1938 Voisin C28 Saliot Special Cabriolet
- Engine
- sleeve-valve engine
A 1938 Voisin C28 carrying a one-off cabriolet body attributed to R. Saliot of Neuilly, one of only two known Voisins with Saliot coachwork. The body — likely constructed by an outside coachbuilder on Saliot's behalf around 1946–47 — is the second fitted to this chassis and reflects the style of Faget-Varnet and Van den Plas. The car passed from a Benedictine monk with close ties to Gabriel Voisin, through a film producer and a German collector, before undergoing a comprehensive restoration and appearing at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$800,000 – US$1,000,000
- → 1967Acquisition unknownFather Jean Gehardpartial documentation
Benedictine monk and close associate of Gabriel Voisin; received the cabriolet as a gift from Saliot and kept it for a considerable time.
- 1967 →AuctionFilm producer (identity unknown)partial documentation
Acquired at a 1967 auction; proceeds from the sale reportedly went toward funding construction of a new monastery.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownSaliot (Neuilly facility)partial documentation
Body reportedly fitted for this establishment around 1946 or 1947 as a replacement body on the 1938 chassis; the firm attempted to present it as a wholly new postwar automobile.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownHans Bitterwoldpartial documentation
German enthusiast who held the car as part of a personal collection; it was sold from his collection in the early 1990s.
- Date unknownPrivate saleLongtime Voisin historianpartial documentation
Conducted extensive research into the Saliot firm and commissioned a full restoration, initially finished in metallic blue and later repainted in the current color scheme; showed the car widely in Europe and at Pebble Beach.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownWell-known American private collectorpartial documentation
Current custodian at time of cataloguing; the car forms part of a notable private collection.
Competition
- 20062006 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
The car was exhibited at this prestigious California concours as part of a broader European and American show campaign undertaken by the Voisin historian owner.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Bodywork
A second body — a cabriolet — was fitted to the 1938 chassis by an unidentified coachbuilder working on commission for Saliot, replacing the original coachwork.
Believed carried out in 1946 or 1947; actual builder unknown but stylistically compared to Faget-Varnet and Van den Plas work of the period.
- —Restoration
A thorough full restoration was carried out, initially finished in metallic blue before being repainted in the colour seen at time of sale. Restoration photographs and video footage are included in the car's documentation.
Commissioned by the Voisin historian owner acquired in the early 1990s; exact completion date not stated in the prose.
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