Friday, August 31, 2018

1937 Cadillac Series 90 Hartmann Cabriolet originally commissioned by international playboy Philippe Barraud.


He wanted a custom car constructed on a grand scale and in late 1936 ordered a 452-inch w.b. Cadillac V-16 chassis through the Edelweiss Garage in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Garage was located near Lake Geneva in the area that is referred to as the Swiss Rivera.



Cadillac shipped a bare chassis, one of only two that year, around the world to Switzerland and there it was bodied in Lausanne by Willy Hartmann. Barraud wanted to body the chassis in his own home town so he could personally suprvise the work.



to see the above image of the owner being dwarfed by the car... is a striking reminder of how BIG cars were then.


The design was accented in chrome and definitely mimicked the French masters Figoni et Falaschi which pioneered the trend from a painting by Geo Ham. https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/04/geo-ham-study-for-hispano-suiza.html


Philippe Barraud kept the car until the 1960s, and it was found abandoned in a Swiss field in 1968 in poor condition and was sold for only $925 USD

this isn't the most amazing Caddy that Pebble Beach has seen, last years purple Saoutchik bodied Caddy was more amazing https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/11/saoutchik-bodied-1948-cadillac-series-62.html as it's not a simple copy of a Figoni et Falachi body design from the 1936 Delahaye Torpedo, fender skirts, headlight zippers, auxiliary headlights, the side swoosh, and the dorsal fin.



For more examples of the seminal Figoni et Falachi design spawning imitators with nothing original to add, https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-was-wrong-to-admire-vanvooren.html

also compare it to the Figoni et Falaschi design of the Delahaye 135 Competition Court Coupe  https://www.supercars.net/blog/delahaye-135-competition-court/  and the Delahaye 165

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/best-cars-of-the-2018-pebble-beach-concours-delegance/
https://www.supercars.net/blog/1937-cadillac-v16-hartmann-cabriolet/
http://theoldmotor.com/?p=145216
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-1937-cadillac-is-poised-to-wow-pebble-beach-1531831417

11 comments:

  1. Calling this beauty a "simple copy of a Figoni and Falachi body design" is like saying a Lagonda Rapide is just a knock off of an Aston Martin DB4.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok, try and READ what I WROTE, and don't slip past the "not a simple" piece of the sentence
      Jesus christ man, you fuck up the whole notion of what was written when you ignore the word before everything you clip for an example... the word not
      Try to keep up

      Delete
  2. I tried to find info about Phillip and how he got his $$$..No luck...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have found one of these in Spain, now syt oin my workshop awaiting restauration

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I look forward to seeing photos! Send me a link to online photos of yours!

      Delete
  4. Willy is a long lost relative. Somebody in my lost the extra "n" on our last namesake but we're still doing the custom car thing. I recall my dad telling stories about a coach builder from overseas who built some cool rides back then. I never really knew who he was until I researched a few years ago. Some info gets lost along the way but since most of us are car crazy and car builders I now know what my dad was talking about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow, very cool! It's amazed me how relatives seem to be like minded, regardless of distances or generations between

      Delete
  5. Long lost relative of ours. We are still in the custom car business but not building them like this. Growing up, my Dad, who built custom cars too, always told me about a relative somewhere in Europe that built some high-end custom cars way back. after some searching I found this. One of the family members dropped one N due to family problems. He did it in retaliation. I met one of the double N Hartmann members at SEMA years ago and he wouldn't talk to me until I pressured him. I told him that family feud was with them not us. We discussed the Hartman(n) legacy and of course the history of building custom vehicles. He mentioned Willy as well. My dream is to do something similar to Willy's Caddy but more on a shooting brake/wagon style.
    Thanks Michel C. Hartman - HCK Hartman Custom Kars

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow, this was one of the most interesting comments I've ever had! Thanks!
      I'm glad you two could talk! Few things are as unmovable as family grudges.
      It's a shame you didn't stumble on this the day just recently when this Hartmann Cabriolet was my banner, then you'd have had the matching banner and article.
      Glad you found my blog, I hope you take a quick look around and like it

      Delete
    2. Sorry for the late, very late reply. I'm still in the game but on a consultant/broker basis and just trying to keep that Hartman(n) thing going. Right now, 2021, is a very interesting time with huge money spent on custom vehicles. Anyways thanks for your consideration and I'll keep your info near me.

      Delete