Saoutchik

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Bucciali TAV-8 Torpédo breveté by Saoutchik (1930)
Delahaye 175S Roadster Saoutchik for the 1949 Paris Motor Show

Saoutchik was a French wheelwright that was based in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris . In the 1920s and 1930s, the company was one of the best-known car body manufacturers in France and, together with Figoni & Falaschi and Franay , is considered the most important representative of the "Baroque" style in French car body construction in the 1930s and 1940s.

Iakov Saoutchik

Iakov Saoutchik (1880–1957) was born in Ukraine or Minsk ( Belarus ) , depending on the source ; both then part of the Russian Empire . The family emigrated to France in 1899 , where Iakov completed an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker and worked in this profession until 1906.

Early at the top

Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster by Saoutchik (1927)

In that year 1906 he married and started his own business as a coachbuilder. He belonged to the minority of the coachbuilders without roots in coach building. The workshop was on de rue Dulud .

Saoutchik's ambition was to become one of the leading suppliers of custom-made car bodies through the highest quality and independent design. Allegedly the first chassis he dressed was an exclusive Isotta Fraschini . A Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp "Silver Ghost" (no. 2442), which Saoutchik dressed as a tourer in 1913, is documented; the vehicle has been preserved and has the oldest known Saoutchik body.

Saoutchik achieved his goal in just a few years and he remained at the forefront internationally until the decline of individual body construction after the Second World War . In doing so, he dealt with the traditions of the carriage building trade with great respect, but also tried out his own solutions early on.

Innovations and the courage to take risks

Minerva Type AK Berline Transformable by Saoutchik (1927)
Mercedes-Benz 24/100 / 140hp Berline Transformable by Saoutchik (1928)

Saoutchik was among the first to make transformables . These are large and very complex four-door models with a top that can be fully opened and complete weather protection through retractable side windows; this is where they differ from the Torpedo or Phaeton . In contrast to the convertible sedan, there are also no fixed side window frames or roof bars. These bodies, known as Convertible Sedan in the USA, therefore place special demands on the bodybuilder with regard to the stability, rigidity and operability of the convertible top.

Saoutchik was undoubtedly one of the best-known car body manufacturers in France in the 1920s and 1930s. A number of sensational bodies were built on large Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz chassis. In addition to Transform Ables these were also torpedo breveté called Roadster (breveté means "patented"). In search of "visual magic", Saoutchik began to underline the main lines of his designs with nickel-plated, later chrome-plated and occasionally wooden appliqués . Saoutchik also dressed some Hispano-Suiza , Panhard & Levassor and Renault 40 CV ; these are usually a bit more conservative, but always very elegant. Remarkable is a preserved Rolls-Royce Phantom II (68 GN), which Saoutchik dressed very cautiously in 1930 as Cabriolet de Ville (a synonym for transformable ). The vehicle is painted black and has subtle Art Deco decorations; Inside, brocade panels on the rear doors and elaborate ornaments and appliqués stand out. Hard to believe that Saoutchik wasn't on ancestral territory here; the clientele for these vehicles represent preferred rather coachbuilders such as binders , Felber , waiters , million-Guiet or Hibbard & Darrin respectively Fernandez & Darrin .

Saoutchik later also took creative risks. He was one of the pioneers in extremely low bodies. In the early 1930s he attracted attention with such designs, which, however, presented themselves a little more playful than the conceptually similar but formally strict structures of contemporary Voisin , which were drawn by the architect Le Corbusier in the Bauhaus tradition.

Bentley 6½ liter (1929)

A suspected Saoutchik superstructure on a Cadillac V16 chassis around 1930 has not yet been verified, but there is a Bentley 6 ½ liter from 1929 with a short chassis, which a US customer had Saoutchik clad in. The chosen structure was a three-position convertible in which the top could be opened fully or halfway (only over the front seats), and there was already an integrated trunk. Saoutchik worked in both French and British style elements and used appliqués made of nickel silver .

