Our sincere apologies for the use of this photo of Diana Dors and her Delahaye to draw attention to the life and times of Jacques and Pierre Saoutchik. Unfortunately, there was no other photo which promised to do the job in a more comprehensive fashion.
In this article, we present a series of images from the one thousand, nine hundred and thirty three published in the three-volume book, Jacques Saoutchik Maître Carrossier. All images used with permission of the publisher and author in conjunction with the book review. All are credited to the rights owners in the physical book. We have borrowed images from all three volumes but compiled them in chronological order to illustrate Saoutchik designs from the early 1900s to 1954. [Ed.]
Jacques Saoutchik Maître Carrossier
By Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson
Regular Edition ISBN 978-1-85443=269-8
500 numbered and signed copies, $500
Deluxe Leather Edition: ISBN: 978-1-85443-270-4
Twenty Deluxe, signed copies, each hand-crafted by English artisans in full leather with hand-marbled endpapers. Each set delivered in custom-made slipcase and protective Solander box. ONLY TWO DELUXE SETS LEFT!
Order from Dalton Watson
1907, a Saoutchik-bodied 22 CV Berliet in front of the coachbuilder's business. Note the fittings, the luster, and the elegant style which will mark all Saoutchik efforts.
A great example of Saoutchik's craft on the 1931 HC6 Hispano Suiza chassis #12419, built for Lily Chipot. Note the door panel design, a favorite of Saoutchik's.
Detail of the inlaid woodwork and accessories inside the Hispano.
A drawing from 'The Motor' showing the operation of the Saoutchik cantilever door mechanism. It was heavy and complex and never caught on.
Artist Marcel Burgunder worked for Saoutchik for years without much credit, but here is a design rendering of a 1930 Delage GL. The colors are daring, the lines have superb proportions.
The 1935 Hispano Suiza K6 SWB design was called the 'Monaco' and unusual for Saoutchik in that it incorporated trendy design elements used by other coachbuilders. It is doubtful that this car was built, but the drawing is also representative of the type of rare and high quality images Larsen has collected for his work.
1946 was the beginning of a new era for Saoutchik, with brilliant streamlined designs by son Pierre. Top, a Talbot Lago t26 sport coupe, followed by a streamlined fastback version, and bottom a business card used at the 1947 Paris Salon.
In a postwar environment, orders still came from royalty such as the Bey of Tunis who requested this long limousine built on a 1950 Talbot Lago T26.
A more conservative approach to the postwar style, this four place Delahaye coupe de ville was shown at the Paris Salon in 1949 and also at the 2012 Pebble Beach concours.
Interiors in the age of chauffeur-less cars changed, but the quality, and over-the-top elegance remained. This is the interior of the Delahaye coupe above.
With a Delahaye 235 grille designed by Philippe Charbonneaux, Saoutchik created a sporting line that would be seen on the later, and last, Pegaos. Photo by Michael Furman.
A 1953 Pegaso brochure showing two Saoutchik designs for the Z102B. A total of eighteen Pegasos would be clothed by Saoutchik.
A first series Pegaso coupe seen here at Cannes in 1954 with a leopard skin interior. The design would be refined but Pegaso would have Touring produce more bodies for the new car.
A series III Pegaso by Saoutchik captured at speed, the lines proving much more beautiful than at rest. However, it was the last of the line for both Pegaso and Saoutchik.
Many of these bodies are spoilt by too short a wheelbase.
Au contraire Bentley J.
I have always liked most of Saoutchik designs which given their correct proportions worked best on the larger chassis from the more luxurious end of the market. What you are seeing is a failed attempt to scale those heavy bulbous curves down to fit a smaller sports car. There were for example many good looking versions of the Pegaso and if the Saoutchik body on the coupe above looks a bit of a mismatch of curves and angles, and similarly the Pegaso convertible below looks tail-heavy, surely this is a failing of Saoutchik to design to suit the car, not Pegaso’s fault for making the wheelbase too short.
I have seen this problem before also on Talbot-Lago (and others) small but powerful sports cars, and there is a Franay bodied example coming up for auction soon (Scottsdale I think?) which looks ridiculously over-bodied for it’s length, but again it is not wheelbase of the Talbot-Lago to blame, but Franay’s inability to clothe it appropriately. After all Figoni made some coupes and roadsters on short Talbot chassis which are regarded as some of the most beautiful cars ever.
We should however be grateful that all of the above were bold enough to give their imagination free rein, and welcome the failures with the successes, if they had not tried the former, we may not have had the chance to admire the latter.
Pete–
A fine effort for French Flair of the period.
Those lovely renderings bring back memories
of the ones to be found on the walls at Hollywood
agency known as International Motors…Sunset
Boulevard at corner of Wilton Place,
That location was their bigger facility in summer
of 1949 and the colorful originals were on black
or dark background with brilliant color schemes
worthy of the name Saoutchik. Some of them were
merely proposals including Jaguar and Packard
Roger Barlow’s dealership contained MG, Jaguar, Bentley
Rolls Royce and SIMCA, He was also US rep for Saoutchik
but sadly this resulted in single commission. That was the
1948 Cadillac built for Mr. Harold Mc Lean of Santa Barbara.’Most unusual car, it would become the first color cover for Road & Track in November of 1950
complete with Mrs Louise Barlow posing in the courtyard of his Spanish style
‘home.
Roger, a friend til his death in 1990 had to laugh when I asked if the
photo scene was his own home, (he had a Doll house up on
Sunday Trail just off Mulholland Drive in the Hills of Hollywood.)
Back then, Hollywood had something to offer
in the way of exciting and one off automobiles.
Real loss to enthusiast when the agency went under in Spring of 1954
Their major mistake was taking on Mercedes and within 18 months
buckling under the cost and lack of sales.
faithfully
Jim Sitz
hello,
I have pictures(photographs) from a still existing Minerva with Saoutchik
coachbuilding and an Excelsior car with also a coachbuilding from J.Saoutchik in the USA.
How can I send it to the authors of this book?
Regards
R.Thybaut