25 Stunning Art Deco Cars

When the cars were as flamboyant as the buildings they drove by and the people that drove them, there was once a golden age known as the art deco era. When the world was going through its darkest times during the 30s and World War II, the "elegance, glamour, functionality and modernity" of these designs created an escape into a brighter, more exciting future. Some of the best examples of this famous time period come from the automotive industry, where the unbelievable culmination of futuristic innovation, along with limitless artistic expression, created timeless classics from the moment they debuted to nearly a century later.

Most of these priceless automobiles are one-of-a-kind and hand-crafted by renowned coachworkers who would further perfect a Delahaye or Talbot-Lago with their own full-body customizations. It was during this incredibly special time that the world was blessed with the most beautiful examples of automotive art. It was an era when opulence and quality was unmatched and passionate innovators could set out to create their own dream machines. Sadly, it will never be duplicated.

Inspired by trips to the Greenwhich and Pebble Beach Concourses, we've created a compilation of the most memorable works. All of the cars on this list are now artifacts and are solid examples of what one creative mind and strong will can accomplish. We'd like to propose a toast to the ones that changed the game forever and blazed once unthinkable trails with our gathering of 25 Stunning Art Deco Cars.

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Lancia is an Italian car company founded in 1906 and is now part of Fiat. The 1930's Astura was their flagship luxury vehicle of the pre-war era. Named after a river where the last battle between the Romans and Latins took place, that was later the place to be if you were Roman aristocracy. It was appropriately named as it too became a symbol of absolute luxury and the best that Italy had to offer.

They were specially made to receive the best of coachwork as they did from renowned names like Pininfarina, Boneschi, Castagna, Stabilimenti, and Touring. This Italian example gained even more notoriety when it was made the official government transportation by the Mussolini Regime. The first production year was 1931 and this 1939 is an example from their last year.

Once the war was over, the T26 Grand Sport gained instant notoriety as one of the fastest cars on the road. Only 12 were made during it's first production year. Like many of its peers at the time, it was a great luxury car that could also win races. With 190 at the rear wheels and a top speed of 125, depending on the body style, it was one of the most powerful production cars of the day.

It won the LeMans 24Hours in 1950, in which the owner and driver, Louis Rosier personally changed a rocker arm while in the pits and got a black eye when an owl went through the windscreen! Lago said himself four years earlier, ''whenever one of my cars wins a race, I feel that I am paying a moral debt to the country which has permitted me to realize my life's dream.'' Unfortunately, this Grand Sport turned out to be Talbot-Lago's last hurrah, as the company was bought out in 1958.

The Corsair was a a prototype designed by Rust Heinz of the Bonham & Schwartz coach building company in Pasadena, California. It was a six-passenger coupe with looks and features that made it completely ahead its time. Instead of generic door handles, it could be open with the push of a button and also had the ability to indicate when a door was ajar by either flashing lights or turning the radio on.

It cost $24,000 to build, which in today's money would be about $400,000. Heinz intended to sell a limited production at $12,500, but unfortunately, his dream never became a reality, as he was killed in a car accident in July 1939. This one-of-a-kind example of art deco at its finest can be found at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.

Cord was an American car company manufactured at the Auburn Automobile Company in Indiana, founded and run by E.L. Cord. The 810 caused a frenzy when it debuted at the 1935 New York Auto Show, where Cord was immediately overwhelmed with orders. But production couldn't keep up with demand along with "mechanical trouble."

Cord redeemed his reputation in 1937 with the now supercharged 812, which was easily distinguished by the awesome chrome-plated exhaust pipes pouring out either side of the hood. This world-famous stunner actually coined the phrase "suped-up", a common term now embedded in the jargon of every avid hot-rodder and 21st century tuners alike. Production ceased in 1937 after about 3,000 cars were made, but Cord's demise wasn't too unfortunate for him, as he moved to Nevada to make millions in real estate. And by Nevada, we mean Vegas. The supercharged coupe with it's globally recognized "coffin-nose" is by far one of the most iconic cars of the era, an excellent contribution to art deco's golden age.

