Pat Braden
We note with great sorrow and shock that the noted author of Alfa Romeo and Abarth books, Pat Braden, passed away at his home in California. We extend our sympathies to his wife and family. A tribute will be forthcoming.

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Carey and the French Connection
by Rick Carey



Sam and Emily Mann's Voisin roadster is undeniably spectacular, a deserving recipient of the Pebble Beach judges' Best in Show selection and a true expression of the elegance that concours are supposed to celebrate.

It was not, however, the model listed in the Pebble Beach program. It seems that the car was displayed at Retromobile about five years ago wearing blackwall tires and with a red accent down its side where it was represented as a C-15. The Pebble Beach program described the Mann's car thusly: 1934 Voisin C-25 ETS Saliot Roadster. An old Automobile Quarterly article by Griffith Borgeson (volume 13, number 4) cites the C-15 as a 1929 2.3 liter model while the C-25 is a 1934 dual carb 3 liter.

Don Williams imported the car after it appeared at Retromobile. "I'd first seen it in the mid-Eighties, and tried to buy it on the spot. I knew it was a concours winner as soon as I saw it. It was all original then. The owner didn't want to sell but I made him an offer every year when I was in France. The offers went up with the market, then back down with the market. It was restored in Europe, then displayed at Retromobile and I finally bought it.

"As soon as I got it I thought immediately of Sam and Emily Mann. They were the ones to restore it correctly for Pebble Beach."

But Don didn't know if it was a C-15 or a C-25. "What difference does it make? It's a beautiful car. I have a photo of the car at a concours in the period with the wide whitewalls, chrome wire wheels and no red accent."

So it was on to Sam Mann who confirmed that it is, in fact, a C-15 and was entered as such at Pebble Beach but both the model designation and the identification of the coachbuilder were mixed up getting into the program. Ets. Saliot ("Ets." is the abbreviation for Etablissements) was the Voisin agent in Levallois. The origin of the C-15 chassis is unclear, but Sam Mann thinks it may have been a leftover display chassis. A M.Delecluse ordered the body from Saliot to his own design, and it is far from the square commodious boxes for passengers and luggage which Gabriel Voisin was then advocating. Saliot was the Voisin agent and not a coachbuilder but the order of M.Delecluse must have been very welcome in the depths of the Great Depression, particularly if it included the sale of an out-of-date chassis, and the coachbuilding work was apparently performed in their shop.

The model identification is in any event immaterial to the car's impact or its authenticity. It is impressive. It is sleek. It is elegant, in the truesense of the elegance which concours are intended to celebrate.

Now that's out of the way we can settle down and enjoy this spectacular one-off expression of style, grandeur and even extravagance for the admirable object that it is. What you C is what you get, whether it's C-15 or C-25.

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Letters and Notes

Oldtimers
It has come to our attention that the 330 P4 as owned by Theiler in the Oldtimer Nurburgring story last week is a replicar. Just to keep the record straight--

Bugattis, Gordinis, Talbots and Pegasos
Sorry to throw a baguette in the works but I think to include Bugatti in your coverage would be overkill. While I am a fan, I suspect aficionados of the marque are well supported elsewhere on the net. And besides you would then have to address the issue of inclusion of Bugatti-VW fibreglass replicars as well.... Now as far as Pegaso, Talbot, Delahaye, Delage, Gordini (and Alpine?) - by all means expand the coverage. Keep up the good work - every issue is a small treat!

Regards,
Julian Trachsel

More Coverage
I was looking forward to more coverage of the Monterey shows. Maybe some features on some of the machines at each event including the track.

- Wayne

Wayne,
We hope that this issue and our future issues on the Monterey weekend, such as the one from Michael Lynch, will fill the bill. Thanks for letting us know what you want to hear about! - ed