Anthony Lago’s assumption of control at Automobiles Talbot in 1935, the company, now rebranded as Talbot-Lago, shifted its focus to a fresh lineup of sports cars. With engineer Walter Brecchia’s innovative designs, Talbot-Lago introduced a new 4.0-liter engine and modern chassis concepts, alongside a racing team led by René Dreyfus. In June 1936, at…

Introduced in February 1985, the original Renault 5 GT Turbo used what — even by the standards of the day — would seem an unpromising engine for a sporting car. A 1.4-liter 8-valve pushrod-4, the 5 GT’s engine punched well above its weight thanks to Renault’s turbocharging technology, a spin-off from the French manufacturer’s successful…

The Peugeot Darl’mat Special Sport was a remarkable achievement in the world of 1930s coachbuilt automobiles. Émile Darl’mat, a Peugeot dealer with a deep passion for performance and innovation, harnessed some of the greatest talents of the era to create a truly great machine. Darl’mat hired Marcel Pourtout and Georges Paulin for coachbuilding and design,…

Today Ligier is best remembered for its 20 years representing France in Formula 1 (1976–96). Before then, the company founded by former rugby player-turned-motor-manufacturer Guy Ligier built roadgoing sports cars, principally the JS2. First seen in production form at the 1971 Paris Salon, Ligier’s lightweight coupe was powered by the Maserati-developed 2.7-liter (later 3.0-liter) four-cam…

The first of these Abarths had short-nose, roundtail bodies and either 1,300-cc or 2,000-cc Abarth engines, but during the next three years the body changed to the much more modern and attractive ducktail design and, eventually, from the end of 1964, the more-aerodynamic long-nose cars. It is estimated that only some 15 of the latter…

Assembled in the factory during the summer of 1928, chassis 43264, fitted with engine 124 and crankshaft 159, would not be mentioned for the first time until May 13, 1929, in the factory archives, along with two other chassis and inscribed “Prix Bugatti.” These three cars were destined to be the prizes awarded to the…

Introduced in 1934, the Type 57 is widely regarded as a masterpiece by the hand of Jean Bugatti. Like all Bugattis that preceded it, the Type 57 handled with finesse and possessed a delicate feel characteristic of these magnificent automobiles. Graceful, exquisitely made and incredibly exclusive, the Type 57 was instantly recognizable as a conveyance…

This 1965 Honda S600 convertible is said to have been bought new from a Honda dealer in Toronto, Canada, by Pennsylvania-based Honda motorcycle dealers Ron and Mary Krause, who would later go on to become one of Honda’s first U.S. automobile dealers in 1972. The car changed hands several times in Pennsylvania before it was…

Among French automakers of the Art Deco era, Avions Voisin was unique. With a background in architecture, industrial design, engineering, and a successful career in aviation, Gabriel Voisin reached the height of his automotive career in the 1930s. Each Voisin automobile was designed as a whole in response to the number of passengers and their…