This ridiculous example of opulence at its absolute best is a Phantom III rebodied and customized to the max by French coachbuilder Labourdette of Paris. It was commissioned by the eccentric Louis Ritter, who Labourdette spared no expense during the build. The massive body alone cost $44,000 (in today's money that's more than $450,000). The car with its original Hooper Sedanca de Ville was already world-renowned, making appearances at motor shows across Europe. It was then shipped over the pond for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Then in 1947, Mr. Ritter bought it and boldly let Labourdette have their way with it to create a machine unlike anything else.

Labourdette definitely took advantage of the unlimited funds, as the car even had vacuum-powered windows and was lined with unbelievable brass trimmings. We were lucky enough to see this flamboyant behemoth in person at the Greenwhich Concours d'Elegance earlier this summer and you definitely knew you were in the presence of greatness as soon as you walked up to it. The Phantom III is truly an amazing example of a bygone era.

The Scarab was the first to ever do it, as far as minivan-type vehicles go. Designed by the "Father of Aviation," William Stout, who designed the Ford tri-motor airplane for Henry Ford. Mr. Stout wanted his outlandish vehicle to be an office on wheels. This chromed-out trail blazer is credited with many impressive innovations, such as being the first car to do away with running boards. The interior was fit for a very legit party, as passengers could could configure their seating arrangements any way imaginable, including for a small card table.It also was the first to use independent suspension and coil springs and possessed a unique transmission set-up that was later repeated by the Lamborghini Countach.

Stout planned to produce the Scarab in limited quantities by invite-only at a hefty price of $5,000, which would be about $80,000 today. Needless to say, the public wasn't buyin' it. It's super futuristic styling was considered downright ugly by our great-grandparents. Only nine were ever built, each hand made. No two Scarabs were exactly alike.

Rarity does not even begin to describe this gorgeous piece of work. The word beautiful does not do it justice. It is an elusive masterpiece, so rare that you are more likely to be face to face with the Mona Lisa than this automotive great. The Bugatti Atlantic is built from nothing less than the stuff of legends. A fantasy that became reality almost a century ago, to be in its presence today is still like stepping into a fairytale (okay, we'll stop gushing now).

Ettore's son is responsible for the epic creation, as he devised all of the Type 57s, which revived the Bugatti flagship during one of history's darkest times. He ingeniously created an effortless silhouette of sweeping lines and aviation style, building an industrial sculpture with a mechanical beating heart. It's skin is made of Electron, an alloy of magnesium and aluminum from IG Farben of Germany. Although it is strong and much lighter than aluminum, it is highly flammable. This meant that each panel had to to be hand riveted. This process created the raised dorsal strip which showed off an unbelievable marriage of function and form. Our other favorite characteristics of the holy Atlantic are the six beastly exhaust pipes and free-form suicide doors.

Three Atlantics were ever conceived, and only two remain blessing the streets and world's most prestigious concours. The third was tragically totaled in a fatal train collision in 1955. The most well known one is all black and owned by famous car collector and fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The Bugatti Atlantic is THE most expensive car in the world. A few years back, it sold at auction in the neighborhood of $30 million. We are excited to say that Bugatti has finally decided to pay proper homage to its original God with the 2013 Galibier.

What can we say? Delahaye ran shit when it came to extravagantly awesome design ever since their start in 1894. Based out of Paris, Delahaye was successfully selling cars and trucks since 1901, while trucks were their major source of income until the 135 was created in 1935. Some of the greatest coachbuilders contributed bodies for the 135, including Figoni et Falaschi, Chapron, and Letourneur et Marchand.

The 135 was the smallest chassis the company had to offer and therefore took advantage of the overhead valve inline-6, making it a solid specimen for the track. It was then that American heiress Lucy O'Reilly Schell approached the French automaker with an offer to pay the development costs to build rally cars to her specification. Their Jewish race car driver in a French car went on to severely put the German Nazi party and their state-of-the-art Benzs to shame. It was a huge political statement that left the Nazis super pissed and Delahaye cars in high demand in their homeland until German occupation of France during WWII.