Delahaye 148L Coupé - 1947
Coachwork by Oblin - Brussels
By 1947, it was once again possible for people to start dreaming. The post-war Marshall Plan created a new wave of optimism; the film Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas filled cinemas to overflowing; new buildings were going up everywhere; and big cars were once again driving through the streets. Those who could afford it even had cars specially made for them by famous coachwork builders. Someone who could afford it was the commander of one of the so-called Congo boats – ships on the line between Antwerp and Matadi, a port in the former Belgian colony. He commissioned coachwork from Oblin in Brussels, to be mounted on a French Delahaye 148L chassis. The ‘L’ stood for légère (light), a reference to the shorter wheelbase than for the limousine model. The powerful Delahaye was often used in this way by French and Belgian coachwork specialists, because the French manufacturer did not make coachwork of its own. The coupé for the sea captain was given a front end with fearsome shark’s teeth, anchors on the steering wheel and hubcaps, and a chrome speedboat as decoration for the bonnet’s nose. But the piéce de résistance was the plastic roof that looked like the canopy of a submarine, something that was not only unusual but also slightly curious: the canopy protected the driver and passenger from wind and rain, but not those sitting on the fold-out seat at the back!
By 1968, this Delahaye had been gathering dust and rust for some time in a garage in Bruges. However, the garage’s owner now planned to retire and wanted a final clear-out. As usual, Ghislain Mahy at first thought the asking price was too high, but after some brief negotiation agreed a deal and was soon loading the Delahaye onto his trailer. This garage owner had a curious connection with submarines. The driveway of his home was adorned with a self-made one-man submarine, although it was little more than a few sheets of soldered iron and a glass dome. He had used this mini-sub to smuggle butter from The Netherlands, until he was caught by a customs patrol on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal! Sadly, he never explained how the submarine on wheels came into his possession.
3.557 cc
6 In-line
Mahy - a Family of Cars
09/09/2021 - 31/10/2021
Vynckier Site
Nieuwevaart 51-53
Gent
Belgium
Delahaye 148L Coupé - 1947
Coachwork by Oblin - Brussels
By 1947, it was once again possible for people to start dreaming. The post-war Marshall Plan created a new wave of optimism; the film Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas filled cinemas to overflowing; new buildings were going up everywhere; and big cars were once again driving through the streets. Those who could afford it even had cars specially made for them by famous coachwork builders. Someone who could afford it was the commander of one of the so-called Congo boats – ships on the line between Antwerp and Matadi, a port in the former Belgian colony. He commissioned coachwork from Oblin in Brussels, to be mounted on a French Delahaye 148L chassis. The ‘L’ stood for légère (light), a reference to the shorter wheelbase than for the limousine model. The powerful Delahaye was often used in this way by French and Belgian coachwork specialists, because the French manufacturer did not make coachwork of its own. The coupé for the sea captain was given a front end with fearsome shark’s teeth, anchors on the steering wheel and hubcaps, and a chrome speedboat as decoration for the bonnet’s nose. But the piéce de résistance was the plastic roof that looked like the canopy of a submarine, something that was not only unusual but also slightly curious: the canopy protected the driver and passenger from wind and rain, but not those sitting on the fold-out seat at the back!
By 1968, this Delahaye had been gathering dust and rust for some time in a garage in Bruges. However, the garage’s owner now planned to retire and wanted a final clear-out. As usual, Ghislain Mahy at first thought the asking price was too high, but after some brief negotiation agreed a deal and was soon loading the Delahaye onto his trailer. This garage owner had a curious connection with submarines. The driveway of his home was adorned with a self-made one-man submarine, although it was little more than a few sheets of soldered iron and a glass dome. He had used this mini-sub to smuggle butter from The Netherlands, until he was caught by a customs patrol on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal! Sadly, he never explained how the submarine on wheels came into his possession.
3.557 cc
6 In-line
Mahy - a Family of Cars
09/09/2021 - 31/10/2021
Vynckier Site
Nieuwevaart 51-53
Gent
Belgium