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Distributed for Dalton Watson Fine Books

Marcel Pourtout

Carrossier

New edition

The first complete and authorized recounting of the famed French auto body builder’s history.
 
Carrosserie Pourtout is widely considered one of the greats of French automotive coachbuilding. From modest beginnings, founder Marcel Pourtout—working in conjunction with designer Georges Paulin—created a widely respected business that supplied some of the world’s finest and most interesting car chassis. Drawing from documents held in the Pourtout family archives, Jon Pressnell’s Marcel Pourtout: Carrossier tells the complete story of this enterprising business, from its humble inception in 1925 to its demise in 1994.

Marcel Pourtout began the company with a small workshop and twelve employees; his wife, Henriette, looked after the books. The firm soon did well enough to expand operations, gaining widespread notice in the 1920s and ’30s for its elegant bespoke coaches. After World War II, in response to changes in the auto industry, Pourtout pivoted toward more industrial and military projects, designing truck cabs that became longtime staples of armies worldwide. Written by award-winning author Jon Pressnell with the full and generous support of the Pourtout family, and beautifully illustrated throughout, Marcel Pourtout: Carrossier is the first history of this unique automotive coachbuilder.

488 pages | 190 color plates, 398 halftones | 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2021

History: History of Technology


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Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
The Pourtout Family
Chapter One: Setting up Shop
Chapter Two: Momentum Gained and a Partnership Begins
Chapter Three: Surviving, Somehow — and the Arrival of Paulin
Chapter Four: To a Latin Tune
Chapter Five: Big Time — Peugeot and Delage
Chapter Six: A Legendary Bentley — but what Next?
Chapter Seven: Renault to the Rescue
Chapter Eight: The War Years
Chapter Nine: Last Hurrah: the End of Luxury Coachbuilding
Chapter Ten: Searching for a New Path
Chapter Eleven: Extravagance Pays: the Pourtout Publicity Vehicles
Chapter Twelve: Busy on all Fronts
Chapter Thirteen: The Sun Rises… But Also Sets
In Conclusion
Appendices
Index

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