1934 Lancia Belna Eclipse For Sale in St Louis , 2146379682 Tweet

What was it about Paris, France in the early 1930s? Perhaps there was something in the water, as The City of Love was hotbed of creative energy, with artists, architects, fashion designers, poets, and musicians embracing the Art Deco school. Among this mosaic of colorful characters shone a particularly bright French-Jewish man named Georges Paulin - a dental prosthetist by day, and an artist, inventor, and tinkerer by night.

Paulin is one of those rare personalities who seemingly made full use of both the technical and artistic sides of his brain. One day, while witnessing a neighbor struggle with a Delage folding soft top in a sudden downpour, Georges came up with the idea of a retractable hard top, which he sketched out, and later patented in 1932. His invention drew not only the attention of Paris top coachbuilders, but of the mighty Peugeot.

When not busy making and fitting false teeth, Paulin dipped his toe in the coachbuilding world at the behest of Marcel Pourtout, a highly respected member of the flourishing Parisian coachbuilding industry, who was intrigued by the disappearing roof design. Georges Paulin began moonlighting as a designer, where his artistic senses were underscored by his technical knowledge, turning out designs that were not just beautiful, but aerodynamically sound and technically advanced. His portfolio for Pourtout grew to include not only our subject Lancia Belna Eclipse, but other stunning machines like the Peugeot 402 DarlMat Special Sport, and the innovative, hugely influential Embiricos Bentley 4 .

Sadly, Paulins brilliance was prematurely extinguished by World War II. As Marcel Pourtout moved to protect his family and factory during the occupation, Paulin joined an underground resistance group made up of others in the coachbuilding industry, run out of Kellners workshops and his dental practice. When discovered by the Germans, Paulin chose not to flee and sacrificed his life to save others.

Thankfully, George Paulins legacy survives in the cars he designed. This striking little Lancia Belna is one of two known survivors from approximately five built with the Paulin-designed, Pourtout-built Eclipse convertible body. Pourtout maintained a strong relationship with Lancia France in the early-mid 30s, and the Belna name was applied to French-built versions of the V4-powered Augusta.

The known history of this stunning little Lancia begins in the 1950s with its acquisition by Dr. Eugene Nobles of Memphis, Tennessee. According to Dr. Nobless daughter, he purchased the car through British dealer David Bunty Scott-Moncrief, and it came to the USA via the port of New Orleans. It is said that Dr. Nobles enjoyed the car for many years, having hastily repainted it in silver and red along the way. He only sold it to make room in the barn ahead of his daughters wedding. The next owner was renowned American collector and enthusiast John Moir, who built the famed Alphabet Collection with cars representing every letter of the alphabet.

Mr. Moir turned to his favorite restorer, David Steinman of Waitsfield Motor Car Company in Vermont to restore the Lancia to his standards. Steinman faithfully and meticulously restored it in a stunning combination of black with yellow body sides, yellow accent lines, and a spectacular yellow ostrich leather interior, complete with matching ostrich bags behind the seats. As discovered, the car was missing its delicate Art Deco bumpers, which were faithfully recreated using period photos.

The restorers were careful to preserve details like the rack-and-pinion window lift mechanisms and of course, the patented retractable hardtop which stows neatly beneath the tapered tail panel. The flowing lines and intricate Deco detailing like the split rear windscreen and curved door handles are a testament to Georges Paulins design abilities.

Following the restoration, Moir proudly displayed the stunning little Lancia at prestigious shows and events. It was shown at Pebble Beach in 2004, earned best in class awards at the Amelia Island Concours in 2005 and Concorso Italiano in 2006, and was shown at the 100 Motorcars of Radnor Hunt, was awarded 99.75 points by Classic Car Club of America judges and earned a National First Prize by the AACA. Published appearances include the March 2005 issue of Classic & Sports Car Magazine and a feature in Antique Automobile (March/April 2007).

In 2015, following years of cherished enjoyment by John Moir, the striking little Lancia Belna Eclipse joined a prestigious private collection, rubbing shoulders with some of the worlds finest Art Deco era automobiles. It remains in superb condition, suitable for continued concours display and is a very special, must-have motorcar for any fan of this celebrated era of automobile design.

Offers welcome and trades considered.