Description

Paying homage to the artistic genius of Joseph Figoni and the beautiful bodies he designed and built for Delahaye.

This book shows the evolution of Joseph Figoni's creative process, illustrated through his pen and pencil drawings and designs. He also used clay models and true-scale wire mock-ups mounted on the chassis, but only his drawings and a small wooden model survived. Today, modern photographs, many by renowned automotive photographer Michael Furman, allow us to appreciate the unique features of these decades-old cars, now restored to their original splendor. In addition, the notebooks, vintage photographs, and historical documents in the Figoni archive help tell the full story of many cars. This book includes over fifty Delahayes in detail, each with striking Figoni coachwork, and many drawings, several never published before.

Claude Figoni, Joseph's son, provides a vivid account of his father's humble beginnings, his growth as a craftsman and artist, his difficulties during World War II, and his eventual recognition as France's premier coachbuilder. Figoni on Delahaye also includes Richard Adatto's personal recollections of his encounters with car owners and admirers, of finding cars long believed lost, and of meeting restorers and historians whose passion for Figoni-designed cars equals his own.