Delage
Encyclopedia
Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage
in Levallois-Perret
near Paris
; it was acquired by Delahaye
in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.
; its first location was on the Rue Cormeilles in Levallois-Perret
. The company was initially just an assembly plant, buying engines and chassis from other manufacturers, and adding only the body. The first model was a Delage Type A motor-cylinder De Dion Bouton 9 ch.
In 1907 the factory moved to the Rue Baudin Levallois, where a 4,000 square meter workshop allowed it to grow. That year, Delage won the Grand Prix des Voiturettes at Dieppe (500 km), at an average speed of 80 kilometre per hour.
In 1908, the success enabled the development of the factory and entry into more Grand Prix races. After an increase in sales, the existing facilities were too small, so in 1912 the factory moved to a new facility on the Boulevard de Verdun in Courbevoie. The following year saw the creation of advanced bodywork.
Delage continued to win important races until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, when the new plant in Courbevoie was converted to military use.
In 1913, the new type Y set the fasted lap time at the French Grand Prix
at Le Mans, and in 1914, this same car won the 1914 Indianapolis 500
with René Thomas
at the wheel.
In 1914, Delage emphasized its focus on competition by creating the type O Lyon Grand Prix, while at the same time moving towards the luxury car market with 6 cylinders of a large class.
With the war, production of passenger cars virtually stopped, with the exception of some fabrication for the Army. But the Delage factories were running full support for the war effort.
In 1918, after the return of peace, Delage sold the CO, plans for which had been drawn up during the conflict; this was the first passenger car with front brakes. With these brakes and an engine of 20 hp (a six-cylinder 4524 cc), in 1921 it became the CO2, which did the Paris-Nice run in 16 hours, an average of 67 kilometre per hour.
The 1920s were really the first "Golden Age" of Delage. The most famous were the DE and DI: 4 cylinders of about 2 liters and 11 hp. Delage also attempted to compete with Hispano-Suiza, with the GL of 30 hp and 5954 cc, with some success. After that came a new generation of six-cylinder cars, like the MD (3174 cc) and DR (2516 cc), the best-selling vehicle in the history of the brand, designed by engineer Gaultier.
In 1923 Louis Delage
returned to competition with the innovative 12-cylinder 2-liter type 2 LCV. This car won the 1924 European Grand Prix in Lyon and the 1925 Grand Prix of ACF Montlhéry. The 12 cylinder DH (10,5 liters) of 1924 beat the world speed record on the highway, at 230 kilometre per hour. A Delage 155 B won the first Grand Prix of Great-Britain in 1926, driven by Louis Wagner and Robert Senechal. The production of cars continued with the DI and the DI S SS. The DM evolved into the DMS and DML, equipped with a 6-cylinder 3-liter engine designed by Maurice Gaultier. Always passionate about racing, Louis Delage designed an 8-cylinder 1500 cc, the type 15 S 8. This car won four European Grands Prix races in 1927, and won Delage the title "World Champion of Car Builders" that same year.
In 1930 Maurice Gaultier designed an 8-cylinder in-line 4,061 cc, evolving the type D8 into the type D8 S (S for Sport).
But the backlash of the economic crisis of 1929 arrived and manufacturers of luxury cars all over the world suffered from poor sales. The commercial and financial situation of the firm is badly shaken. In 1932 Delage introduced the type D6-11 (6-cylinder 2101 cc), and two years later the new eight-cylinder Delage, type D8-15 (2768 cc). These two models, equipped with independent front wheel suspension did not increase sale figures. The last models to emerge fro mthe factory in Courbevoie were the types D6-65, D8-85 and D8-105, designed by engineer Michelat. On 20 April 1935 the factory in Courbevoie goes into voluntary liquidation.
But Louis Delage would not admit defeat, and with the help of a businessman called Walter Watney created the Société Nouvelle des Automobiles Delage (SAFAD), to market Delage cars, assembled from production Delahayes. This union created the 4-cylinder DI 12 and the D8 120, and also the 6-cylinder D6 70. Watney had taken control as president of SAFAD, but he was a British national and in June 1940 he was obliged to leave Paris as the German army
arrived. Watney stayed in France, at his villa in Beaulieu
, until the end of 1942 after the Germans had completed their occupation, but already in December 1940 the presidency of the SAFAD business had passed directly into the control of Delahaye
. In any event, since the outbreak of the war Delage had been large;ly inactive, although they did undertake work on a project to replace the six cylinder engine of the Hotchkiss H39 tank with the more powerful 8 cylinder unit from the Delage D8 120.
, Letourner & Marchand and Guilloré. A variety of coupe and cabriolet bodied D6s were produced. In addition, both Guilloré and Chapron produced a large saloon/sedan body. The two were remarkably similar to one another, both being six-light four door cars with conservative 1930s style shapes. Something else the two had in common was unexpectedly narrow rear doors, enforced by the combination of a long body, a long rear overhang and a relatively short wheelbase provided by the D6 chassis. A longer wheelbase 1952 special version, bodied by Guilloré, was owned by National Assembly president Edouard Herriot
.
