Indy - Guy
Indy - Guy UltimaDork
12/22/24 8:40 a.m.

I'm a huge fan of Art Deco stuff.  Love it.  

Recently I was wondering: what's the most Art Deco car?  Let me suggest two categories: production & coach built.

Here's my vote.

Auburn 852 Boat tail Speedster.

&

What's your vote?

dculberson
dculberson MegaDork
12/22/24 9:02 a.m.

I don't know if it's the MOST art deco, but definitely one of my favorite art deco cars is the Bugatti Type 57 sc:

stuart in mn
stuart in mn MegaDork
12/22/24 9:40 a.m.

Delahaye.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
12/22/24 9:44 a.m.

Cord 810

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
12/22/24 9:45 a.m.

That's a fantastic museum. Probably my favourite.

Puddy46
Puddy46 HalfDork
12/22/24 9:45 a.m.

The Chrysler Airflow is what immediately popped into my head for art deco.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
12/22/24 10:09 a.m.

Most cars from this era, like the Bugatti and Delahaye are more Art Nouveau than Art Deco. Same goes for the Auburn 851.

 

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
12/22/24 11:28 a.m.

I tend to agree with Shawn. Very few manufacturers really leaned in to art deco with cars the way they did with motorcycles and trains and toasters and pretty much everything else. Most of what we consider "deco" cars are more art noveau cars. There were more than a few specials, like Norman Timbs Buick, that really captured the aesthetic, though.

And a special shoutout to the Crossfire SRT-6 that was maybe the most modern example of a heavy deco aesthetic in a production car.

Trent
Trent UltimaDork
12/22/24 12:21 p.m.

The Derby Bentley is on the list.

The owner is a former UC Berkeley design professor and when his course went to art deco industrial design he based it around a single black and white photo of this exact car. 20 years later that car came up for sale. He didn't think twice.

Indy - Guy
Indy - Guy UltimaDork
12/22/24 12:26 p.m.

Some really good examples already, and I guess I'm guilty of blurring the line ( in my mind ) between Nouveau and Deco.  How about we open it up to good examples of both.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
12/22/24 12:31 p.m.
ShawnG said:

Cord 810

This. Forever.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
12/22/24 12:34 p.m.

Hudson Terraplane (in pickup form.)

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt UltimaDork
12/22/24 2:30 p.m.

Came here to say Cord 810 too.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
12/22/24 3:21 p.m.

If anyone questions the validity that the Cord reigns supreme, here's the dashboard :

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
12/22/24 3:21 p.m.

Patrick
Patrick MegaDork
12/22/24 3:55 p.m.

Cord 810/812 

 

all other answers are incorrect

nocones
nocones PowerDork
12/22/24 4:17 p.m.

I like the JAWA 750 for this. 

pres589 (djronnebaum)
pres589 (djronnebaum) UltimaDork
12/22/24 4:23 p.m.

Good suggestions already (except for the Chrysler Crossfire because it's awful).  I always like the 1937 Talbot-Lago Type 150;

Kreb (Forum Supporter)
Kreb (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
12/22/24 4:41 p.m.

Blastolene B-702 has to be up there

 

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
12/22/24 5:08 p.m.

Cord.

This one was at the Lemay museum in Tacoma, WA, some years back. Hopefully, they still own it. 

MiniDave
MiniDave Dork
12/22/24 5:45 p.m.

1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow......

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
12/22/24 5:51 p.m.

The Jonckheere coupe (aka the round door Rolls Royce) has to be mentioned.

Tom1200
Tom1200 PowerDork
12/22/24 6:51 p.m.

Pick any car done by Saoutchik.

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
12/22/24 7:54 p.m.

Zero wrong answers in this thread

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
12/22/24 8:22 p.m.
Tom1200 said:

Pick any car done by Saoutchik.

See also Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.

Guy made a beer truck look amazing.

 

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