Supercars of the 1940's

This coming Friday and Saturday we will be visiting the prestigious Rolex Monterey Classic, one of the greatest events for classic Sports Cars in the world, and Sunday we will be visiting the not less prestigious Concours D'Elegance at Pebble Beach, where great classics like the ones bellow will be exposed. Will have great pictures next week. See you then.

1935-1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet

Shortly after WWII Talbot Lago was firmly back in business. Unlike many of the competitors, the French manufacturer's range was distinctly different from the cars offered before the hostilities engulfed the continent. There were certain similarities between the T150 offered up to 1939 and the new T26, which was available in both road and racing car trim. The monniker T26 was actually first used in the late 1930s for the 4.5 litre racing cars. The type name refers to the fiscal horsepower of '26 cv' engine. Before the six cylinder racing engine was offered to the public it was extensively developed from 1942 onwards, which enabled Talbot Lago to offer its new range so quickly after the peace was signed. read more here

1946-1955 Talbot Lago T26 Record Figoni & Falaschi Cabriolet

Shortly after WWII Talbot Lago was firmly back in business. Unlike many of the competitors, the French manufacturer's range was distinctly different from the cars offered before the hostilities engulfed the continent. There were certain similarities between the T150 offered up to 1939 and the new T26, which was available in both road and racing car trim. The monniker T26 was actually first used in the late 1930s for the 4.5 litre racing cars. The type name refers to the fiscal horsepower of '26 cv' engine. Before the six cylinder racing engine was offered to the public it was extensively developed from 1942 onwards, which enabled Talbot Lago to offer its new range so quickly after the peace was signed. read more here

1947-1951 Delahaye 175 S Saoutchik Roadster

The most dramatic of all supercars is this 2-seat roadster created for English movie star Diana Dors. Built for the post-war concours circuit, Saoutchik was responsible for its extreme body which borrowed styling cues from other earlier designs.

Using the French curves of the thirties with more modern baroque ornamentation, Saoutchik conveys a sense of drama and movement with this design. With completely enclosed wheels, the car's best angle is its profile as the front has a confusing mix of elements that look like they came from different sources. At the time, the aggressive use of chrome was revolutionary and an emerging trend that the American manufacturers would go on to master. read more here

1930-1931 Cadillac A-V16 Rollston Convertible Coupe

Even today a vehicle is regularly judged by the number of pistons propelling it, but this was even more so in the formative years. A major restriction in those years was the strength of the crankshaft in long multi-cylinder engines. The V-engine with two banks of cylinders was a major step forward and by the mid 1920s several companies had a V12 in their line-up. Towards the end of the decade three American companies (Cadillac, Marmon and Peerless) were busy developing an even more glamorous V16 engine, but it proved more difficult than first imagined and one of them never even materialized. read more here

1935 Duesenberg SJ "Mormon Meteor"

In the first half of the 20th century, (motor racing) technology evolved at a rapid pace and as a result new benchmarks and records were regularly set. There was an especially big competition on both sides of the Atlantic to clinch the various land speed records. The record breakers and their machines were the sporting heroes of the day. By the mid 1930s the previously used beaches and closed circuits were no longer sufficient and the racers turned their attention to the massive salt flats at Bonneville in Utah. The smooth and vast flats were first used for racing in 1925 by local building contractor David Abbot 'Ab' Jenkins and in the following years he set numerous records in a wide variety of machines. In 1935 he convinced several English high speed racers to join him at Bonneville. Jenkins had a bright yellow surprise for them. read more here

texts and photos excerpted from ultimatecarpage.com and supercars.net