During the Peninsula Classics “Best of the Best Award” dinner that kicked off Monterey Car Week, six Concours-winning cars from 2015 entered, but only one left victorious.
After ballots were cast and votes tallied, a panel of 23 judges collectively decided the title of “Most Exceptional Car in the World” should go to a 1937 Talbot-Lago Type 150-CS “Goutte d’Eau.”
The teardrop coupe (goutte d’eau is French for “water drop”) is owned by Peter Mullin, has a coach that was built by Figoni and Falaschi, and is one of only 14 models that were produced.
The 150-CS gained notoriety after winning the 1937 French Grand Prix and Mullin’s model is a touring version of the teardrop design that epitomizes “speed, aerodynamic efficiency and elegance.” It took home a Best in Show award at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed in order to qualify for Peninsula’s contest.
Originally owned by famed Le Mans racer “Bentley Boy” Woolf Barnato, Mullin’s 150-CS is said to have been raced at high speed from Paris to Cannes in under 10 hours on a bet. Needless to say, he’s pretty attached to it.
“This car combines sculptural beauty, engineering, and performance,” Mullin told Bloomberg. “It’s my favorite car in our collection, so if I had to sell, it would go last. Which means never.”
Hopefully he’s open to a rental.
Main image courtesy of Michael Furman and the Mullin Automotive Museum
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