1939 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 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 used engines produced by the famous engine supplier Ballot.

the first six-cylinder Delage was introduced in 1913. It was a 2.5-litre unit that offered 27 horsepower and was designed by Arthur-Leon Michelat, who had joined the company in 1909 from the Belgian Hermes firm.

The company later established its headquarters at 140, boulevard des Champs-Elysses. It had a luxurious, glamorous, and lavish showroom. Louis Delage, who had built a reputation for high living and for keeping the company of some of the most glamorous young women in Paris, acquired a chateau in the country, a luxurious townhouse in Paris, and even a yacht.

During the 1920s, the company sold seventeen different engine models in four, six, and eight cylinders, along with racing models of which there were seven. Six engineers were credited with the design of those seventeen road car powerplants and three (Toutee, Planchon (Louis Delage's cousin), and Lory) for the racing engines.

Delage's desire for racing success culminated in 1926 with the supercharged straight-eight 1.5 litre. Lory had the exhaust system placed on the right side where its heat - unfortunately - roasted the driver. If the heat did not slow the driver, then the fumes certainly did. In the following system, this shortcoming was redesigned by reversing the location of the intake and exhaust systems. Robert Benoist, Bourlier, Morel and Divo drove the Delage 1.5L to many victories, sweeping all the year's Grand Prix, and winning Delage the Championship of Europe.

After 1927, Delage abandoned competition, but its racing successes helped inspire good commercial success for 1928 and 1929.

As the 1920s were coming to a close, Delage introduced the Maurice Gaultier-designed D8 with its 4,061cc displacement, pushrod-operated overhead valves. In touring trim, the engine offered 105 horsepower while the D8S version produced 120 horsepower.

Throughout the years, Delage has 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. 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 sprints 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 LeMans 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-established. 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 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 that 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 | Mar 2014