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.

Lincoln's Transitioning from 1949 Design to 1952 Redesign

Back in 2015 I wrote "Squaring the Teardrops: Some Early 1950s American Facelifts."  An important change in car styling fashion was the switch from "streamlined," rounded, fastback shapes to the "three-box," more angular style that lasted from around 1950 to the wind tunnel tested shapes that emerged in the 1980s.

Today's post offers a more detailed look at how Lincoln dealt with that situation.  And, by implication, Mercury.  For model years 1949-1951, Ford Motor Company's Lincoln brand offered cars based on two different bodies.  Its upscale line was the Cosmopolitan.  The basic Lincoln line shared its bodies with Ford's Mercury brand.  All three Ford Motor Company brands were restyled for 1952, featuring similar three-box designs.  Fords were already largely into three-box styling, but company leadership decided that some money be spent on 1951 models to provide a whiff of transition for Mercury and Lincoln.

I might have used Mercury to illustrate the main 1951 facelift features.  Sadly (an opinion I've held since the early 1950s), many 1949/1950 Mercurys were butchered into hotrods with customized body modifications.  The result is that not many factory-design examples survived even into the 1960s.  Not so with Lincolns sharing that body.  Hence, my use of Lincoln here.

Finally, I need to note that the 1951 sheet metal changes from 1950 were essentially the same for both designs.  Also noted is that, aside from a grille facelift, 1949 and 1950 Lincolns looked about the same, so 1950 cars are pictured below due to better availability of useful photographs.

Gallery

1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Sport Sedan - BaT Auctions photo
The larger, higher-priced Lincoln.

1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Sport Sedan - car-for-sale photo
It was mildly facelifted for 1951, being 5 inches (127 mm) longer than the initial 1949 models.  Some or most of the added length had to do with more massive bumpers.  No effort was made to transition to the 1952 redesign.

1950 Lincoln Sport Sedan - car-for-sale phhoto
The shorter, basic Lincoln that shared its body with Mercury.

1951 Lincoln Sport Sedan - car-for-sale photo
The facelifted design.  It's 1.8 inches (46 mm) longer than the original '49 design, again partly or mostly due to bumper design changes.  The transition feature is the raised fenderline at the rear.  This gave the design a slightly more three-box feeling.  Also changed was the shape of the backlight window.  Its increased width is more in line with 1952 Lincoln backlights, though the shapes differ.

1953 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Sedan - car-for-sale photo
Here's an example of the 1952 Lincoln redesign towards which the 1951 facelift hinted.  The two-bodies system of 1949-51 was eliminated, this being the only basic Lincoln body.  The car is a Cosmopolitan, but now Cosmos were entry-level Lincolns: line-leaders were Capris.

1950 Lincoln Sport Sedan - car-for-sale photo
Ford spent a fair amount of money retooling rear ends of Mercurys and the smaller Lincolns.  Compare to the design in the following image.

1951 Lincoln Sport Sedan - car-for-sale photo
Changes include the backlight window already mentioned.  It looks like the aft end of the trunk lid might have been reshaped, creating a slightly shorter trunk.  The raised aft parts of the rear fenders are obvious, also their extension abaft of the trunk lid.  The result is a more interesting design, despite the added chrome.

It's possible that I am wrong because I've trusted the length data reported here by Wikipedia, or else attributed added length to bumpers, rather than fenders.  Corrections and amplifications are welcome in Comments.

What Were They Thinking?: Recent BMW Frontal Designs

Once upon a time, a BMW was "The Ultimate Driving Machine."  The company's product line was fairly understandable: 3-series, 5-series and 7-series models.  Happy days for the München knaben.

Nowadays, the moderate-sized carmaker spews a much larger set of models while letting the Driving Machine marketing concept wither.

Worse, from a styling perspective, BMW designs have become unattractive, especially where front end appearance is concerned.  I realize that there are car buyers who value other aspects of a vehicle more than its styling.  I fall into that category regarding my 2019 Toyota RAV4.  But that RAV's design isn't all that awful, so I could ignore it.  But BMWs launched since around the year 2020 are mostly so ugly up front that I would shun them if I were shopping for a new car.

As can be seen in the Gallery below, many recent BMW grilles (and faux-grilles on electric models) are large and heavy-looking -- adding unnecessary (in my judgment) visual weight up front.  Additionally, some internal grille "bar" designs are strange.

I wonder what BMW marketers, product planners, stylists and management were thinking when this new design direction was launch and continued.

All that said, let's take a look.

