Lt. R.J.B. Williams, Chatham, UK (acquired from the above in 1957)
B.J. Maidment, Brighton, UK (acquired from the above in 1960)
Peter Rose, Brighton, UK (acquired from the above in 1960)
Private Collector, The Netherlands (acquired from the above in 2009)
Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2017)
Coachwork by Pourtout
Chassis: 400248
Engine: 400243
Salesroom Addendum
Please note that a new title has recently been processed and should be available shortly following the auction.
Presented as Raced by Dorothy Patten in 1939
Incredibly Detailed, Exhaustively Researched Restoration to Concours Standards
Competition Version of Georges Paulin’s Incomparable Art Deco-Style Masterpiece
Among the Finest and Most Authentic of the Surviving Darl’mats
Perfect for Major Concours, Tours, and Rallies
2,100 CC OHV Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
Twin Solex Carburetors
Estimated 80 HP at 4,250 RPM
4-Speed Cotal MK25 Preselector Gearbox
4-Wheel Competition Drum Brakes
Front Independent Suspension with Transverse Semi-Elliptical Leaf Spring
Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Emile Darl’mat, an enthusiastic and industrious young man, set up shop in Paris in the late 1920s with a small garage selling and repairing automobiles. Soon thereafter, he became a licensed Panhard and Peugeot dealer. Seeking to offer unique and sporting coachwork based on existing Peugeot platforms, he gained notoriety when he cemented a working relationship with noted designer Georges Paulin and coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout to develop the Eclipse, a Peugeot equipped with the first mechanically retractable hardtop, a preview of the wonderful creations to come.
Underlying Darl’mat’s innovative spirit was a desire to elevate the Peugeot brand. By the mid-1930s, Darl’mat had become so respected that the factory gave him the access and resources needed to create his own Peugeot sports car, one that could rekindle the company’s former sterling reputation in motor sports. Combining the short chassis of the 302 model with the 402’s larger engine, and with the assistance of Peugeot’s director of mechanical studies, Alfred Geauque, and his longtime collaborators Paulin and Pourtout, Darl’mat created one of the most enigmatic Art Deco-styled sports cars of all time. The 402 Darl’mat prototype was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1936, and Darl’mat roadsters participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 and 1938, where they performed exceptionally well because of their lightweight and aerodynamic bodies. Available in coupe, convertible, roadster, and competition roadster forms, just 104 Darl’mats were built in total by Pourtout between January 1937 and June 1938, and today, about 30 remain extant.
The Darl’mat Competition Roadster offered here, chassis 400248, was built for the young British racer Dorothy Patten and her affluent German fiancé, Baron Rainer von Dorndorf. In September 1938, Patten ordered an alloy-bodied 402 Competition Roadster finished in light blue, outfitted with the uprated 402B 2.1-liter engine with twin Memini carburetors, competition brakes and wheels, and the optional Cotal MK25 preselector gearbox. Intended for driving in the UK, 400248 is one of very few examples built in right-hand drive; Patten also had her car fitted with doors, when most other racing Darl’mats had none. The couple raced the Peugeot, registered EYU 9, in France and England in the 1939 season, with Patten and her equally striking Darl’mat charming the press at every turn.
Patten and Von Dorndorf divorced during WWII, and she campaigned her car in a few races after the war, retaining ownership until 1957. It was damaged in its next ownership and was bought in that condition by Peter Rose of Brighton, UK, in 1960. The car was kept in Mr. Rose’s garden until 2009, when it was purchased by a Dutch enthusiast who retained Tony Paalman of Classic Motorcars Holland to perform a thorough restoration. In 2016, chassis 400248, finished in a rich cream color, took pride of place on the Peugeot stand at the posh Rétromobile show in Paris.
Patten’s Darl’mat was purchased by the consignor in 2017, and it was soon entrusted to restorer and historian David Cooper’s Cooper Technica, in Bristol, Wisconsin. Mr. Cooper immediately set to work on a second restoration, with the goal of returning the rare Peugeot as precisely as possible to its configuration as raced by Patten and Baron von Dorndorf in 1939. The exotic, if temperamental, Memini carburetors and intake were restored and kept aside, with a pair of period Solex carburetors taking their place for reliable running. Memini Carburetors were fitted to only about a dozen competition Darl’mats.
An extremely rare set of competition-specification brakes were discovered and reinstalled, behind a proper set of Michelin racing wheels. Likewise, a Peugeot 402B 2.1-liter high-compression racing engine was found and installed, as well as a scarce MK 25-series Cotal gearbox, returning the Darl’mat to its original competition specifications. The coachwork’s striking shade of blue and its silver dashboard were faithfully reproduced in nitro-cellulose lacquer, and Patten’s chosen dark blue surface-dyed leather upholstery was fitted in its original pattern.
Topping the restoration, an original set of pre-WWII Ducellier headlamps with fluted glass lenses, badged at the lower edge, and the three extremely rare and beautiful cloisonné badges, photographed on Patten’s Peugeot in period, were researched, sourced, restored, and installed, along with “EYU 9” number plates.
Thoroughly researched and documented, the tale of Dorothy Patten’s most fascinating years is brought to life by the beautifully refined and exacting presentation of her gorgeous Art Deco-styled Peugeot race car. A carefully researched book has been compiled by the restorer chronicling Patten’s life, as well as the history of the Darl’mat throughout its existence, including its recently completed restoration. Dozens of rare period photographs and important documents appear within its pages. Interested bidders are encouraged to review the volume for further insight into this marvelous Peugeot.
This is a classic sports car of particular grace that should greatly interest all automotive devotees with an eye for exceptionally rare and truly exquisite design. And enjoying it on the road, at speed, with the windscreen stowed flush with the cowl is sure to unlock a different dimension altogether.
