Emile Delahaye
Encyclopedia
Emile Delahaye was a French automotive pioneer who founded Delahaye Automobiles
.
Emile Delahaye was born in Tours
, Indre-et-Loire
, in the Loire Valley
. He studied engineering at a trade school in the city of Angers
, the same school later attended by Louis Delâge
, another automobile pioneer. For a time, Delahaye worked in Belgium
before returning to Tours where he was married in 1873. In 1879, he took over a local business specializing in the manufacturing of brick kilns and related equipment for the ceramics trade. Delahaye experimented with steam and internal combustion engines, eventually converting part of the company's production to the manufacture of stationary petrol engines. In 1894, he displayed his first automobile at the first-ever Paris Motor Show.
In order to gain publicity for his product, Delahaye raced one of his own cars in the 1896 Paris-Marseilles-Paris road race. Faced with health problems, Delahaye partnered with two industrialists from Paris
, brothers-in-law Leon Desmarais and Georges Morane. By 1898, the new owners had relocated the entire operation from Tours to Paris. In 1901, Delahaye's poor health forced him to retire to the French Riviera
where he died in 1905.
The company he founded would survive until 1954.
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:...
.
Emile Delahaye was born in Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France named after the Indre and the Loire rivers.-History:Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, in the Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...
. He studied engineering at a trade school in the city of Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, the same school later attended by 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...
, another automobile pioneer. For a time, Delahaye worked in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
before returning to Tours where he was married in 1873. In 1879, he took over a local business specializing in the manufacturing of brick kilns and related equipment for the ceramics trade. Delahaye experimented with steam and internal combustion engines, eventually converting part of the company's production to the manufacture of stationary petrol engines. In 1894, he displayed his first automobile at the first-ever Paris Motor Show.
In order to gain publicity for his product, Delahaye raced one of his own cars in the 1896 Paris-Marseilles-Paris road race. Faced with health problems, Delahaye partnered with two industrialists from 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...
, brothers-in-law Leon Desmarais and Georges Morane. By 1898, the new owners had relocated the entire operation from Tours to Paris. In 1901, Delahaye's poor health forced him to retire to the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
where he died in 1905.
The company he founded would survive until 1954.