To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Amelia
Island event, 8 - 9 March 2019.
- Offered from the Leon-Hackney Collection
- Formerly owned by respected enthusiast Burt Upjohn
- "The Car Magnificent," one of the great French Brass Era
automobiles
- Reportedly built for Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the Hope
Diamond
- Elaborate Victoria coachwork by one of America's finest
coachbuilders
- A prized part of the collection since 1975
- Offered with a historical and technical file
The Delaunay-Belleville was one of the grand French automobiles of
the Brass Era, respected throughout the world for advanced
engineering such as monobloc engines with fully pressurized
lubrication, driven by a pump off the crankshaft. It was considered
the equal of Rolls-Royce or Panhard et Levassor, and was instantly
recognizable by its round honeycomb radiator, a deliberate reminder
of the boilers that the company had earlier produced.
Delaunay-Belleville was also the first French manufacturer to offer
a six-cylinder engine.
This particular Type IA6, featuring a 2.6-liter six-cylinder
engine, is one of 185 built and undoubtedly very few delivered to
the U.S. It was bodied by the famed New York coachbuilders Brewster
as a handsome open victoria, an ideal summer conveyance for
someone's Newport cottage, with a "cape top" but no windows, side
curtains, or doors. Reportedly it was built for Evalyn Walsh
McLean, the mining heiress who was the last private owner of the
fabled Hope Diamond; later owner Charles Bishop of New Haven,
Connecticut, acquired the car from a dealer in her hometown of
Washington, D.C., in 1938, and attributed it to her in an article
in the December 1950 issue of Antique Automobile. McLean drove the
car on the 1950 and 1954 Glidden Tours.
The car was later acquired in 1968 by pharmaceutical heir and
respected enthusiast, Burt Upjohn of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who
maintained it for several years as part of his wonderful
collection, still in pristine original condition. Jay and Berta
Leon acquired the Delaunay-Belleville from Mr. Upjohn in 1975, with
the couple traveling to Michigan to collect this car and the 1928
Rolls-Royce Phantom I also in the collection. "You can be assured
that . . . this is one of the most fantastic automobiles any
place," Mr. Upjohn wrote the new owners. "I have driven this car
thousands and thousands of miles with my family, with virtually no
problems. It went up and down Pike's Peak without incident."
Upon the Delaunay-Belleville's arrival back home, they set about
improving it with a cosmetic restoration, including new paint and
upholstery, mechanical repairs, and detailing by local specialists
in Texas. With the largely cosmetic restoration complete in 1983,
it was exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Complete
with iron tools, the Delaunay remains in lovely, well-preserved
overall condition and has a very authentic appearance, with the
original serial number tag and frame and engine stampings still
visible, confirming that it has always been an intact and
well-cared-for machine.
It is a spectacular Brass Era automobile, deserving of another fine
home where its superb provenance and elaborate styling will be as
beloved as it has been for the last 43 years.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am19.
