Figoni's Talbot-Lago New York Type "Goutte d'Eau": Multiple Views

This post is a follow-on to my post "Figoni et Falaschi: From Delage 135 to Talbot-Lago 'Goutte d'Eau'."

It mentioned that, in 1951, New York's Museum of Modern Art had an exhibit titled "8 Automobiles."  The concept was to present a variety of design approaches to cladding basic automotive functionalism.  MoMA's exhibition press release's statement regarding the Talbot-Lago on display was as follows:

"A third way to combine the essential elements of a car is illustrated at its most extreme by the Talbot, a French three-passenger sport and touring car lent by Carroll Bagley.  This car combines separate envelopes for each part in a composition of similar shapes, and, as a whole, forms an expressive symbol of streamlining."

There were 11 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS New York-type Coupés made, only one of which seems to have disappeared.  These cars are highly regarded, bringing multi-million dollar auction sales prices.  The body was designed by Giuseppi (Joseph) Figoni of the Figoni et Falaschi Carrossiers firm.

In preparation for this post (late August 2026), I failed to find enough images of a New York type Goutte d'Eau (teardrop) Talbot for a typical Walkaround post.  Instead, the Gallery presents a variety of views of a variety of cars.

Gallery

1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS No. 90106 - My 2019 Mullin museum photo
The museum's lighting interfered with presentations of body shaping on my photo set, so this will have to do.  Note the "shovel" transition from the hood to the windshield -- unusual and outstandingly done.

1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS No. 90109 - Bonhams Auctions photo
Images below are of a car with covered front wheels.  This photo is included to show the more sensible uncovered version found on the majority of the cars.

1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS No. 90107 - Gooding Christie's Auctions photo set
The two-tone paint scheme serves to emphasize the voluptuous, spatted fenders.  Another nice view of the hood-windshield transition.

Long hood, long trailing edge fender and body profiles.  The nearly-horizontal hood line provides contrast to the curves to prevent the design from being overly rounded, hence less interesting.  Ditto the nearly straight profile taper towards the rear.

The trunk lid spine and chrome trim are features Figoni liked to employ on some of his late-1930s designs.

The covered front wheel openings required the fender's side bulges seen here.  I suppose Figoni's design was partly aerodynamically inspired and partly aesthetic.  From a practical standpoint, open front fenders are better. 

They had tiny tail lights in those days.

Now for some overhead views.

Although the 1930s trend was toward integrated, "envelope" bodies, Figoni's design has the major elements as distinct, teardrop-type shapes.  Headlights are the one major feature he chose to integrate -- on the catwalks.

1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS No. 90110 - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo
The dashboard.  Although in France one drives on the right side of a road, luxury French brands usually had English-style right hand steering positions in those days.

Figoni et Falaschi: From Delahaye 135 to Talbot-Lago "Goutte d'Eau"

In 1951, New York's Museum of Modern Art had an exhibit titled "8 Automobiles."  The concept was to present a variety of design approaches to cladding basic automotive functionalism.  Probably the most famous selection (to car design buffs, anyway) was Pinin Farina's Cisitalia 202 Coupé.  Another selected design was that of a Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Goutte d'Eau (Teardrop) Coupé designed by Giuseppe (Joseph) Figoni of the new (1935) Figoni et Falaschi Carrossiers firm.

MoMA's exhibition press release's statement regarding the Talbot-Lago:

"A third way to combine the essential elements of a car is illustrated at its most extreme by the Talbot, a French three-passenger sport and touring car lent by Carroll Bagley.  This car combines separate envelopes for each part in a composition of similar shapes, and, as a whole, forms an expressive symbol of streamlining."

Here are some links.  Wikipedia on Talbot-Lago is here.  Its entry on Figoni et Falaschi is here.  My post about the Cisitalia 202 is here.

Figoni's design ideas for the Talbot were tried out on a Delahaye 135 chassis in 1936.  The classic New York type Goutte d'Eau appeared in 1937, and versions were built as late as 1939.  All told, there were 11 such cars, plus four "Jeancart" variations along with at least three T23 coupés with similar styling and one T150-C-SS cabriolet.  As of 2002, ten of the 11 coupés were known to have survived (number 90102 seems missing).  That's a surprising large proportion surviving, given usual attrition rates, even for classic cars.

Images below compare the Figoni et Falaschi Delahaye 135 M Coupé to similarly posed Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Coupés.

Gallery

1936 Delahaye 135 M - Unidentified original source photo
I think Figoni tended to splash too much chrome on some of his designs, including this one.  But maybe that's what his customers wanted.

1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS (90117) - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo
Proportions are similar, as are the fender and hood shapes.  Note the "shovel" hood to windshield transition shape.  Also the V'd two-piece windshield compared to the flat windshield on the 135 M.

1936 Delahaye 135 M - Unidentified original source photo
This Delahaye 135 M short-chassis wheelbase is said by Google AI to be around 105 inches (2667 mm), and the length about 158 inches (4013 mm).

