http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=8722.0;topicseenRené Bellu : Les voitures des années 50 (1983, Editions Jean-Pierre Delville, Paris, 319 pp., ISBN: 2-85922-032-1) is for me, as 'grand amateur' of French automobile art, a real gem. All pictures are period photographs or drawings, usually rather official (presentation at the Salon de Paris, brochures, racing documents), most of them black-and-white, and only a few of less quality. I can watch them again and again, and dream of my next barn find of a Claveau Descartes or Panhard Dynavia or Arbel Symétric or Hotchkiss-Grégoire R...
It has three chapters:
1: Les marques de prestige (Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Facel-Vega, Hotchkiss, Hotchkiss-Grégoire, Salmson and Talbot)
2: Les marques de grande série (Citroën, Ford-France, Panhard, Peugeot, Renault, Simca)
3: En marge de la série ; Production des petites marques - Carrosserie spéciales - Prototypes (117 makes from A.C.B. to Wimille)
In a bit more than 300 pages it is, of course, impossible to be exhaustive and complete, but it really is a great survey of what automotive miracles (and desasters) have been built in France in the fifties. I couldn't find any mistakes (unlike the Bellu books 'Tout les Citroën' and 'Toutes les Peugeot', which are 'only' correct for let's say 99%). but I guess there must be one or two inaccuracies.
Of course the text is in French, but I guess that the book is very interesting even for those who don't read this language, since the pictures speak for themselves and names and numbers and many words are quite intenational. But indeed, the book is not very cheap (about 100 euros, though I guess it must be possible to find a copy for a lower price).
