- 6,960
- South Africa
Okay ladies and gentlemen of GTP, allow me to introduce one of many reasons why I regard Mr. Jacques Saoutchik as a pure unadulterated genius of coach-building world.
This one-off feast for the eyes was created by Saoutchik over a period of one whole year.
Introduced at 1949's Paris Auto Salon, this car is considered one of the most extreme uses of Baroque automotive styling. Huh. Dunno what this baroque is, but me like.
It features interior adorned with 14-Karat gold plates and a pretty advanced door opening mechanism, for its day - you press a button and the door pops open. Cool.
And yeah, it's a targa top, like a Lotus Elise, but so much more elegant.
This particular car featured 4,455 cc in-line 6 cylinder type 183 motor developing somewhere between 140 and 160 horses.
It's asking price was....wait for it, cool $20,000. Back in 1949. What, you thought it cost that little now?? It sold for $1.2 mil in 2013 thru' Barrett-Jackson. If you ask me, that was pretty low.
Its first owner was Mr. Jack Pry of Washington, D.C. who exhibited this car alongside a Phantom Corsair and an unspecified post-war Bugatti at the 1952 International Motor Show held at Grand Central Palace in New York.
The next owners were Mrs. Wladzia Podbielniak and her husband Mr. Walter, who was apparently a well-known petro-chemical engineer.
After that this beaut changed hands a few times, most notably - and as well as rather funnily - in 1970s, a man named Bill Harrah bought and restored this car for his then-new wifey. Who happened to be Bobbie Gentry, a country singer and a, ahem, former Las Vegas showgirl. Funny, because the marriage imploded only after 4 months and Ms. Bobbie never laid her eyes on her intended gift.
As usual, I'd appreciate anyone with more info. Thanks!!
Oh and Merry Christmas, and Happy new year!!
This one-off feast for the eyes was created by Saoutchik over a period of one whole year.
Introduced at 1949's Paris Auto Salon, this car is considered one of the most extreme uses of Baroque automotive styling. Huh. Dunno what this baroque is, but me like.
It features interior adorned with 14-Karat gold plates and a pretty advanced door opening mechanism, for its day - you press a button and the door pops open. Cool.
And yeah, it's a targa top, like a Lotus Elise, but so much more elegant.
This particular car featured 4,455 cc in-line 6 cylinder type 183 motor developing somewhere between 140 and 160 horses.
It's asking price was....wait for it, cool $20,000. Back in 1949. What, you thought it cost that little now?? It sold for $1.2 mil in 2013 thru' Barrett-Jackson. If you ask me, that was pretty low.
Its first owner was Mr. Jack Pry of Washington, D.C. who exhibited this car alongside a Phantom Corsair and an unspecified post-war Bugatti at the 1952 International Motor Show held at Grand Central Palace in New York.
The next owners were Mrs. Wladzia Podbielniak and her husband Mr. Walter, who was apparently a well-known petro-chemical engineer.
After that this beaut changed hands a few times, most notably - and as well as rather funnily - in 1970s, a man named Bill Harrah bought and restored this car for his then-new wifey. Who happened to be Bobbie Gentry, a country singer and a, ahem, former Las Vegas showgirl. Funny, because the marriage imploded only after 4 months and Ms. Bobbie never laid her eyes on her intended gift.
As usual, I'd appreciate anyone with more info. Thanks!!
Oh and Merry Christmas, and Happy new year!!
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