1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS (90107) - Gooding Christie's Auctions photo
Some Talbots also had spatted front fenders like the Delahaye's.  This T150's wheelbase is 104.3 inches (2650 mm) and its length is about 172 inches (4369 mm).  The added comparative length is found in the rear overhang and more graceful rear profile seen here.  The rounded window shape is in keeping with the generally rounded/streamlined design theme.

1936 Delahaye 135 M - Unidentified original source photo
An earlier photo, when the car sported a different paint scheme.

1938 ex-Rob Walker, Countess of Strafford, Talbot-Lago "Special" (90109) - Bonhams Auctions photo
Again, the added rear overhang is important in creating a more attractive design, as seen from this angle.  The backlight window is curved and one-piece, compared to the 135 M's two-segment, flat-paned backlight.  Also note that chrome trim is used much more sparingly here.

Saoutchik's Streamlined Dalahaye and Talbot Compared

Early in 2022 I wrote about coachbuilder Saoutchik's Delahaye 175 Coupe de Ville of 1949.  It was fairly typical of the wild designs Saoutchik was making in those days.  That said, it had a passenger compartment with an uncluttered fastback that was in the same spirit as 1940s General Motors fastbacks.  I regard it as one of Saoutchik's better post- World War 2 designs

Recently, I came across a Saoutchik design that was similar, yet much better.  It was for a 1950 Talbot Lago T26 Record Grand Sport Coupé.  As was the case for the Delahaye, I don't know how many such bodies were built.  Based on photos found on Internet searches, there seem to have been at least two survivors, and possibly more were made.

The Dalahaye is longer, having a 116.1-inch (2950 mm) wheelbase, whereas that of the Talbot is 104.3 iinches (2650 mm), as the Wikipedia links above state.

Images of the Delahaye are from Barrett-Jackson auctioneers, and most or all of the Talbot are via RM Sotheby's.

Gallery

Frontal design of the Delahaye 175 is largely standard Delahaye, aside from the flamboyant fender work by Saoutchik.

The upper grille frame outline is Talbot, but the rest of the design is by Saoutchik.

Interesting side styling.  The chrome strip extending from the side of the hood to below he beltline to the top of the rear fender does all this in one sweep.  This ties the otherwise somewhat fragmented design together.  The rear fender bulge and the fadeaway front fender reduce visual bulk on what otherwise would have been a slab-sided 1949 design.  That front fender side sculpting and its different paint color assist in this.

Note the narrower door and shorter passenger compartment.  The fenderline is more "modern" than that of the Delahaye.  It's higher, but has subtle shaping below the beltline.

The rear styling is clean and well-shaped aside from the heavy fender chrome.

This Talbot is remarkably brightwork-free for a Saoutchik design, though note the strip tailing abaft of the door, extending along the trunk lid.  At least it's narrow.

Now for two additional Talbot images.  This is a well-styled design in the context of 1950 and in the context of Saoutchik's normal flamboyance.  

This example looks good in part because it lacks bumpers.  What effect might they have?

Here's a photo of another Saoutchik Talbot, this via Bonhams.  It has bumpers, but they don't degrade the design much.

What Were They Thinking?: Spatted Front Wheels

Applying aerodynamic streamlining to automobiles, either symbolically or in reality, didn't seriously begin until the early 1930s and intensified over the decade.

In streamlining theory, a car's shape should be as smooth and integrated as possible.  Therefore, should not wheel wells be covered either with removable spats or seamlessly?  Nowadays, most cars and SUVs have exposed wheels even though their body designs were tested in wind tunnels.  Why is that?  Perhaps the trade-off between accessibility and aerodynamics favors the former.

In the 1930s and 1940s rear wheels often were either spatted or had shorter wheel well openings. The practical problem here has to do with gaining access to the tire for repairing a flat or chaining up for snow driving.  A small wheel well opening offers less room to work, and if spats are installed, then they might have to be removed to allow any work to be done.

Few cars had covered or spatted front wheel openings.  The most common examples of covered (but not spatted) front wheels were 1949-1956 Nashes and 1950-54 Nash Ramblers.  Spatted front fenders were mostly found on French custom car bodies such as shown below.  Beside accessibility difficulty, covered front wheels have the further problem of restricting a car's turning radius.  The Nashes just cited were typical American cars of their era in that wheels were mounted several inches inbound from the sides of the car body.  In recent decades, American (and essentially all other) cars have wheels at almost body-width, one reason why they are fully exposed.  The European cars shown below also were narrow-track, and turning radius was helped a little further by bulging out the front fenders and their spats sometimes even more so.

Gallery

1929 Travel Air "Mystery Ship"
Teardrop-shaped spatted wheels on fixed (non-retracting) airplane landing gear began to appear on racing planes such as this at the end of the 1920s.  I suspect these forms inspired car stylists a few years later.

1932 Delage D8S Roadster by Letourneur et Marchand, ex-Reneé Friederich racer - via Coachbuild
An early example of teardrop-shaped front fenders.  Spatting will come later.