Unless noted, images below are BMW publicity photos.

Gallery

2027 BMW i7
This new design has what I consider an unnecessarily heavy looking front end.  And it doesn't relate well to the rest of the car.

Same car, frontal view.  Below are frontal views of other BMWs.

1958 BMW 503 Coupe - unidentified original photo source
This has the 2-nostril grille shape of 1950s BMWs, a strong brand identification feature.  Two-segment designs are continued up to the present.

1962 BMW 1500 Sedan
The firm's sales breakthrough model.  Again, simple front end styling.

2013 BMW 328i Cabriolet - BaT Auctions photo
My wife owns one of these.  Very attractive variation of the basic theme.

2021 BMW 4-series - unidentified original photo source
Now we're into the 2020 decade.  Massive BMW grilles began to appear a few years earlier on some models.

2013 BMW 8-series coupe
Compare to the front of the 2013 328i pictured above.  This is very bold, and pretty ugly.

2024 BMW iX2
Similar "grille" shape,  but different context and detailing.

2024 BMW X6 M60i
A functional grille of the same ilk.

2025 BMW X3
Every time I see one of these front ends I curse whoever approved that "bar" pattern for production.  Those diagonals mated to verticals in essentially equal proportions are a senseless design for an automobile.

2026 BMW iX
A recent electric car.  As usual, a too-huge "grille," but the diagonal "bars" are acceptable when used exclusively.

2026 BMW iX3
An electric SUV.  This design harkens to the early nostrils shown here, and might be useful on coupes.  Not as heavy as the other recent designs.  That more recent 2027 i7 frontal design at the top of the Gallery aside, I hope BMW styling begins to follow this concept.

The Colorful 1955 Studebaker Speedster

I was shocked when I saw the first pictures of 1955 Studebaker hardtop coupes.  The beautiful 1953 and only slightly degraded (due to a minimally revised grille) 1954 coupe design had been plastered over with gobs of chrome trim.  There were splashy two-tone and even three-tone paint schemes.

I posted "What Were They Thinking?: 1955 Studebaker Starliner Facelift" here.

What had happened?  Mid-1950s American car fashions happened.  Studebaker marketers and product planners must have thought that their cars had to get "with it," follow those fads and fashions or risk losing sales.

Perhaps the wildest hardtop coupe facelift was the new Studebaker President Speedster, the firm's top of the line model.  Speedsters were listed at $3,253, the next lower model, the President State hardtop coupe, listed at $2,456.  So the Speedster cost about one-third more.

Speedster production was 2,215, and a surprising number of these controversial cars have survived, given what can be found on Internet image searches.

Today's post presents some Speedster paint schemes found on the Internet.  As best I can tell, most or all were either standard options or were cars factory-painted to customer order.  In those days, many customers would order a car with specific items, then wait for its construction and delivery to their dealer.  Nowadays, most buyers simply buy cars of one "package" or another as found on the dealer's lot.

No captions below.  Enjoy (or don't) what you see.  I wonder... how often did two (or three!) tone paint schemes improve the appearance of a design?

Gallery

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - Mecum Auction photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - Bonhams Auctions photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - unidentified photo source

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - Hyman Ltd photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1942 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet Walkaround

The most distinctive classic first-generation Lincoln Continentals were the 1942 models.

That's because Lincolns were heavily facelifted for that model year, getting boxy fenders, a wider hood and a new grille design which Continentals shared.  World War 2 intervened for the USA with the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Car production was curtailed before March 1942 and not restarted until after Japan's surrender in 1945.  Postwar Lincolns and Continentals retained nearly all the 1942 styling features.  Except the grille.  1946-48 models had one with an egg-crate bar pattern.  Result: 1942 Continentals were few in number and featured a grille design not found on any others.

For some background on Lincolm Continentals, the Wikipedia entry is here (scroll down for information about the first, 1940-1948, generation.

I recently compared some 1942 models in my post "Lincoln's Rare 1942 Convertibles: Basic and Continental."  And in an early post, I wrote about "Lincoln's 1942 Facelift."  Today's post examines 1942 Lincoln Continantal design in more detail.

Images below are a composite of the same car (serial number H133783) auctioned by Mecum three different times.

Gallery

For context, a 1940 Continental Cabriolet, BaT Auctions photo.

The '42 facelift drastically changed the aesthetic "feeling" of the car from graceful to aggressive.  Continental-specific details largely disappear when viewed from this perspective: might as well be considered a new design.

