1939 Delage D8-120

Louis Delage was born in 1874 in Cognac, south of France. His family had a modest income which allowed him to attend and graduate from the Ecole des Arts et Metiers in Angers in 1893. He then moved to Paris and began working with the Turgan-Foy company. Later he accepted a position with Peugeot. He left soon after to start his own company. Louis Delage began designing and building cars in 1905 with Augustin Legros as his chief engineer. Legros had left Peugeot with Delage and stayed with the company until 1935. The company focused on building cars that were of high quality and reliability. Their first cars were produced in 1906 and were called the Type A and B. The cars were powered by single-cylinder de Dion engines producing about 6-7 horsepower.

Louis Delage was a very ambitious man. He had a passion for racing and a competitive edge that led him to produce some of the greatest sports cars of the era. In 1906 he participated in the Coupe des Voiturettes and was awarded a second-place finish. This accomplished fueled sales. In 1908 he had three cars enter in the Coupe des Voiturettes race where they achieved a first-place victory.

In 1909 Delage moved away from the de Dion engines and began using their own 4-cylinder engine. However, some of the models they produced did use engines produced by the famous engine supplier, Ballot.

Throughout the years, Delage had many successes in the racing arena. Sadly, it was not enough. In 1935, their fortunes changed. The company closed due to bankruptcy and was bought by Walter Watney, the owner of used Delage car dealerships in Paris. A machine tool company purchased the main factory in Courdevoie. Delahaye, another famous automobile manufacturer of the time, bought the rights to manufacture cars under the Delage name. Also in 1935, a new Delage sales and marketing company, SNAD, was established. Following the reorganization, Delahaye focused on motorsports and performance while Delage catered to the luxury market. Beginning in January of 1936, work began on a new eight-cylinder chassis intended to carry the most luxurious coachwork. Among the list of talented craftsmen who applied their trade to the Delage chassis were Chapron, Pourtout, and Letourner et Marchand. At the front was a very larger and imposing radiator. Hidden underneath the hood was a powerful, eight-cylinder engine that gave this vehicle a reputation as being a fast, high-performance automobile.

The existing 3,227 cc six-cylinder engine that powered the successful Delahaye 135 model was re-engineered as Delage's 4.3-liter eight-cylinder, and paired with a Cotal electromagnetic preselect gearbox.

The first D8 to be produced at the Delahaye Paris under the new arrangements with Delahaye was the D8-100 with a 4,302cc engine with a fiscal horsepower rating of 25 CV (90 horsepower initially, growing to 105 horsepower at 3,500 RPM by 1937). The D8-100 rested on either a 143- (3630mm) or 132-inch (3350mm) wheelbase. Production of the D8-100 lasted from 1936 to 1940.

The Delage D8-120 was shown at the Paris Motor Show in October of 1937 and was very similar to its D8-100 sibling, but delivered more power thanks to its larger cylinder bore (by 4mm). It developed 120 horsepower at 4,500 RPM and used the four-speed Cotal Preselect gearbox, and hydraulic drum brakes.

Production of the D8-100 continued through 1940. After World War II came to a close, production of the six-cylinder Delages resumed, however, the eight-cylinder D8 was not a part of its catalog anymore.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2005