1938 Peugeot 402 Eclipse
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1938 Peugeot 402 EclipseSource: Bid123SoldNew York, New York, U.S.A. portfolio | web site Posted: 28 Mar 2007 Specs & DetailsExterior Color: whiteInterior Color: red Engine: 4 Transmission: manual Miles Driven: 42000 Sold For: $225,000 CHASSIS NO. 272535 2148 cc OHV 4-CYLINDER ENGINE 3-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION RETRACTABLE HARD TOP AUTOMOBILES PEUGEOT has the distinction of being the oldest continuously-operating automobile manufacturer in the world. Its roots are in Les Fils Peugeot Freres, a bicycle manufacturing concern at Valentigny, France. In 1889, Armand Peugeot built a steam car, with an engine from Leon Serpollet, and in 1890 drove it from Paris to Lyons. Daimler-powered gasoline cars came next, vee-twin-engined, tubular frame, tiller-steered machines, one of which made the first long-distance auto journey in France in 1891. In 1897, Armand Peugeot left the family firm and established S.A. des Automobiles Peugeot at Audincourt, in eastern France, building large cars: a 3.3-liter design and 5.8 liters by 1900. Front-mounted engines were adopted across the board in 1902, and shaft drive was adopted gradually through 1909. In 1910, the automobile and cycle operations were re-united, and a new plant at Sochaux, which would become the firm's principal location, was erected. The most famous Peugeot from that period is the diminutive baby, designed by Ettore Bugatti and introduced in 1912. That same year Peugeot went racing with a twin-cam engine designed by Ernest Henry. The engine was revolutionary even by today's standards, a four-cylinder with twin overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers and four valves per cylinder with desmodromic action to operate the valves. After winning everything in Europe, from speed records at Brooklands to the Coppa Florio, the L3, as the car was called, went to Indianapolis, winning in 1913 with Jules Goux driving. The feat was repeated by others in 1916 and 1919. Peugeot cars of the 1920s were relatively upright and orthodox. By the early 1930s, some streamlining was becoming evident, but it was the 402 model, introduced in 1935, that set new standards in design. While not as technically innovative as the Traction Avant Citroen that preceded it, the 402 had a radically sloped grille behind which sat both headlamps and the battery. With a sloping rear tail, the cars had vestigial exterior running boards. The effect is still quite dramatic. If the standard 402 is dramatic, the Eclipse was something else. In 1934, using a Peugeot 301 chassis, Parisian dentist Georges Paulin had designed and patented a retractable hard top, the first such fully-retractable, automatic system. Paulin, whose business was crowns and fillings but whose passion was automobiles, did the first one for coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout. Peugeot considered its hydro-mechanical retracting mechanism too complicated, and declined to become involved, so Paulin and Pourtout bought a number of bare chassis and began producing them. The car was extremely well received, and was followed by several other examples using larger Peugeot chassis. In 1935 Paulin sold his patent to Peugeot, and small runs on 402 chassis, using a simple mechanical retraction system, were made until World War II. The new mechanism was so brilliantly designed that it could be lowered or erected by one person. According to archives, fewer than 500 Eclipse decapotables were built; the number surviving is believed to be somewhere between 14 and 30. The Eclipse is a milestone design, a quintessential icon of the Art Deco era of coachbuilding. Georges Paulin is officially credited with a few bodies done for Peugeot presented to the company through Marcel Pourtout. The Eclipse and the stunning roadster Darl'Mat are best-known. However the evidence suggests that quite a few of Pourtout's stunning bodies came from the pen of Paulin. Each of them had his reasons for being discreet. Marcel Pourtout had all the glory and accolades for himself. In class-conscious France, designing automobile bodies was considered manual labor usually assigned to draftsmen, and Georges Paulin was a dentist, educated and considered an intellectual. In addition Paulin was Jewish, and for obvious reasons wanted to keep a low profile. Unfortunately, during the war the low profile did not help, and the world lost one of the most talented designers ever. Because of all this, Georges Paulin has been virtually unknown since his death, to the extent that even his most celebrated design for Pourtout, the streamlined Embiricos Bentley of 1938, is seldom linked with his name. THIS CAR was purchased new by a Swiss businessman. In the late forties, when it had covered 67,000 kilometers, he sold it to a used car dealer who was also the owner of a wrecking yard. The car sat there for almost forty years, indoors and virtually unnoticed and unmolested. Even the original acid-etched glass still adorns the car, marked with the car's chassis number, an exacting detail decades before glass etching became important for security purposes. The third owner, a collector living in south of France, undertook a complete restoration. The current owner bought it earlier this year. The Peugeot 402 is a superb road car, a combination of comfort and handling of which only the French seem capable. A standard 402 will cruise all day at the speed limit, equally well whether roads are straight or serpentine. The 402 BL has the big block 2148cc engine, with 151cc more than the standard 402, the resultant torque matching a tall axle ratio for high speed travel. Special touches on the Eclipse include extensive use of billet aluminum for body details. The lion mascot that twists to open the grille, for headlight and battery access, is solid aluminum, as are the taillight stanchions, releases for the hood and fender skirts, spare tire hinge and the faux running boards. The car has won about a dozen Concours d'Elegance events throughout Europe. Finished in white with stunning brilliant red leather, it will be welcome at any Concours or touring affair. Georges Paulin finally received public recognition this June, when a plaque commemorating his life and work was dedicated by the City of Paris. This car, too, is a poignant memorial, in which one can experience Paulin's genius while enjoying a spirited drive.
From Twitter06/03/2013 - rosiebray65 - photoCar pics of the day: 1938 Peugeot 402 cost $189,500 04/18/2013 - BHCarClub - link Elegant 1938 Peugeot 402BL Eclipse Decapotable 04/11/2013 - AndrewBrudnicki - link @alex_lloyd Fairlane Skyliners are beautiful, but Peugeot had a retractable hardtop first in 1935 w/ 401/402 Eclipse 04/06/2013 - Clickbankplus - link 1938 Peugeot 402BL *TO BE AUCTIONED ONLINE* |
      
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From WikipediaFor the article about the bicycle manufacturer, see Peugeot (bicycles). |
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