O decapotabila misterioasa / A mystery cabriolet (Salmson?)

In orice tara exista masini de lux sau de clasa inalta. Dar adevaratele masini de vis - cele care se vad la Villa d'Este sau Pebble Beach, in marile colectii din lume, sau la licitatii, pentru sume fabuloase - sunt si intotdeauna au fost mult mai rare. Dorinta de a avea ceva si unicat si de calitate este, din pacate, una care numai foarte putini isi permit.

Deci am ramas uimit cand, prin imagini preulate din filmul "Steaua fara nume" (1966), am gasit secvente cu o masina din aceasta clasa. Clar, e un model extrem de luxos, European, de la sfarsitul anilor 30. In plus, nu poarta caroserie de fabrica. Dupa calitatea designului, presupun ca avem de face cu opera unui mare carosier. O mare raritate, in alte cuvinte.

Ce o fi, totusi? M-am gandit la multe variante - Horch 930, Daimler, Lancia Astura - dar din toate variantele, Salmson S4-61 pare cel mai apropiat.

La identificarea carosierului treaba devine si mai complicata. Dupa mine anumite elemente (in mod special parbrizul si forma protbagajului) sunt tipice frantuzesti. Letourneur & Marchand? (Firma folosita de familia regala. Spatele Bugatti-ului de jos arata relative similar.) Franay? Pourtout? Cert nu Figoni & Falaschi care e mult mai ostentativ.

Din nou: ce cauta in Romania? Sa fi existat inainte de razboi? Sa fi venit din parcul regal? Sau sa fi fost trofeu de razboi? Si ce s-ar fi ales de ea?

...Cert este, e un mister interesant!


In any country there are high-end cars. But the true dream cars - those seen at Villa d'Este or Pebble Beach, or in the great collections of the world, or making fabulous sums at auction - those are much rarer. The desire of having something both high-end and unique is sadly one available to very few.

So I was amazed when, in some stills of the film "Star without name" (1966) this car turns up. Clearly, it is a very luxurious European model from the late 1930s. And coachbuilt. From the quality of the design, I would imagine it is from one of the great coachbuilding houses. A real rarity, in other words.

But what could it be? I thought of several possibilities - Horch 930, Daimler, Lancia Astura - and of all of them, the Salmson S4-61 looks closest.

The coachbuilder is equally difficult. Certain aspects of the design (especially the windscreen and the rear treatment) seem to me to be typical French practice. So Letourneur and Marchand (much favoured by the Romanian royals - and with not a dissimilar treatment seen in the Bugatti below)? Franay? Pourtout? Certainly not Figoni and Falaschi who were much more ostentatious.

And what was it doing in Romania? Was it there before the war? Perhaps a former royal car? Or maybe a war trophy? Either way, what happened to it?

Well, it's an interesting mystery...