Bucciali "Fleche d'Or"

Bucciali TAV8-32 Berline "Fleche d'Or"

An extreme example of the formally strict and low style of these years is the spectacular Berline TAV 12 “Flèche d'Or” , realized on a Bucciali chassis in 1932 , which was only 1.48 meters high with a length of 6.36 meters. At the time, this could only be technically solved with front-wheel drive . This eliminated the cardan shaft , which was the main reason for the large distance between the vehicle floor and the road. Along with Tracta, Bucciali was one of the pioneers of this concept in the 1920s, but the TAV8-32 (also called TAV12 because of the Voisin V12 valve engine with a displacement of 4886 cm³ originally ordered by the customer ) was the largest front-wheel drive engine built to date, including the (series-built) American Cord L-29 and Ruxton significantly exceeded. As with these, the engine was installed "upside down" on the Bucciali; the transmission side was in front. The gearbox itself was partly hidden under a cover between the front wheels and partly under the curved radiator grille. The hood took up almost half the length of the vehicle. The intention of ultra-low construction was supported by huge wheels; the panes were more like viewing slits. There were "helmet-shaped" fenders (so called because of their profile) and no running boards. In order not to disturb the line, the two spare wheels were carried in the rear, but it was accepted that this would impair the traction of the vehicle. On the side there were ornaments in the shape of a flying stork over the entire length of the bonnet , almost an antithesis to the strict formalism of the rest of the structure.

The original drawings of the Flèche d'Or ("Golden Lightning") go back to Paul-Albert Bucciali .

Reorientation

Saoutchik realized in the early 1930s that these lowly creations were going out of style. While Gabriel Voisin , supported and advised by his artist friend Le Corbusier, continued on this path and "invented" intelligent solutions such as the bright Lumineuse structures with a lot of glass (and also some somewhat bizarre ones), which were increasingly poorly sold. Saoutchik is new, so to speak: the discreet restraint increasingly gave way to opulent forms and the ornamentation came more and more to the fore.

The competition with Figoni & Falaschi

With the other great creator of this baroque design language, Figoni & Falaschi , a respectful competition arose for the most sophisticated creation of the respective season, the highlight of which was the Paris Motor Show. The now preferred brands were Delahaye and Talbot-Lago , for whose chassis Figoni & Falaschi also realized numerous bodies.

For several years this competition shaped the auto fashion and the development of the French individual body shop, about whose "Americanization" Jacques Saoutchik complained in 1935. In fact, these influences can be clearly seen in vehicles from Renault, Mathis or Rosengart, for example . The answer from the French coachbuilders , however, also led to occasional excesses with shapes that are now perceived as bulky and exaggerated. Both Saoutchik and Figoni & Falaschi won many prizes at Concours d'Elegance for their creations during this time and, despite the economic crisis, they did well in business.

Hispano-Suiza J12 and K6

Very restrained Berline Transformable on Hispano-Suiza J12 chassis (1935)

The Hispano-Suiza V12 (types J12 and J12bis or 68 and 68bis) was undoubtedly one of the most exclusive vehicles of its time. Saoutchik has dressed some of them; they are drawn rather cautiously in accordance with the conservative taste of the customers. Most of the J12s received representative bodies - chauffeur-driven limousines, landaulets or transformables . A two-seater convertible with a "mother-in-law" seat was created for a French industrialist. Despite its enormous size, it was of timeless, restrained elegance. The vehicle was then owned by Pablo Picasso for a long time . In the 1970s, it was a model for a model that the Italian manufacturer Rio brought out.

In 2010 a Saoutchik Transformable on a J12 chassis from 1936 (# 28543 43) was auctioned for US $ 1.54 million.

In 1935 a very elegant convertible was built on the "small" Hispano-Suiza K6, which has been preserved.

The "Trossi-SSK"

Mercedes-Benz SSK (W-06) "Trossi" (chassis 1930, body 1934)

The Italian aristocrat and racing driver Count Carlo Felice Trossi (1908–1949) had a Mercedes-Benz SSK from 1930 redesigned according to his own ideas. According to a single source, it was implemented at Saoutchik. The restorers of the vehicle determined that the car previously had a roadster body from Carrozzeria Touring .

The "Trossi-SSK" is a very well-known and spectacular vehicle, so it is astonishing that there are hardly any other sources for Saoutchik's authorship.

"Pantograph" doors

In the mid-1930s, Jacques Saoutchik patented a new type of hinge system, which he called the "pantograph" based on the drawing device . With this special form of the sliding door , the door is supported and guided by struts. When opening it is only pulled out to the side and, if it protrudes far enough from the body, pulled parallel to the front or back of the body until it completely clears the door opening. In the closed state, the special functionality of the "pantograph" door can only be recognized by the unusual position of the door handle in the middle of the optical longitudinal axis of the door leaf. Very few vehicles were fitted with this door system. Two otherwise rather conservative convertibles are known; one on the chassis of a Delage D8-120 from 1939 could not be completed before the outbreak of war and was only delivered to the Elysée Palace in 1945 . It served as President Charles de Gaulle's first government vehicle. The vehicle, originally painted black, like all government vehicles, has been preserved and was presented in a red-bronze color for a long time. Although this change was probably not made by Saoutchik, it is in his tradition; he was one of the first French coachbuilders to work with metallic colors. Today the car is silver over black.