Nevertheless, these were difficult times for luxury auto-makers in France and by now the company's registered head office was the same as that for Delahaye: production statistics from the period group Delage and Delahaye together. Louis Delâge
himself, who had lived in poverty and quasi-monatic isolation since bankruptcy in 1935 had enforced the transfer of his company to Delahaye, died in December 1947, and during the next few years any residual autonomy that the business had enjoyed disappeared. Increases in motoring taxes, most notably in 1948 and most savagely targeting cars with engines of above 2 litres, combined with the depressed economic conditions of post-war France to create a difficult market for luxury car manufacturers. In 1950 Delahaye produced 235 cars which will have included a significant number of Delages. In 1951 the combined production figure for the two brands slumped to 77: in 1952 it was down to 41. In 1953 Delage production ended.
Louis Delâge
Louis Delâge , was a French pioneer automotive engineer and manufacturer.Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac in the Charente département of France, as an infant he lost the sight in one eye...
in Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Levallois-Perret comes from two housing developments, Champerret and Village Levallois , and which resulted in the incorporation of the...
near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; it was acquired by Delahaye
Delahaye
Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...
in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.
History
The company was founded in 1905 by Louis DelageLouis Delâge
Louis Delâge , was a French pioneer automotive engineer and manufacturer.Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac in the Charente département of France, as an infant he lost the sight in one eye...
; its first location was on the Rue Cormeilles in Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Levallois-Perret comes from two housing developments, Champerret and Village Levallois , and which resulted in the incorporation of the...
. The company was initially just an assembly plant, buying engines and chassis from other manufacturers, and adding only the body. The first model was a Delage Type A motor-cylinder De Dion Bouton 9 ch.
In 1907 the factory moved to the Rue Baudin Levallois, where a 4,000 square meter workshop allowed it to grow. That year, Delage won the Grand Prix des Voiturettes at Dieppe (500 km), at an average speed of 80 kilometre per hour.
In 1908, the success enabled the development of the factory and entry into more Grand Prix races. After an increase in sales, the existing facilities were too small, so in 1912 the factory moved to a new facility on the Boulevard de Verdun in Courbevoie. The following year saw the creation of advanced bodywork.
Delage continued to win important races until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, when the new plant in Courbevoie was converted to military use.
Competition
In 1911, the Delage Type X, designed by the engineer Michelat, won the Coupe de l'Auto at Boulogne.In 1913, the new type Y set the fasted lap time at the French Grand Prix
1913 French Grand Prix
The 1913 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Amiens on 12 July 1913.-The Race:The restriction on Grand Prix cars for 1913 included an minimum weight and an maximum weight, as well as a fuel consumption limit.....
at Le Mans, and in 1914, this same car won the 1914 Indianapolis 500
1914 Indianapolis 500
The 1914 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the fourth such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1914....
with René Thomas
René Thomas (auto racing)
René Thomas was a French motor racing champion. Thomas was also a pioneer aviator.-Biography:He was born on March 7, 1886....
at the wheel.
In 1914, Delage emphasized its focus on competition by creating the type O Lyon Grand Prix, while at the same time moving towards the luxury car market with 6 cylinders of a large class.
With the war, production of passenger cars virtually stopped, with the exception of some fabrication for the Army. But the Delage factories were running full support for the war effort.
In 1918, after the return of peace, Delage sold the CO, plans for which had been drawn up during the conflict; this was the first passenger car with front brakes. With these brakes and an engine of 20 hp (a six-cylinder 4524 cc), in 1921 it became the CO2, which did the Paris-Nice run in 16 hours, an average of 67 kilometre per hour.
The 1920s were really the first "Golden Age" of Delage. The most famous were the DE and DI: 4 cylinders of about 2 liters and 11 hp. Delage also attempted to compete with Hispano-Suiza, with the GL of 30 hp and 5954 cc, with some success. After that came a new generation of six-cylinder cars, like the MD (3174 cc) and DR (2516 cc), the best-selling vehicle in the history of the brand, designed by engineer Gaultier.
In 1923 Louis Delage
Louis Delâge
Louis Delâge , was a French pioneer automotive engineer and manufacturer.Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac in the Charente département of France, as an infant he lost the sight in one eye...
returned to competition with the innovative 12-cylinder 2-liter type 2 LCV. This car won the 1924 European Grand Prix in Lyon and the 1925 Grand Prix of ACF Montlhéry. The 12 cylinder DH (10,5 liters) of 1924 beat the world speed record on the highway, at 230 kilometre per hour. A Delage 155 B won the first Grand Prix of Great-Britain in 1926, driven by Louis Wagner and Robert Senechal. The production of cars continued with the DI and the DI S SS. The DM evolved into the DMS and DML, equipped with a 6-cylinder 3-liter engine designed by Maurice Gaultier. Always passionate about racing, Louis Delage designed an 8-cylinder 1500 cc, the type 15 S 8. This car won four European Grands Prix races in 1927, and won Delage the title "World Champion of Car Builders" that same year.