"Suitcase" fenders follow General Motors' 1938-41 lead.  Side-view styling is thematically-consistent and attractive -- courtesy of the tastes of Edsel Ford and styling director Bob Gregorie.

The trunk and separate spare tire are carried over from previous Continental styling.

Tail lights were moved from the main body to the fenders.

The boxy original trunk design blends well with the new "suitcase" fender scheme: consistency.

Original low level chrome trim is retained.

The above-the-bumper bulge theme was used on '42 Mercurys too.

Grille design is logical, given the "bulge" just mentioned.  Nicer than the 1946-48 version, in my opinion.  Note the fashionable "whiskers" flanking/extending the lower grille element.  Headlight assemblies are massive and a bit odd-looking.  They do keep auxiliary lights from otherwise cluttering other parts of the frontal design.

Symmetrical design, the clock balancing the speedometer.  The central element is the radio/speaker.

Frontal overhead view.  Wider hood than before.  Wide fender tops: no catwalk connection.

Continental details are concentrated here.  Rear fenders are distinct from the main body, unlike at the front.

Chrysler's New 1976 "Compacts" Look A Lot Like The Previous Ones

This post deals with yet another seeming instance of a new design retaining elements of the superseded design, Chrysler Corporation's 1976 compact entries, the Plymouth Volaré and Dodge Aspen (Wikipedia entry here).

Setting the scene, Chrysler was in marketing and financial trouble as the 1970s got underway.  The hemmings.com article "What In The Heck Was Going On With Chrysler in the 1970s?" covers many aspects of Chrysler's trouble during that time.  Regarding the Aspen and Volaré:

"Designed to replace the A-body line and to entice B-body buyers who were ready to downsize, the F-body Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré lines were introduced in mid-1976 as the A-bodies took their final bow.  Chrysler had been busy since the “Aspen/Vail” project was green-lit in 1971 and the company had put in large efforts to ensure that their compact replacements would be winners.  The company wind-tunnel tested the F-car extensively for many reasons, including crosswind stability and wind noise reduction as well as for fuel economy purposes.  The glass area was increased to leave interiors feeling vibrant.  A new front suspension system using transverse-mounted torsion bars, was employed.  Weight was shed.  Chrysler made a genuine effort making the F-bodies as good as they could be and when early cars hit the market, it initially seemed like the company scored a hit."

Sales were good in model years 1976 and 1977.  But during that period a number of quality issues developed, resulting in extra expenses and a down turn in sales as the quality problem word spread.

"By early 1978, Chrysler had spent nearly $200 million recalling and fixing Aspens and Volarés.  The durable, economical and fun compact reputation that the A-body (Dart/Duster) had was lost as irritated customers found themselves in the unenviable position as Chrysler’s beta testers."

Interesting, all that engineering effort.  But what about styling effort?  I can't think of a strong reason to design replacement models that look pretty similar to what was being replaced.  Were I in management, I would have opted for a fresh design with only a few hints of continuity with the previous models.

In the Gallery below, pre- and post- redesign four-door Plymouth sedans and sporty coupes are compared via side views.  Dodge equivalents would have been similar, so are omitted.

Gallery

1968 Plymouth Valiant 4-door sedan - car-for sale photo
This is an example of the third-generation (1967-1973) Valiant design.

1974 Plymouth Valiant 4-foor sedan - car-for sale photo
The fourth generation (1974-1976) mainly had a longer (by 3 inches, 76mm) wheelbase.  Note the relationship of the rear door's aft cutline and the rear wheel opening on each design.  The lower side character line sculpting and rear wheel opening's profile are different.  The C-pillar is a bit wider here, and its aft edge straightened.  Otherwise, these side views seem essentially the same.

1976 Plymouth Volaré 4-door sedan - Raleigh Classic Car Auctions photo
The redesign.  Sedan wheelbase is 1.7 inches (43 mm) longer.  Fenderline and passenger compartment greenhouse nearly match.  Wheel openings and side sculpting/decoration differ, but these are less noticeable than the features just mentioned.

1971 Plymouth Duster - car-for sale photo
The sporty Duster coupe first appeared for the 1970 model year.

1976 Plymouth Volaré Road Runner Coupe - car-for sale photo
Duster's replacement.  Wheelbase grew only 0.7 inches (18mm).  Greater styling difference from the earlier coupe, but the proportions are similar.  The sense of the fenderline is preserved, which is okay.  The bold B-pillar is due to government rollover safety regulation.  This car's design is closer than the sedan's to being fresh, along with those carryover details.