In 1935, Esquire magazine commissioned noted automotive designer Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky to preview the new American cars, and he had a fascinating take on the scene.

Esquire magazine was founded in 1933, a time when people read magazines in a serious way. Described under the title as “the magazine for men” but with highbrow aspirations, its advertisements featured scotch whiskies and expensive menswear, and in the February 1, 1935 issue, the contributors included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Erskine Caldwell, and Ernest Hemingway. For that same issue, the editors assigned the well-known automotive designer Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a regular contributor, to illustrate all the new American cars for the coming year.

The Count, who was also listed as a technical edictor at the magazine, took considerable artistic license with his assignment, as we can see. On the Ford Tudor above, the hood is far longer and the roof much lower than on any production Dearborn product. A proponent of streamlining in his personal designs, de Sakhnoffsky decided to add his own enhancements to the renderings, evidently.

1935 Packard Convertible Coupe

1935 Cadillac Sedan

The article includes only a short paragraph with each illustration, concentrating on styling with little technical description. Models aren’t specified, only car brands, and with their sweetened proportions the specific models can be difficult to identify with complete certainty. The feature, titled “1935 Auto Parade,” was listed in a department called “Technical Fashion,” true to the magazine’s focus on style, a direction the publication maintains today.

1935 Duesenberg J Opera Brougham

With its squared-off lines and wicker body trim, this Duesenberg J Opera Brougham looks quaint compared to the streamlined coupes and sedans in the feature. WIth 20 different makes illustrated, de Sakhnoffsky provided a fairly balanced overview of the American automotive scene for 1935, though Cord, Pierce-Arrow, and Willys are notable for their absence. If you’d like to review the whole article, or the magazine’s entire online archive for that matter, they’re available at the Esquire website. Registration is required, but no subscription or fee.