This car, Lot 34, sold for $680,000, including buyer’s premium, at Gooding Christie’s Amelia Island, FL, auction, on March 6, 2025.
Émile Darl’mat became a concessionaire for Peugeot in 1923. His small garage in Paris quickly grew in size, as did the reputation of Darl’mat for producing special versions and modified bodies for the Peugeot production cars.
In 1935, Darl’mat decided that there was a place for a modern and good-looking sports car, but he felt that such a car should be no more expensive or difficult to maintain than a standard production saloon. At this time, Peugeot’s mainstream models consisted of the 202, 302 and 402. They were excellent cars, with attractive bodies of varying size. Darl’mat chose a chassis from a 302, to which he married the independent front suspension, rear axle and larger 2-liter engine from the 402. He then asked the Parisian coachbuilder Pourtout to design and build a 2-seat body for the car. The result was an extraordinarily pretty roadster, which was low, aerodynamic and light.
Darl’mat decided to enter the Le Mans 24-hour race in June 1937. With the help of Peugeot, three roadsters were prepared, and they finished in 7th, 8th and 10th place. The following year, Darl’mat and Peugeot entered another three cars with special engines, but alas, only one finished, in 5th place overall. This was an astounding achievement given the much more powerful engines of the competition.
Meanwhile, Peugeot agreed to supply the special chassis in a complete form, and these were sent to Pourtout for coachwork. One hundred and five cars were built in total — 47 roadsters, 32 cabriolets, 20 coupés and the six Le Mans racers (distinguishable by their lack of doors). Today, known survivors number 31 roadsters, seven cabriolets, five coupes and four Le Mans cars.
The Peugeot chassis was nothing special, nor was the engine. But it was reliable, and thousands of mechanics could easily look after it. It corresponded to Darl’mat’s ideal of a good-looking, semi-sporting car that didn’t need specialist care.
At what cost, elegance?
In the second half of the 1930s, two French coachbuilders stood out for their beautiful designs. They were both based in Paris. Figoni was the star, but Pourtout was not far behind. Both were capable of designing and making stunning-looking cars in the à la mode “streamliner” style. Figoni was more exclusive and would probably have shied away from making bodies for the relatively humble Peugeot chassis. But Pourtout did not. It had already made special bodies for Peugeot chassis, including the first known car with a metal disappearing top, an idea later used by many manufacturers in the modern era.
The roadsters, even in customer configuration, offered few creature comforts. They were occasional cars for fair-weather use. The cabriolets did offer much more comfort and are still extremely elegant. In the pecking order, roadsters are the “cat’s whiskers,” cabriolets are “hen’s teeth,” and coupes are the “dog’s bollocks.” Coupes are often prettier than their cabriolet counterparts, but that comes with disadvantages in practicality. Even far bigger coupes like a Bugatti Atalante can feel cramped, and they tend to be hot and noisy. That is the price to pay for true elegance.
However, the little Darl’mat takes these inconveniences to a new level. In the 1930s, the French, and their Italian counterparts, were not very tall. That was fine then but not so great now. Anyone over five-foot-eight will struggle to drive one.
Turned and burned
Of the five of these Darl’mat coupes known to survive, two are in the U.S., two are in France and one is in Belgium. They are supremely pretty and, like a Talbot Teardrop Coupe, are considered rolling art.
Twenty-five years ago, when this car was restored, bling was still in fashion. Today, I’d note that the two-tone paint overwhelms the car, the dashboard is incorrect, and a non-original supercharger was added. These transgressions are not a huge deal, and not difficult to correct. The auction catalog referred to a “légère” appellation, which does not mean that the chassis was lightweight, but simply that it was the shortest one available for the 402 model. The body is in steel, not aluminum, so the small 2-liter engine means this car is not going to win any races. It’s really more of a boulevard cruiser. On the plus side, the Cotal electrical gearbox is not a pre-selector, and is a delight to use.
This same car was sold by RM Sotheby’s at Monterey in 2022, near the peak of a bull market, for $885k (SCM# 6954294). At the recent $680k sale price, the owner took a not-insignificant $200k hit. Was it purchased without first-hand knowledge its impractical traits? Perhaps. Or maybe the seller has now scratched the itch. The price obtained this time around was about right. At less than a tenth of the cost of a Talbot Teardrop, the buyer should be happy, though the seller may be disappointed.
