1937 Delage D6-3L

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 a single-cylinder de Dion engine 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 has had many successes in the racing arena. Sadly, it was not enough. In 1935, their fortunes change. 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. The Delage models that followed were based on the six and eight-cylinder Delahayes, though many retained unique Delage qualities, styling, and abilities.

The Delage marque's first visit to the 24 Hours of LeMans was in 1923, the inaugural running of the event. Under Delahaye's care, a revisit to the event was planned for 1936. Delahaye realized the importance of racing and how it promotes brand recognition and wanted to continue the legacy of the Delage marque on the racing circuit. Monoposto racing was deemed too competitive and expensive as government-backed teams were battling it out for ultimate supremacy. The idea to return to LeMans was approved, and Delahaye supplied Louis Delage with a chassis and three-liter engine. Delage outsourced the body to Joseph Figoni, a noted stylist and aerodynamicist who carefully clothed the capable rolling chassis in a wind-defiant body. It was given the name, D6-70 Speciale and expectations were high for the nimble machine. Unfortunately, the car would have to wait to prove its potential, as a strike across Europe caused the event to be postponed.

All was not a complete loss; the car was shown on the concours circuit where its elegant body impressed and amazed onlookers. It was brought to sprint races, hill climbs, and various other races where it enjoyed its intended purpose. It was driven in the Rallye Monte Carlo and Rallye Du Maroc before being brought to the June edition of the LeMans race. The car did well, finishing fourth overall and First in Class.

After the race, the Figoni coupe body was removed and given a roadster body with coachwork by Figoni & Falaschi. The racing pedigree for the machine continued, acquiring a victory in the 1938 Tourist Trophy. The success at this venue inspired the creation of two similar cars. Much attention was given to reducing the vehicle's weight as much as possible. They were given lightweight chassis and other improvements and brought to the LeMan where they were driven to a second-place finish, and First in Class.

The outbreak of World War II brought the program to a temporary close, which resumed when peace was re-establish. Five more cars, based on the successful LeMan entries, were commissioned. The cars were given three-liter engines that now produced just over 140 horsepower. Cycle-fendered bodies, that were both lightweight and attractive, were fitted and completed the ensemble. The cars were driven with some success beginning in 1946. In 1949, four cars were brought to LeMans. Again, the cars did rather well by securing a second and fourth finish overall and First and Second in Class. A Ferrari 166MM emerged as the victor. A year later, a Delage finished in seventh overall. By now, it was showing its age and being outclassed by the competition. Its glory days were coming to a close. The Delahaye marque was facing other challenges which prohibited an updated racer from being constructed. Bankruptcy concerns and the demise of the company were Delahaye's main focus. The company managed to stay afloat for a couple of years, finally closing its doors in 1953 and bringing production to a halt.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007