1938 Peugeot 402 Légère Darl'Mat-style Roadster
- Engine
- 2.0L inline-four OHV, high-compression head with twin Solex carburetors
A 1938 Peugeot 402 Légère whose standard body has been replaced with a faithful copy of the coachwork produced by Marcel Pourtout for Émile Darl'Mat, styled by the aerodynamicist Georges Paulin. Discovered during restoration work on a genuine Darl'Mat roadster, the car shares the identical short-wheelbase 402 Légère platform and was comprehensively restored to concours standard between 2017 and 2019, gaining a high-compression cylinder head, twin Solex carburettors on a Memini manifold, and a Cotal electromagnetic gearbox.
Ownership
- 2020-09-06Auction saleSold €175,000 (≈ $193K)
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownVendor (prior to restoration project)partial documentation
Vendor acquired this 402 Légère while working on a separate Darl'Mat roadster restoration, recognising that the chassis was identical to that of the roadster body being recreated.
Competition
- 19371937 Le Mans 24 HoursDriver: Pujol7th overall
Three Darl'Mat Peugeots finished in the top ten; the best-placed entry was shared by Pujol and Contet. This car was not one of those entrants — the event is referenced as historical context for the model type.
- 19381938 Le Mans 24 HoursDriver: de Cortanze5th overall, 1st in 2-Litre Class
The Darl'Mat entry co-driven by de Cortanze and Contet secured both an overall top-five finish and class honours. Referenced as historical context for the model type, not this specific chassis.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2019Restoration
Full high-standard restoration carried out over roughly two years, during which a replica Darl'Mat roadster body was fabricated and fitted, the engine was upgraded with a high-compression cylinder head and twin Solex carburettors on a Memini inlet manifold, and a Cotal electromagnetic gearbox was installed. Restoration invoices are present.
Work began in 2017 and was completed in 2019. The car retains matching chassis and engine numbers.
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