The other well-known convertible with "pantograph" doors no longer seems to exist. Saoutchik built it on the chassis of the eight-cylinder Renault Suprastella for the later general and war hero Marie-Pierre Kœnig (1898–1970). Kœnig was commander of the Force Français Libre in Great Britain and the Forces françaises de l'intérieur (FFI) and then military governor of Paris. After the end of the war he was at the same time commander in chief of the French occupation forces in Germany and military governor of the French occupation zone .

Dubonnet "Xenia" (1938/1945)

Dubonnet "Xenia", high-performance vehicle and test vehicle on a revised Hispano-Suiza Type H.6B chassis (1938/1945)
Rear view of the "Xenia"

One of Saoutchik's best-known bodies of this time was the 1938 Dubonnet Xenia , a test vehicle on which the engineer and racing driver André Dubonnet (1897–1980) tested a further development of his independent Hyperflex suspension . The chassis came from a Hispano-Suiza H.6B built in 1932, which Dubonnet had acquired in 1934, and was converted accordingly. It also received hydraulic brakes later .

Ironically, "Xenia" is not a Saoutchik design; the drawings were provided by the designer and aerodynamics specialist Jean Édouard Andreau (1890–1953). Due to the special design, the vehicle has a very early version of the panoramic windscreen .

Jaguar SS 100 (1938)

Jaguar SS 100 Roadster Saoutchik (1938)

Also in 1938 a more conservative roadster was built on the chassis of the Jaguar SS100 . Between 1938 and 1940, 190 units with a 2½ liter engine and only 118 with a 3½ liter engine were built. Most received the restrained, very sporty roadster factory body. Saoutchik's unique piece on an early 3½ liter chassis (# 39107) leaves the bonnet, radiator grille and headlights with their characteristic struts untouched. The massive fenders are striking and typical. The stern is elegantly curved. The SS Jaguar has some design references to the "Trossi-SSK". Like this one, the Saoutchik Jaguar looks much more massive than the original model. The vehicle still exists.

Bentley Mark V Cabriolet (1939-1940)

1940 Saoutchik bodyworked one of the few Bentley Mark V (#MXT 3) chassis . It belonged to the sister of King Faruq of Egypt and was actually intended for Binder to dress, where it arrived just before the outbreak of war. It was hidden from German access for a while. The Mark V was the first Bentley with independent suspension ; only 11 vehicles were built in total. The very conservative lines suggest that a design by Binder was used.

Changed environment after the Second World War

Excessive design: Delahaye 175S Roadster Saoutchik for the 1949 Paris Motor Show

After the Second World War , the business decreased more and more, as the automobile manufacturers increasingly offered self-supporting bodies in-house. The rivalry with Figoni & Falaschi continued for a short time after the war, now enlivened by designs by Franay , Gurney-Nutting , Freestone & Webb and a newcomer, Facel-Métallon . The latter should soon make a name for itself with its own car brand, Facel Vega .

The dwindling market and the need to attract customers' attention drove these coachbuilders to increasingly extravagant forms. A great skill in handling metal was a prerequisite for their implementation. In terms of style, the line to decadence was crossed more than once - even more than some US-American designs, which could ultimately be implemented in mass production and ultimately had to find buyers. These vehicles weren't practical either: the weight of the opulent bodies made the actually sporty vehicles slow and thirsty. The oversized fenders and bumpers put a strain on the front axle, making the steering (without power assistance ) more difficult to move. At the same time, the center of gravity of the vehicles shifted forward, which worsened the traction of the rear-wheel drive . Coverings on the front wheels also led to a miserable turning circle , which made the car even more unwieldy. Fewer and fewer customers were willing to do all of this for a lot of money. The difficult times after the war were anything but appropriate to show yourself in such an extravagant car. In Sautchik's home market of France, the de Gaulle government also introduced a very high luxury tax, which not only sealed the fate of a number of car brands, but also forced coachbuilders to give up.

Cadillac Sixty-Two

Cadillac Series 62 three-position Cabriolet Saoutchik (1948)

In 1948, Saoutchik body a Cadillac (# 46237307) as an extravagant convertible. US vehicles with their massive ladder frames and powerful eight-cylinder engines - a very modern V8 with OHV valve control at Cadillac - were designed for heavy bodies, but were not very popular with traditional customers in Europe. The cabriolet body of this vehicle is very striking with lines similar to those found on Saoutchik's Delage and Delahaye. They were combined with more appliqués than ever: wide chrome stripes run over the top of the fenders, and wickerwork over the doors was based on a stylistic device that was already used in coach construction. The radiator grille was modeled on a shield. The one-off still exists and brought in at auctions in 2006 and 2010 the fantastic sum of US $ 649,000 each for a post-war Cadillac.

