cars at Pebble Beach 2013

One of the things that make the Pebble Beach Concours unique is its special displays. The organizers are able to present exhibitions of exotica no other event can manage. One of them was a group of cars bodied by Carrosserie Vanvooren. Founded by Achille Vanvooren in suburban Paris in 1910, the firm was taken over in 1919 by Marius Daste, who guided it through its golden era of the 20s and 30s when it became known for its high quality work on luxury marques, especially Bugatti, Delage, Rolls/Bentley and Hispano Suiza. The French arm of the last company was not far from the Vanvrooen atelier. The magnificent H-S seen here is a J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet entered by Robert M. Lee. Note the sophisticated shape that belies the size of the car and the contrasting coachlines that stand in relief from the remainder of the body. Five of the eight entries in the class were Hispano-Suizas. Credit MTL