![]() 10/17/2014 at 14:54 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
Here we find a gearlever (Cotal electromagnetic semi automatic with a reversed gate, in case you were wondering) and we wonder, judging by the complete absence of wear on the edges of the open gate, has it ever actually been used. It's attached to a Saoutchik bodied Delahaye which spends its life sitting in climate controlled isolation while its value increases.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 14:55 |
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good lord is that color striking. Dat Lucite
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:03 |
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Looks like it gets driven for photo shoots and I'm sure it knows its way around the lawn at Pebble Beach and/or Greenwich. And to think it was a gift for a teenage girl once upon a time.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:05 |
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You had me at "Saoutchik".
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:07 |
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Indeed. Lucite, in trivia news, are now owned by Mitsubishi.
Have some more.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:13 |
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It's best view is from the side, when you can't see the compromise needed to ensure at least some hope of being able to steer a vehicle with front spats.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:14 |
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That's not a car. That's furniture.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:15 |
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If you look closely, you can see a tiny bit of wear in there. But bear in mind that it's an electro-magnetic gear selector, not a gear shift, so it just lifts and flicks into place with zero force - more like flicking an old light-switch than changing gear.
This isn't quite the same type of box, but it gives an idea:
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:19 |
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DROOL
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:21 |
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Yes, the Cotal was a step up from the Wilson pre selector and its rivals in that you didn't have to dip an operating pedal to make the change.
I don't know how they handled starting - a car in the Delahaye's price range would probably have had something other than a manual clutch to get you going. Some makers used a centrifugal clutch.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:26 |
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Saoutchik did like his details. Here's what we would call a door card on something more common. You could hang it on your wall as a piece of art.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:29 |
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that blue is just mesmerizing and perfect. Great detail right there
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:35 |
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The Cotal used electromagnetic clutches. I have no idea how that worked in practice, for starting.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 15:46 |
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Here's a Ford Vedette (no, me neither) with a Cotal. You can see the driver using a clutch at the very start.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 16:04 |
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Yeah, missed it the first time because I was busy watching him flick the selector switch, but it's definitely there. It almost seems like he has to clutch into second as well, but it's hard to tell without being able to see the pedals - maybe he just lifted off the gas.
![]() 10/17/2014 at 18:17 |
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Fun fact: The Ford Vedette
is widely believed to be the first production car to feature MacPherson struts, which is wrong.
![]() 10/18/2014 at 14:23 |
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Interestingly, I saw a Fiat 500 today that was almost exactly the same shade (possibly a little lighter). I did something of a double take...
![]() 10/20/2014 at 08:52 |
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wow.