Talbot-Lago

Talbot-Lago Type 26 Grand Sport Coupé Saoutchik with classic lines (1947). A similar fender line can be found on the Jaguar XK 120 .
Another Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport (# 11056 from 1951) with a slightly modernized line. This car was a class winner at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance .

After Antonio Lago had removed the Suresnes plant from the bankruptcy estate of the British Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq Group (STD) in 1932, a realignment took place with a tighter product range, sportier models and a racing program that consisted of near-series vehicles for cost reasons. Talbot-Lago were robust and with their initially 2.7 to 3 liter six-cylinder engines with OHV valve control and hemispherical ("hemispherical") combustion chambers also fast. One of the most powerful versions was the Type 26 Grand Sport with a four-liter engine and an output of almost 200 bhp. According to the manufacturer, this was the fastest four-seater ever built in France. The brand's chassis were soon popular with Saoutchik's competitors Figoni & Falaschi and Chapron , the latter producing very stylish and restrained convertibles and coupés and Figoni & Falaschi on the one hand cultivating their "Baroque style" and on the other hand with the famous Goutte d'eau ("water drops ") Coupés found a completely new design language. Saoutchik's designs lie between these creations; they are very elegant and nowhere near as expansive as the Delahaye, with which the company regularly made the professional world sit up and take notice and make the audience shake their heads.

After Bugatti, Delage and Delahaye were eliminated, Talbot-Lago was the last French supplier of large-volume sports cars in the Bentley price range for a short time.

Peter 235

The coachbuilders had to find other ways. When Delahaye tried to regain a foothold in the luxury market with the 235, a further development of the 135, several of the others showed their ideas on this chassis, such as Antem, Chapron, Figoni & Falaschi and of course Saoutchik.

The transition to the modern age is shown by a sporty convertible from 1951, the fender line of which is still indicated. A postless coupé, which in a less radical form would probably have been called a hardtop or faux convertible, showed the way in 1953 that Paul Saoutchik, who had taken over the company from his father the previous year, imagined. It had an elongated fastback stern with a suggested pointed tail and lots of glass. The fender line is also found on contemporary BMW and Buick .

The market had changed, however, and hardly anyone was interested in such handcrafted and therefore very expensive vehicles. Objectively speaking, there were cheaper, modern designs that were significantly more powerful than these Grandes Routières , which had actually long since reached the end of their development cycle.

  • Delahaye 235 Cabriolet Saoutchik (1951)

  • Delahaye 235 Cabriolet Saoutchik (1951), rear view

  • Radical design on a Delahaye 235, possibly by Paul Saoutchik (1953)

Pegaso Z-102

An early Coupé Pegaso Z-102 from Saoutchik with clear influences from Cisitalia and Carrozzeria Touring

In 1938 the automobile production of Hispano-Suiza in France was given up. It was continued in Spain. General Franco nationalized this area after the war as ENASA (Empresa nacional autocamiones sociedad anonima). At first, car construction no longer played a role, the company concentrated on commercial vehicles that were sold under the Pegaso brand name .

The high-performance sports car Z-102 was produced from 1951 to 1957. No more than 100 vehicles were built during this time. Most of them were bodied by Carroceria Serra in Barcelona , Carrozzeria Touring and Saoutchik. Each has individual details. A repeating element of style is a chrome band that vertically divides the grille.

The Pegaso sports car chassis was lighter and smaller than most that Saoutchik had worked on. His roadsters and coupes for the brand are more modern and restrained. Saoutchik still found his own design language. On some of the Saoutchik Z-102 and Delahaye 235 there are still indicated fender lines; But one soon got away from that. Daimler tried a milder version with the SP250 and also did not come to a satisfactory result. Other things seem familiar to us from other designers, such as the bowl-shaped surrounds of the headlights ( called nacelles ). We also find them on Serra versions of the Z-102 and on automobiles as diverse as the first Facel Vega , placed at an angle on the American Lincoln and Continental from 1958 and 1959 (via the Ford Mystère and Lincoln Futura show cars , the later Batmobile ) and a Bentley S3 Continental and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III bodyworked by Mulliner Park Ward from 1964 . A horizontal arrangement can be found on the standard models of these two British brands and on the Humber Super Snipe . This fashion quickly disappeared afterwards.

