The Mid-Summer Parisian Motor Salon

An Annual Outdoor Event Revealing Notable Progress in Motor Car Fashions

C. S. BISS

THE Concours d'Elégance is a mid-summer motoring event held annually in Paris. As a yearly revelation of progress in notor car body design, it is far superior to the nore commercial Paris Automobile Salon held later in the year and, in my opinion, surpasses, in the style, elegance, and beauty of its dismays, any automobile show held anywhere n the world. The very zenith of French motor car artistry was reached at this year's exhibition which has just been concluded.

This interesting event was inaugurated a few years ago. Its object is to present, in the middle of the Paris season, in natural outdoor surroundings, actual proof of the heights to which the best French coach builders could climb in the production of motor car bodies. Sheer beauty of line, rather than extravagant fittings and finish, is the objective sought and all of the better known French body makers strive mightily for the most exquisite workmanship and the most artistic combinations of line and color.

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The outstanding feature of this year's Concours d'Elégance was the surprising number of streamline cars in both open and closed types. Hitherto, the building of cars upon the streamline principle, which has already been discussed in these pages, has been a more or less sporadic activity on the part of a few builders, especially those who have been interested in racing cars. Now, however, there appears to be a definite tendency to apply this racing design to private use, both to facilitate better, faster and more economical car operation and to obtain greater novelty and grace in design.

Among the interesting and beautiful streamline designs displayed at the Parisian exposition, a body of the submarine type created on a Voisin chassis by Samuel de Mouly excited most favorable comment. The submarine effect in this car is vivid but not unpleasing. One of the most luxurious cars displayed was a streamline sedan built by Labourdette on a Rolls-Royce chassis. This was, verily, a car fit for a king. Another, by Labout, on a Renault chassis, was a gem of artistic coachwork.

Probably the most novel car in the Salon was a boat-shaped closed body by Labourdette on a Voisin. In this startling machine the sense of detachment and distance between the cabin passengers and the steerage, so to speak, was sufficiently present to satisfy the most select.

The commercial success of this year's Concours d'EIegance indicates that the wealthier and more critical buyers have come to a greater appreciation of the combination of novelty with correct style in motor car bodies. In achieving this result, the French are making great progress. I believe that this mid-summer Paris show will do more than anything else to create in the minds of 61ite motordom everywhere the desire for individuality as well as good taste in their new cars. This will act as a powerful deterrent to the prevailing tendency toward commonplace monotony in automobiles, As usual, the expositions of the custom body builders are being watched with eager interest by the manufacturers of standard cars and it is inevitable that many of the cunning and unique ideas of the master workers of the industry will presently find their way into those cars which are standardized and built in large quantities.

It is unfortunate that a gathering of this kind cannot be arranged in Hyde Park, London, or some similar place during the season. Without doubt, the best British body work is unexcelled in meticulous construction of details, in quality of workmanship and materials. On the other hand, it is indisputable that French designers and coach builders still lead, as they have since the very beginning of motoring, in matters of elegance and beauty of line. If our Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders were to hold a mid-summer outdoor display and offer trophies for competition by British, Continental and American coach builders for novelty and beauty of design, it would advance all coachwork and improve the exterior of British cars.

The photographs of the beautiful machines displayed at this Paris fashion show arrived too late to appear in this number. Look for them next month.