Art Deco Cars

RM Sotheby’s will reprise its role as the official auction house of Florida’s renowned Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March 12, with the presentation of its 18th annual collector car sale at the Ritz-Carlton. The 2016 event follows RM’s remarkable performance at the venue in 2015, an event that generated an outstanding $60 million in sales—the highest ever total for an auction held during the Amelia Island motoring week—with an unprecedented 100 percent sell-through. The 2016 event is set to build on these results, presenting a handpicked roster of 100 coachbuilt classics, important sports and racing cars, and late model collectibles.

Early highlights for the March sale comprise a group of prewar classics, led by a fascinating 1927 Avions-Voisin C14 Lumineuse, chassis no. 28578, the ultimate incarnation of Voisin innovation. Aerodynamic force and center of gravity were of the utmost importance to French aircraft manufacturer Voisin, who were the first to take these factors into consideration when the company began constructing automobiles following World War I under the name Avions-Voisin. Using aluminum panels over wooden ribs, their bodies were light, sturdy, and functional.

Derived from the company’s first six-cylinder engine model, the C11, the C14 was introduced in 1927 and featured many patented components, including its unique door mechanism, window mechanism, horn controls, and pneumatic relay on its transmission. The C14 also featured unusually large window openings, as well as strategically-placed side baggage compartments to balance the vehicle’s weight.

This stunning design was the car of choice for some of the most famous artists of the era, including Maurice Chevalier, Josephine Baker, and Paul Morand. One of just four known surviving examples, 28578 is certainly the most interesting of the group in terms of provenance and presentation. It was originally owned by none other than Avions-Voisin co-founder Gabriel Voisin, before later making its way into the collection of cutting-edge architect “Le Corbusier”, a pioneer of modern architecture, who often included the car in the photography of buildings he designed.

The featured C14 passed through the hands of numerous other respected collectors in the ensuing years, before landing with the current vendor in 1992. In the years since, the car has actively participated in several car rallies, as well as been displayed at numerous exhibitions, including “100 Years of Design” at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1993. More recently, the owner commissioned a meticulous restoration to return to the car to its original configuration, a project that included the masterful recreation of the car’s eye-popping original Paul Poiret Art Deco upholstery (Est. $1,200,000 – $1,500,000).