1938 Peugeot 402 Darl’mat Special Coupe (by Pourtout)
A remarkable collaboration between mass-market manufacturer Peugeot and Parisian dealer Émile Darl’mat produced this extraordinary coachbuilt automobile that competed alongside Bugatti and Delahaye at prestigious concours events.
Working with coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout and stylist Georges Paulin, Darl’mat created aerodynamic aluminum bodywork featuring distinctive Art Deco elements including a sloping front grille, sculpted teardrop fenders, and streamlined chrome accents.
Built on Peugeot’s 402 Légère (lightweight) chassis, the Special received the company’s 1,991cc inline-four engine in place of the standard 1,750cc unit. Development assistance came from aerodynamicist Jean Andreau, while performance tuning was overseen by Darl’mat’s team.
The competition pedigree was proven when related roadster variants finished 5th overall at the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans, also winning the 2-liter class against German Adler competitors.
Only six coupes were constructed on the 1938 402-series platform, representing a tiny fraction of the 105 total Darl’mat Specials produced across all body styles. This rarity places it among the most exclusive French automobiles of the interwar period, combining innovative aerodynamic design with proven racing engineering.
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