Garage Candy
Photo by Gary Land
Bruce Male wasn’t looking for an addition to his sizable car collection when he first laid eyes on this 1948 Delahaye 135M. “I saw it in the window of the Coys of Kensington auction house, in London. I had no idea what it was, but I was instantly blown away,” he says.
The French-made convertible, featuring a custom coach-built body by the Italian designers Figoni et Falaschi, was truly one of a kind—and Male couldn’t resist its allure. “I set the reserve so high that no one would buy it, but to my surprise, bids came close,” he says.
So seductive was the Delahaye’s shape that it would later inspire the look of Male’s own North Shore home, designed by the Boston-based firm Schwartz/Silver Architects. “The car’s curves played a huge role in the architecture—there is not a single straight line in the entire house,” Male says.
Though he garages the Delahaye near his house in the winter, Male enjoys taking it out around town when the weather gets warm. “Part of the fun and enjoyment in classic car collecting is sharing this beauty with the world,” he says.
