1937 Delage D8-120 S news, pictures, and information

It was Delage founder Louis Delage who asked Marcel Pourtout to build this high-speed aerodynamic prototype (chassis 51620) for the 1937 Paris Auto Salon.

Georges Paulin was the chief stylist for Pourtout, and he accepted the challenge. He was also at work on the aerodynamic Embirlcos Bentley, and there are marked similarities between the two cars.

Upon its introduction, this Delage was lauded by the press. It was immediately recognized for being a milestone in streamlined styling.

Built on the D8-120 S chassis the automobile's suspension was lower than standard, adding to the drama of Paulin's design, which was simple and balanced. He used no chrome, no fancy accents, preferring instead to have the pure lines of the car speak for themselves. The lines and curves are all continuous. Nothing is allowed to stand out in a way that might detract from the overall effect, with everything tapering to the tail. Even the traditional Delage radiator tilts back into the body to create a more graceful profile.

The body shape was tested in a wind tunnel in France to ensure that it was aerodynamic.

The body was produced in aluminum, so the car is lightweight and the engine size was increased to 4,750 cc (up from the standard 4,300 cc). So the car definitely has power.

Of course, such things come with a price. The coachwork alone cost $30,000 French francs.

Delage liked the car so much that he kept it and used it for himself.

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Aero Coupe
Coachwork: Pourtout
Designer: Georges Paulin

The Delage was designed by Georges Pauin and built by the coach-builder Pourtout for Louis Delage's personal use, and very much to his careful design specifications. It is an experimental chassis, very low, ('surbaisse' in French) and features a 4.7-liter engine, the only car the company ever built to that specification. The design is totally unique and arguably one of the purest of line and most aerodynamic of the pre-war era. It is four-place and has a sizeable trunk with the original fitted luggage. The windshield is not only curved, revolutionary technology for the period, but also appears to be a single ribbon of glass from the rear around the front to the other side. The straight-eight D8-120 engine is largely aluminum, with three carburetors and develops about 160 horsepower. The transmission is a four-speed Cotal electromagnetic unit, and the car is a joy to drive comfortably at speeds up to 100 mph.

Louis Delage was born in 1974 and was handicapped by blindness in one eye. This handicap would not hinder him at all in creating some of the most elegant and beautiful creations of the pre-WWII era, and into the early 1950s. He acquired his engineering abilities while working for Peugeot. He worked with the company until 1905, when he left to build cars bearing his own name.

Delage had a strong loyalty to France, and he endeavored to build cars that would bring honor to his country. He began racing in 1906 and acquired some success. By 1913, he had constructed a worthy racing machine to claim the Grand Prix de France. His racing machines continued to evolve. In 1914, they featured double overhead camshafts and brakes on all four wheels.

Rene Thomas drove a Delage in the 1914 Indianapolis 500 where he emerged victorious. In 1924, he set a land speed record at just over 143 mph.

During World War I, the newly built factory in Courbevoie was used for the production of military items.

During the mid-1920s, the Delage cars were powered by eight-cylinder engine displacing 1.5-liters. In 1927, Robert Benoist drove a Delage with an inline-eight cylinder engine to a victory at the Grand Prix de France, Spanish Grand Prix, British Grand Prix at Brooklands, and the Grand Prix de l'Europe at Monza. After this brilliant accomplishment, Delage announced his retirement from racing.

Delage had left the sport on a high-note, but there were troubled times in its future. The Great Depression rattled many industries, including the automotive world. By 1935, Delage had felt the strains of this painful time in history, and was forced to enter liquidation. A Delage dealer named Walter Watney purchased the company's assets. This proved to be a pipe-dream for Watney, and soon was looking for aid from an automotive partner who could help bear the costs of engineering, development and manufacturing. Luckily, he found the assistance he was searching for - at Delahaye. An agreement was reached which allowed the Delage name to continue.

The first new product from this union was the D8-120. Mounted in the long, graceful bonnets were an eight-cylinder engine. The engine was basically a Delahye 135MS six with two additional cylinders. Some of Europe's greatest coachbuilders were tasked with creating designs for the chassis. The list includes Saoutchik, Chapron, Pourtout, and Letourner et Marchand.

The Delage D8's were very impressive automobiles that had style and glamour in a high-performance package. Though the economy disparity of the time begged Delage to move down market, the company refused, and continued to produce their high-priced machines.

The Delage D8-120 had hydraulic brakes, Cotal electromagnet gearbox, and a suspension comprised of transverse leaf springs in the front. The 4.3-liter eight-cylinder engine was capable of producing nearly 100 horsepower in unmodified guise.

The Delage D8-100 was a long-wheel base version of the short-wheelbase D8-120. Both the D8-100 and D-120 were built as a conventional rolling chassis and supplied to the coachbuilders for completion. The coachbuilders would often construct the final product to the exact specifications and requirements supplied by the customer. Because of this, many of the vehicles and their specifications vary considerably. Prior to World War II, around 100 examples were created.

Production of the Delage vehicles continued until 1953.

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