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The Delahaye was on cover of the February 1949 edition of Road & Track. The photograph was taken in front of the famous Ciros Nightclub. This is the same car which was photographed later that year by Strother MacMinn.
Strother MacMinn photos from the collection of Robert Ames
Courtesy VintageMotorphoto
Text by Jim Sitz
Strother MacMinn was one of my closest and dearest friends. I met him in 1951. He was a real gay blade and man about town, the Cary Grant of automotive circles.
He had Rolls Royce phaeton and would go from one jazz club to another. He lived out on west 27th street in what was becoming a black neighborhood, but the change was OK with him. Later he moved back to old Pasadena.
We used to drive up to Pebble Beach in his Jag XK120; those were good times for going to the races and the concours in the early 50s. Mac raised our levels of design and good taste and style for cars. We all looked up to him.
I discovered the Bob Roberts agency, where MacMinn took these photos of this Figoni et Falaschi Delahaye, in the wonderful summer of 1949. I also remember seeing the first Ferrari in US, and Roger Barlow’s fabulous International Motors. It was well spent summer!
I loved those MG TCs, but Roberts had an original Duesenberg which had just driven in by a lady from San Francisco. She had received the Duesie as “severance pay” from a crazy old coot in Woodside. He bought 5 or 6 of them, new and kept them. I remember one of them was a roadster with custom coachwork by Murphy of Pasadena. Anyway, the lady traded the Duesenberg for new MG.*
This is the flaming red car of Cliff Henderson who sold it to a Mr.John Duckworth, who had 3000 acre ranch In San Fernando Valley. This was the sister car to the one owned by Rita Hayworth and Aly Khan. See Road & Track for March 1952: The magazine featured this car and his Talbot Lago Figoni Coupe with front fender skirts. Mr. Duckworth offered both of them for sale.
As you can see the Delayhaye was at the Bob Roberts MG dealership. Roberts was previously the service manager of a Duesenberg agency in 1930s and sold them to stars at the Duesie showroom on the 3200 block of Wilshire. Post war he set up this agency on Ivar, next to the Hollywood Library, which was just a couple blocks from the intersection of Sunset and Vine. Bob Roberts sold mostly MGs, but some rare cars ended up there.
MacMinn managed to shoot almost all around the car. The MG beside it looks very small…
Hollywood was a sleepy town then. Notice all the prewar cars on street.
The dashboard and interior befitting for one who could afford a Figoni et Falaschi Delahaye.
*Cars and Hollywood meant fascinating characters. In addition to MacMinn himself, there was Clifford “Cliff” Henderson (1895-1984) who was the managing director of the National Air Races from 1928 through 1939. Described as “the Barnum of aviation,” he obtained sponsors for two of the most well-known air races of the period, the Bendix transcontinental and the Thompson closed-course classics. [Wiki]
Not to be outdone, the “old coot” remembered by Sitz was millionaire George Whittel, who had at least six Duesenbergs and also gave two to Bill Harrah. At one time Whittel owned a huge amount of lakefront property…Lake Tahoe, that is. He was also a famous animal lover and often could be seen with a cheetah in the passenger seat of his Duesenberg.
This was like a spaceship landed on earth. What wonderful pictures.
First tail fins?
Not just a great motor but an inspired work of art. One hopes it still exists, as well as most of the other F and F-bodied 135s.
Jim Sitz is an International treasure. He was present at the creation of postwar exotic automotive enthusiasm and has shared his experiences with us both in writing and the images he made.
He also has assisted generations of automotive historians and I am happy to say I am one of those.
Thanks for your memories, Jim, and continue to share them.
Just amazing…!!!