Page 20 - Sample pages "Figoni on Delahaye" by Richard Adatto

CHASSIS 800543
FIGONI & FALASCHI BUILD NO.1014
This two-door, two-place cabriolet Narval was built on a Delahaye Type 135-M chassis, and it was ordered by James Ritter directly from the Figoni & Falaschi workshop. Mr. Ritter was a Hollywood film director and owner of a car collection that included, in addition to Chassis 800543, a Figoni & Falaschi custom-bodied Talbot-Lago T-26 convertible.
The cabriolet’s original color scheme was predominantly red, with a light- colored leather interior. Its coachwork was more restrained than that of some other cars in this series, most notably the smaller Narval with its bulbous nose. All four fenders were enclosed, and those in front were extra wide to accommo- date the turning front wheels. Rather than being faired into the fenders, the two Marchal headlights were partially flushed into the valley between the radiator and the fenders, just above the V-shaped double-bladed front bumper, with two trim stripes beneath the headlights. The hood had two bold, streamlined spears running along either side, and the windshield did not fold down, unlike those of most cars in this series. The hubcaps were a special Figoni feature included on only a few cars in the Narval series. The multiple lights on the trunk were added to pass the safety standards in effect in the United States at that time.
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Above: Chassis 800543, featured on the cover of the February 1949 issue of Road and Track magazine, in front of Ciro’s Restaurant in
Los Angeles.
RICHARD ADATTO ARCHIVE
Left: The Narval shown at the 1947 Concours d’Élégance at the Trocadéro in Paris.
A young Claude Figoni in a light-colored suit is standing next to the woman in the white hat and dress.
JEAN-PAUL TISSOT ARCHIVE
LTON WATSON FINE BOO © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS ALTON WATSON F