Parts And Pieces Of Historic Automobiles

Ever wonder why the market for historic automobiles has taken off in the last fifteen years? I’m guessing it has something to do with style. We do appreciate beauty in the automotive form. Cars made prior to 1960 were full of highly designed details. Today we’ll look at some highly designed parts and pieces from historic automobiles which caught our lens over the years.

Design With Purpose

Whether to secure a wheel or gas cap, functionality was never sacrificed for design, a useful item still looked and felt good.

While crude upon initial observation, this purposeful metal punch-work on the exterior step of this 1928 Bentley keeps one’s foot from slipping. 

Every angle on this 1936 Delahaye 135M Figoni & Falaschi Competition Coupe is about style. The entire car is highly aerodynamic in design right down to the flush door handles. Touchable yet sleek, substantive yet understated. The door handle is no more than it needs to be.

Creativity With Logos

The Bergholt Streamline may have been austere but the logo on the hubcap screamed sexy with a wink, nobody did this better.

Interior Design

Mass production has its limitations for car interiors today. Years ago when customization was more common, upholstery which resembled the look and feel of a piece of furniture one might have in their home, was doable.

In 1934, Gabriel Voisin, a brilliant engineer who was known to include stylistic elements on his cutting-edge cars, had this special patterned fabric milled for his use, in different colors.

Snakeskin anyone? No real snakes were harmed making these seats, it is faux in the 1948 Ferrari 166 Spider Corsa, one of only two short wheelbase built.

This sort of upholstery with fabric and trim is more suited to a stately country home, but then in 1910 one is still getting used to a car, might as well make it as familiar as possible.

Lighting

Even in the early days, using light to embellish details was no less popular than it is today. 

Early cut glass bling on this 1905 Fiat 60HP Quimby Touring and 1904 Knox Tudor Touring cars was quite something.

Collectable today in their own right, hood ornaments and mascots are some of the post obvious pieces where extra design attention took off such as in this illuminated hood ornament on a 1925 Kissel 6-55 Speedster.

Some of this had to do with the coach building aspect which allowed customization of even the most minute detail, however even mass produced cars offered the opportunity to drive rolling art.  The point is prior to 50 years ago, car designers seemed to operate under the agreement, if one was going to see it, it might as well look good. Even in the era of streamlining and modern design of the early last century, the parts and pieces of an automobile could offer the wow factor.