Pourtout’s other Peugeot Eclipse

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When you think of the Pourtout bodied Peugeot 601, you will also think about the Eclipse. That’s the one with the cool electrically folding metal roof construction, which came about as a result of a collaboration between Paris dealer Emile Darl'mat, dentist-turned-designer Georges Paulin and coachbuilder Pourtout.

Peugeot 601 Eclipse

But there was another Pourtout-bodied 601 variant of a very different kind. And it’s the car seen here, accompanied by a somewhat ominous looking Friday Lady. With its pontooned-in wings, aerodynamic front with built-in and very low placed headlights, ultra-low windscreen and long and sharply raked rear, this car was unlike anything else.

And, as with the ‘standard’ Eclipse, Georges Paulin had been responsible for its lines, too. This after he’d abandoned his career as a dental technician to become Marcel Pourtout's official stylist. And again, the car used an electrically operated metal roof. The Peugeot was commissioned by author, playwright and film director Marcel Pagnol and presented at the concours d’élégance of Cannes in the spring of 1935. It won a first prize there. Three years later the car was also used in one of Pagnol’s movies: Le Schpountz with actor Fernandel behind the wheel — this funny fellow.

What happened to it afterwards was shrouded in mystery for many years. But we understand that the mighty Peugeot was recovered two years ago from its long-term hiding place of a castle owned by Pagnol. He’d died in 1974 with the car becoming more and more derelict. But at least it survives with the engine on a trolley next to it. The unique Peugeot is now under restoration by Pagnol’s grandchildren.

One of them, Nicolas, was quoted: “The Peugeot 601 Eclipse reflects, in my eyes, the artistic epic of Marcel and, above all, the symbol of his glory because he bought this fantastic car when he was at the peak of his career. It is a facet of Marcel that few French men and women know, a symbol of success which reveals to everyone the image of the young and flamboyant Marcel Pagnol. The unique Peugeot 601 Eclipse designed by Marcel Pourtout also represents a trip to a magnificent era and the aesthetics of the early 1930s.”

Words Jeroen Booij. Pictures lesvoitures.fr.

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