In 1930 Maurice Gaultier designed an 8-cylinder in-line 4,061 cc, evolving the type D8 into the type D8 S (S for Sport).
But Louis Delage would not admit defeat, and with the help of a businessman called Walter Watney created the Société Nouvelle des Automobiles Delage (SAFAD), to market Delage cars, assembled from production Delahayes. This union created the 4-cylinder DI 12 and the D8 120, and also the 6-cylinder D6 70. Watney had taken control as president of SAFAD, but he was a British national and in June 1940 he was obliged to leave Paris as the German army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
arrived. Watney stayed in France, at his villa in Beaulieu
Beaulieu
-England:* Beaulieu, Hampshire, a village in the New Forest* Beaulieu Abbey, located in Beaulieu, Hampshire* Beaulieu Palace House, located in Beaulieu, Hampshire* Beaulieu River, running through Beaulieu, Hampshire...
, until the end of 1942 after the Germans had completed their occupation, but already in December 1940 the presidency of the SAFAD business had passed directly into the control of Delahaye
Delahaye
Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...
. In any event, since the outbreak of the war Delage had been large;ly inactive, although they did undertake work on a project to replace the six cylinder engine of the Hotchkiss H39 tank with the more powerful 8 cylinder unit from the Delage D8 120.
After the Second World War
A large prototype Delage D-180 limousine appeared at the 1946 Paris Motor Show but there were evidently no further developments on this project and by the next year the big prototype had quietly disappeared. At the 1947 Paris Motor Show only a single model was exhibited as the business focused on its six-cylinder 3 litre Delage D6 which in most respects will have been familiar to anyone who had known the 3-litre Delages of the 1930s. The car was offered with bodies by firms such as ChapronHenri Chapron
Henri Chapron was a prominent French automobile coachbuilder. His atelier, created in 1919, was located in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret....
, Letourner & Marchand and Guilloré. A variety of coupe and cabriolet bodied D6s were produced. In addition, both Guilloré and Chapron produced a large saloon/sedan body. The two were remarkably similar to one another, both being six-light four door cars with conservative 1930s style shapes. Something else the two had in common was unexpectedly narrow rear doors, enforced by the combination of a long body, a long rear overhang and a relatively short wheelbase provided by the D6 chassis. A longer wheelbase 1952 special version, bodied by Guilloré, was owned by National Assembly president Edouard Herriot
Édouard Herriot
Édouard Marie Herriot was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister and for many years as President of the Chamber of Deputies....
.
Nevertheless, these were difficult times for luxury auto-makers in France and by now the company's registered head office was the same as that for Delahaye: production statistics from the period group Delage and Delahaye together. Louis Delâge
Louis Delâge
Louis Delâge , was a French pioneer automotive engineer and manufacturer.Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac in the Charente département of France, as an infant he lost the sight in one eye...
himself, who had lived in poverty and quasi-monatic isolation since bankruptcy in 1935 had enforced the transfer of his company to Delahaye, died in December 1947, and during the next few years any residual autonomy that the business had enjoyed disappeared. Increases in motoring taxes, most notably in 1948 and most savagely targeting cars with engines of above 2 litres, combined with the depressed economic conditions of post-war France to create a difficult market for luxury car manufacturers. In 1950 Delahaye produced 235 cars which will have included a significant number of Delages. In 1951 the combined production figure for the two brands slumped to 77: in 1952 it was down to 41. In 1953 Delage production ended.
Models
- Delage CO (1918, 6 cyl, 4,524 cc)
- Delage DI (1920, 2,121 cc)
- Delage CO2 (1921)
- Delage 2 LCV (1923, 12 cyl, 2L)
- Delage GL (5,954 cc)
- Delage DE
- Delage DH (12 cyl DH, 10,5L)
- Delage DI S
- Delage DI SS
- Delage DMS (6 cyl, 3L)
- Delage DML (6 cyl, 3L)
- Delage 15 S 8 (8 cyl, 1,500 cc)
- Delage GL (5,954 cc)
- Delage DM (6 cyl, 3,174 cc)
- Delage DR (6 cyl, 2,516 cc)
- Delage D4
- Delage D6-11 (6 cyl, 2,101 cc)
- Delage D8-15 (2,768 cc)
- Delage D6-65
- Delage D8-85
- Delage D8
- Delage D8 S (8 cyl, 4,061 cc)
- Delage D8-105
- Delage DI 12 (4 cyl)
- Delage D8 120
- Delage D6 70 (6 cyl)
External links
- Les Amis de Delage, website of Delage-collectors