Image via Complex Original
We think coachbuilding (building unique bodies for automobiles) is coming back in style; we're seeing more and more people putting custom bodies on cool cars to create something more personal and unique, and we think that's really cool. We just wish people would be less concerned with flossing and more concerned with creating something amazing. Less will.i.am and more James Glickenhaus, is what we're saying.
To provide inspiration, we're going to show you some of the greatest cars from one of the greatest coachbuilders (and certainly the coolest ex-pat Russian cabinetmaker) of all time, Jacques Sautchik. Born in 1880, Sautchik founded his coach building company in 1906. The firm rose to fame in the 1930s thanks, in no small part, to fantastically extravagant designs for the likes of Bugatti and Delahaye. Jacques passed in 1955, the company folding soon after, leaving a legacy of automotive beauty behind. Yeah, here are The 10 Best Saoutchik Coachbuilds.
10. 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6C Dubonnet Xenia Streamliner
This might be the first case of what is now an epidemic of weird-ass doors on a one-off car. Today, these make us think of minivans, but, at the time, they were futuristic. The idea of aerodynamics was a relatively new concept that was featured on this car, having had its monkey-touches-monolith moment with the Chrysler Airflow just four years prior. Saoutchik even worked with aeronautical engineer Jean Andreau too make the Dubonnet Xenia Streamliner slip through the air.
Andre Dubonnet, of cognac and aperitif fame, commissioned this car to showcase his recent suspension breakthroughs.
9. 1951 Delahaye 235 Cabriolet
Saoutchik and Delahaye are both best known for their pre-war cars, but there were certainly some gems afterwards. Take this small, curvy, lightweight, quick (for the time) sportscar, for example. It managed to looks up-to-date while still evoking the lines of the cars from two decades prior that made both companies famous. Brilliant.
8. 1949 Delahaye 175 Coupe de Ville
Saoutchik spent over a year building this car before it debuted at the 1949 Paris Salon Car Show (now the Paris MotorSHow) and blew everybody away. The paint scheme is subtle, the gold on the interior is 24k, the roofline is dramatic, and the tear drop vents break up the smooth lines just enough.
7. 1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 Cabriolet
Once upon a time, there was a car company that had roots in both Spain and Switzerland called, aptly, Hispano-Suiza. This company made cars that rivalled Rolls-Royce and Cadillac. They looked pretty cool, until Saoutchik got his hands on them, and then they became masterpieces.
This car was designed to flaunt your wealth while driving by the peasants, and we think it achieves that goal nicely.
6. 1932 Bucciali TAV 8-32 V12 Beline "Fleche d'Or"
We don't think there has ever been a more intimidating car. Seriously, has any vehicle ever screamed "La Cosa Nosta" louder than this? Any well-dressed Sicilian mafia don would be proud to extort people while sitting comfortably in one of these.
5. 1939 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet
Ettore Bugatti wouldn't allow just anybody to be involved with his cars. Hell, he refused to sell a Royale to King Zog of Albania because "the man's table manners are beyond belief." Yeah, he was that picky. Saoutchik got to design four, and we think this one, with the amazing chrome trim, was his best.
Those geometric vents, the chrome falling lines, the stainless steel, and the flame-like trim on the bottom of the car befits the striking, but elegant, zeitgeist of the Bugatti brand.
4. 1948 Cadillac Series 62 Three Position Drophead
Holy mother of weird, this is cool. This is certainly Saoutchik's craziest design, and we're talking about a guy who liked gilded cars. From the patterned panels on the doors to to two-toned blue and white paint scheme that's accented by bold brightwork, we're enthralled, impressed, and just a little confused.
How did he even come up with this?
3. 1951 Pegaso Z102
It seems that the vast majority of contrast roofs we see these days are black, and this is the perfect example of why that is a huge mistake. This is a perfectly executed paintjob on a car sporting a perfect roofline and ideal sports car proportions.
2. 1949 Delahaye 175S Roadster
If narwhals were sexy, they'd look exactly like this. We're not quite sure why the elongated nose on this car works, but it does, and we like it even if it would crush the sternums of any pedestrians unfortunate enough to stand in the way of this Delahaye.
Official Complex blonde bombshell #16 Diana Dors was the owner, too. If you were to buy this car, and you were really lucky, it might just still bear the curvature of her glorious buttocks.
1. Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe
This one-off Talbot Lago is considered to be Saoutchik's masterpiece, and we dare you to challenge that statement. It's perfectly proportioned, dramatically colored, and manages to be both bold and elegant. It's absolutely fantastic.
