1930 Delage D8 Cabriolet

The Delage D8 was the work off chief engineer Maurice Gaultier, whose engine was a four-liter pushrod straight eight. The powerplant was smooth and silent, and it had five main bearings and offered 105 brake horsepower. The D8 was available in two variants, the Normale model and the uprated sports edition, the D8 S. The D8 S had a higher compression ratio and modifications to the valve gear which helped boost brake horsepower to 118. When this engine was installed in the Normale chassis, the model was referred to as the D8 C.

This particular example is a D8 C wearing a body by the French coachbuilder Henri Chapron. It is the only Charpon-bodied D8 C known to survive today. It was originally registered in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on July 14, 1931, as HS6322. By 1939, ownership had passed to Roland Stanley Bevan of Taunton, Somerset, who retained it for two decades, after which it was purchased by Douglas Henry Shrimpton of Dorset. Around 1960, it was purchased by Vojta Mashek from Chicago. In 1966, Mashek sold the Delage to Homer Fitterling of South Bend, Indiana. The current caretaker purchased it from Mr. Fitterling in 1973. A restoration transpired between 1992 and 1994. It was displayed at the 1994 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance and 2004 to 2007 was exhibited at the ACD Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana, in their Gallery of Classics.

This D8 C is powered by an overhead valve eight-cylinder engine offering 118 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel servo-assisted mechanical drum brakes. Details include Marchal headlights, pontoon-style running boards containing tools, and crenulated door handles as well as curved taillight supports. The interior of the Delage features Jaeger instruments set into a dash made of rosewood, which continues onto the door surrounds.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2017