1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Roadster by Erdmann & Rossi for the King of Iraq
Unlike the Figoni & Falaschi designs shown below, this car's front fender sides are not bulged outwards.  So in order to achieve a reasonable turning radius, it's possible the the entire body was widened so as to keep the axle width relatively narrow.  (I cannot locate the source of this photo.)

1936 Delahaye 135 M Roadster by Figoni & Falaschi for the Aga Kahn
Figoni & Falachi was the coachbuilder that seems to have made the most cars with spatted front wheels.  This is an early example, as best as I can tell from a serious web search.

1937 Talbot-Lago 150-C SS by Figoni & Falaschi - RM Sotheby's via Car and Driver
Their next step was to connect the fenders.

1937 Delahaye 135 MS Roadster by Figoni & Falaschi - DB Pittenger photo at Revs Institute
Here the connection uses a small running board.  Note how the front fender is ballooned out.

1939 Delage D6-70 by Figoni & Falaschi, Tito Rossi at the wheel
A Delage D8 version of this design (with more elaborate chromed trim) was famously displayed at the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, but without a complete motor.

1948 Delahaye 135 M "Narval" Cabriolet by Figoni & Falaschi
The first of the seven or so Narvals appeared in 1946.  They sell for outrageous prices at auctions.

1946 Fiat 1500? by Ghia?
I can't confirm the information in the title, but it seems okay.

1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet by Ghia
The spats make this design seem more ponderous and Buick-like than one would expect from Ghia.

1950 Nash Rambler Convertible
Nash-Kelvinator president George Mason had covered front wheels on 1949 Nash cars, and the new Rambler line got them the following year.

Styling Variety: 1930s French Cars

During the 1930s General Motors' styling boss Harley Earl would travel to Paris to visit the annual Salon de l'Automobile.  It was a serious focus to what might seem to some a frivolous enjoy-Paris corporate junket.  That was  because fashion-conscious France was a hotbed of car styling ideas that Earl wanted and needed to be aware of.

And there were many automobile makers in France, even in the depth of the Great Depression.  For example, the mid-decade 1935 Paris salon had 27 firms exhibiting passenger cars.  Those 27 firms produced only about 170,000 cars that year, and 3/4 of those were from the "big three" -- Renault, Citroën, and Peugeot.  The remaining manufacturers averaged about 1,550 cars that year, which makes me wonder how they could afford to keep body designs even halfway fashionable.  The largest firm, Renault, produced around 58,000 cars that year, yet marketed ten lines of cars using what seems to be three basic bodies -- which also seems like a small basis for product renewal.

Regardless, French car styling from the 1930s was innovative and varied.  Admittedly, this was especially the so for custom-built bodies, but also was the case for factory models.  The images below are mostly of standard production cars.

Gallery

Bucciali Double-Huit - body by Saoutchik - Paris Salon 1931
This car was intended to astonish, something it still does 85 years later.  It has a underslung chassis, so it sits low.  The low stance is further emphasized by the large wheels and extremely long hood.  Not to mention the low-headroom passenger compartment.

Voisin C 20 - Paris Salon 1931
Many of Gabriel Voisin's designs also astonish.  His C 20 and C 22 models feature radically disaggregated components.

Voisin Aérodyne - Paris Salon 1934
This is a pre-production car, but essentially the same as the few that were built.  Here Voisin edges towards aerodynamic shaping on his way to the 1936 Aérosport.

Citroën Traction Avant - 1956
The Traction Avant line was introduced for 1934, and its design was virtually unchanged even by 1956, the year before it was replaced.  The body is low because it lacks a driveshaft and also a chassis, being of semi-unitized construction.  One French styling fashion in the late 30s was the belt line drooping towards the rear, as can be seen here.

1935 Renault Nervastella Grand Sport
Unlike the Citroën, this top-of-the-line Renault is tall.  And it also has a somewhat streamlined appearance that's negated by the formidable grille-hood combination.  Note especially the the highly-sloped, V'd windshield: advanced for 1935.

Peugeot 402 - ca. 1939
The 402 first appeared for the 1936 model year and, like the Renault above, featured a streamlined look.  The body aft of the cowling seems inspired by the 1934 Chrysler Airflow.  For me, the most intriguing feature is the headlamps buried behind the grille.

1937 Hotchkiss 686 Coupé Modane
By the mid-1930s Hotchkiss' were solid looking cars.  Attractive, slightly conservative styling for its bourgeoise clientele.  I am especially fond of the grille design that relates well to the fenders.

1937 Panhard Dynamic
The ancient firm Panhard et Lavassor developed styling senility in the early 30s with its Panoramique three-piece windshield design that progressed to the strange Dynamic model shown here with its central driving position.  "Creativity" does not necessarily produce good results.

Talbot-Lago T 155 SS by Figoni & Falaschi - ca. 1938
Finally a fabulous "Goute d'eau" (teardrop) Talbot-Lago custom that's marred by having spats over the front wheels.  Most similar Talbots had exposed front wheels.