Alfa Romeo Carabo by Gandini & Bertone
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
MONDIAL DE L’ AUTOMOBILE, October 4-19 2014
In one of the many halls of the show, a different exhibition took place called “L’Automobile & la mode” (“Cars and fashion”), showing many cars of different periods together with pictures of dresses. The cars were really a surprise for their variety and importance, few of them designed by or for fashion masters.
To see the new cars at this year’s show, click here: https://velocetoday.com/mondial-de-lautomobile-paris-2014/
Panhard & Levassor M2F 6CV 1897
Renault Viva Grand Sport Cabriolet ACX2, 1934
Citroen Traction 11 B cabriolet 1934
Fiat 508S Balilla Coppa d’oro, 1935
Voisin C28 Aerosport Prototype, 1935
Talbot Lago T150C SS Figoni & Falaschi, 1939
Facel II.
Matra 530 Type A Symultaneè of 1967 by Sonia Delunay
Maserati Boomerang by Italdesign, 1971
Alfa Romeo Montreal Bertone, 1971
Renault Alpine A310, 1971
Fiat 130 coupè Pininfarina,1971
Citroen 2CV by Hermes, 2008
Renault Dezir, 2010
Citroen Survolt, 2010
Smart for Jeremy Scott, 2011
Your photo No. 3 shows a Peugeot Eclipse 402 and not a Renault Viva Cabriolet.
Peugeot was known for the placement of headlights under the front grille.
The comment by Marc Zeboumi (October 28, 2014 at 10:55 am) is absolutely correct. The car on the photo is indeed a Peugeot 402 Eclipse. This convertible was named Eclipse because the steel hardtop could be automatically (electrically or manually) stored in the boot of the car. It thus disappeared = eclipsed completely from view. The idea of the retractable (rigid) hardtop was patented in 1933 by the French dentist and designer Georges Paulin*. An important dealer of Panhard and Peugeot automobiles in the Paris area, by the name of Emile Darl’mat, brought Paulin in contact with the coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout in Rueil-Malmaison, the same suburb where Paulin had his dental practice, and Paulin became his stylist. Pourtout build a number of Eclipse bodies on Peugeot and Lancia chassis but later Peugeot acquired the production rights. From September 1935 till 1940 Peugeot produced 580 of these 402 Eclipse convertibles.
*Paulin also designed the Peugeot Darl’mat sports cars that raced at Le Mans and a similar body for Renault SAPRAR. The famous Embiricos Bentley sports coupé was from his hand as well. This led to a consulting engagement with Rolls-Royce Bentey in the UK. After the Germans occupied France, Georges Paulin became active in the French resistance. He was captured by the Gestapo and executed on 21 March 1942 at the Mont Valérien.
Best regards, Gijsbert-Paul