Networking
Emile Darl’Mat, born in 1892, trained as a mechanic in a Renault garage. A businessman there recruited him as a chauffeur and mechanic, which is how he came to California for a year. When he returned to France in 1921, he opened his own workshop in Paris, soon specialising in Peugeot. He soon became one of the largest dealers, probably also because he offered gentle modifications, both to the engines and to the bodies. He hired two of the country’s most talented people, Marcel Pourtout and Georges Paulin, and their first joint creation was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1927 – and later also at the World’s Fair in Chicago. It went so well that the Darl’Mat was even manufactured at the Peugeot plant in Sochaux from 1936.
But Emile Darl’Mat was aiming for more: motor racing. When the Peugeot 302 came onto the market in 1936, he saw it as the perfect base, especially as he had already experimented with more powerful versions of the 2-litre engine from the 402. He commissioned Georges Paulin to design an aerodynamic body – one that would go down in history. These Darl’Mat Special Sports – he was allowed to use his own name as a designation for the first time – were tested in the wind tunnel, but Paulin managed to turn them into a true Art Deco sculpture; they were then built at Pourtout. Three of these vehicles were entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and all of them finished, just missing out on a class victory by a narrow margin. Things went better in 1938, when a Darl’Mat-Peugeot with a 402 Légère chassis took the much-acclaimed class victory, coming in 5th overall. This also boosted sales of the road versions: a total of 53 Roadsters, 20 Coupés and 32 Cabriolets were sold as 302 or 402s.
This coupé, chassis number #705536, is said to be one of only six 402 Légères. Unfortunately, nothing is known about its early history, but it probably came to the United States in the late 1960s, was always owned by prominent collectors, and was also shown at important exhibitions. And it is certainly one of the most extraordinary French creations of all time. We have more of these, such as the Avions Voisin, in our archive.
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