  • The many turns on this early Pegaso Z-102 Spyder seem a bit uncoordinated.

  • Typical French implementation of a Spyder body. Pegaso Z-102 Series II (1954)

  • Pegaso Z-102 Coupé by Saoutchik from around 1955. One of the most convincing implementations for this brand.

  • Later Spider Z-102. The oval bezels for the lighting can also be found on other bodies

Paul Saoutchik

In 1952 Jacques' son Paul Saoutchik took over management of the company. He was also unable to oppose the zeitgeist. After the World War, too few customers had enough money to buy expensive special bodies for their cars. In 1955 the Saoutchik company ceased operations; one of the longest-lived that had exclusively manufactured automobile bodies.

Appreciation

This Talbot Lago T26 Saoutchik Coupé from 1950 anticipates design elements of the Jaguar Mark I by years

“He was a real craftsman, that fellow. He was also one of the few coachbuilders in France then who wasn't copying us in some way. I particularly remember his beautifully finished interiors. Yes, he was definitely a man with his own ideas.
This man was a real craftsman. He was also one of the few car body manufacturers in France who didn't copy us in any way. I especially remember his beautifully executed interior. Yes, he was definitely a man of his own. "

- Howard "Dutch" Darrin on Jacques Saoutchik. During his time in France (around 1918–1935), Darrin was an important competitor with Hibbard & Darrin and then Fernandez & Darrin and then an important industrial and vehicle designer in the USA.

List of known chassis with Saoutchik bodies

Remarks

  1. ↑ The sources are contradictory. Usually an H.6C with 8 liter displacement is mentioned. The article focuses on the less frequently received H.6B in this context. It is named by the current owners.

literature

  • Peter M. Larsen, Ben Erickson: Jacques Saoutchik, Maître Carrossier. 3 volumes, Dalton-Watson Fine Books, London 2014, ISBN 978-1-85443-269-8 . (English)
Vol. I: The Life of a Jeweler in Steel.
Vol. II: The Language of Design.
Vol. III: Heavenly Bodies.
  • Nick Georgano: The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile: Coachbuilding. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago et al. 2001, ISBN 1-57958-367-9 .
  • Serge Bellu: La Carrosserie Française: you style au design. Verlag ETAI, 2007, ISBN 978-2-7268-8716-5 . (French)
  • Serge Bellu: La carrosserie: Une histoire de style. Editions de la Martinière, 2010, ISBN 978-2-7324-4128-3 . (French)
  • Lawrence Dalton: Those Elegant Rolls Royce. Dalton-Watson, London 1978, OCLC 1649 . (English)
  • Lawrence Dalton: Rolls Royce - The Elegance Continues. Dalton-Watson, London, ISBN 0-901564-05-2 . (English)
  • Jonathan Wood: Coachbuilding - The hand-crafted car body. Shire Publications, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7478-0688-2 . (English)

Web links

Commons : Saoutchik  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l coachbuild.com: Saoutchik
  2. ↑ a b c conceptcarz.com: Cadillac Series-62 Cabriolet Saoutchik (1948)
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Bellu: La Carrosserie Française: du Style au Design (2007), p. 151.
  4. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer Saoutchik (1913)
  5. ↑ a b fantasyjunction.com: Rolls-Royce Phantom II Cabriolet de Ville Saoutchik 1930 (68 GN)
  6. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Some Saoutchik bodies (1913–1954)
  7. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Bentley 6½ Liter Cabriolet Saoutchik (1929)
  8. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Bucciali TAV 12 (1932)
  9. ↑ coachbuild.com: Figoni-Falaschi
  10. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Hispano-Suiza J12 Saoutchik Convertible Sedan (1936; # 28543 43)
  11. ^ Paul Russell & Co .: 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK 'Count Trossi Portfolio
  12. ↑ supercars.net: 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK 'Count Trossi
  13. ↑ a b François Vanaret: L'Âge d'or de la carrosserie française; Carrosseries Saoutchik
  14. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Delage D8-120 S Cabriolet Saoutchik (1937)
  15. ↑ Mullin Automotive Museum: Hispano-Suiza-H6B "Xenia"
  16. ↑ conceptcarz.com: conceptcarz.com: Hispano-Suiza-H6C "Xenia" (1938)
  17. ↑ ultimatecarpage.com: Jaguar SS 100 3.5-liter Saoutchik Roadster Saoutchik (1938)
  18. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Bentley Mark V Cabriolet Saoutchik (1939)
  19. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport coupe Saoutchik (1951)