Online Auto Museum

Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet Vedette, Henri Chapron, 1947

Location:
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 2009

Owner: Sam & Emily Mann | Englewood, New Jersey

Prologue:

Image Source: Nikon D200 (10.2 MP)

Prior to flying across the continent for my first visit to Pebble Beach, I'd spotted an article depicting a few of the cars expected to appear, this Delahaye among them. I'd also known of the emerald two-tone La Vedette cabriolet from a ridiculous Dennis Adler book that surveyed coachbuilt automobiles, so I recognized the similarities. (That book went into storage when I left for college and wound up bound together in an unbreakable wad of high-gloss starch after water damage soaked it through.) When it came time to shoot, the typical grey light of the northern California coast subdued much of the car's color. But this neutralizing light also controls glare and eliminates the blue-light reflection common to metal on bright, sunlit days. Reviving the color digitally, we're left with bold sapphire and cobalt panels, and while I don't quite use the same process any longer, looking back I think this old gallery holds up pretty well.

At the time, I wanted to achieve a studio look like the work of Philadelphia-based photographer Michael Furman. I looked for chances to use superimposed backdrops, and felt that an otherwise rudimentary door handle detail would work nicely (1). Now, in his "Motorcars of the Classic Era" book, Furman uses the same pairing of car and detail for a two-tone red Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet with Chapron coachwork. His photograph actually popped up in my head one day and I realized, uggh, that's a strong coincidence. So I plead accident in the similarity, or at least a strong subconscious influence. Anyhow, there's no comparing his perfect lighting and incontestable Hasselblad with my primitive techniques and obsolete Nikon.

I've always recognized the rear perspective (4) as one of the first images where my processing took on a graphic quality, meaning sharp with high-contrast. I wouldn't commit to that approach just yet, but after deciding that I should, I revisited this set and finished the flank shot (3). Though not shown here, the multicolor tones look striking in monochrome.

References:

  • UltimateCarPage: Though without this particular Chapron design, you can browse a nice assortment of Delahaye 135 examples.
  • Bonhams: Their entry on a 1939 Chapron Cabriolet gives a good history of the model.

 

Last Updated: Nov 10, 2024