Page 15 - Sample pages "Raymond Henri Dietrich" by Necah S. Furman

OPPOSITE: Inscribed on the back of this black and white of- the-era photograph from Ray’s personal files is “1st car built at LeBaron, Inc.,” which was the new name
of the firm after Le Baron, Carrossiers joined with Bridgeport Body in 1924. This Isotta Fraschini roadster was a special car indeed, having been ordered by screen idol Rudolph Valentino. Note the customized detail – a personalized golden asp hood ornament and tool box built into the running board. Unfortunately, Valentino died in 1926 before delivery of his new Dietrich-designed Isotta Fraschini.
RIGHT: At the time the photograph was taken, this restored version of the Valentino car, clad in red
and cream-colored splendor, belonged
to Caroline and Tom Meade of Albuquerque, New Mexico. (DPF and Caroline Meade, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
plated hardware; top grain Morocco leather trim; and most dramatic of all – a custom-designed golden asp as a radiator ornament. Moreover, he wanted a tool box built into the running board of the car. “Valentino,” Ray explained, “was a good mechanic and he wanted his tools handy!”49
As the reputation of Le Baron, Carrossiers became increasingly recognized, individual customers as well
as companies began to seek out the firm more and more frequently. Oftentimes these individuals had already purchased a chassis and wanted someone to design the body according to their specifications. Mr. Sann of the Gimbel House in New York, for example, purchased a fine Renault chassis in Europe and commissioned Dietrich to design a “sports” or “gentleman’s car,” as it was then called.
93 LE BARON, CARROSSIERS: ARCHITECTS FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY (1920)
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