Louis Delâge
Encyclopedia
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. At the age of sixteen, he went to study at a trade school Arts & Metiers in the city of Angers
, graduating with an engineering degree in 1893. Delage then fulfilled his military obligation and was stationed in Algeria
. Discharged in 1895, he found work with a railway company in the south of France but in 1900 moved to Paris
. There, he was employed in the engineering and design department of a motor vehicle manufacturing concern until 1903 when he received an offer to join the fledgling Renault
automobile company.
Delâge realized the enormous potential for the automobile as demand soon began to outstrip production. Filled with innovative ideas of his own, in 1905 he raised enough money to open his own assembly plant in a converted barn in Levallois
at the outskirts of Paris. The Delage Automobile Company
grew rapidly and their vehicles soon gained a reputation for their stylish appearance and quality and as a dominant force in motor racing. However, the Great Depression
of the 1930s took its toll and car sales plummeted. By 1935 his company was forced into liquidation, the rights to the Delage name auctioned off to the Delahaye
car company.
Louis Delâge was nearly 60 years old when he found himself in a personal financial crisis made worse by his divorce. He sought solace in his Roman Catholic faith, and because he was too poor to afford a car, he often made the pilgrimage
on foot or by bicycle to the sacred convent of Saint Thérèse
in the city of Lisieux
and to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
. In 1947, at the age of 73 and living in near poverty, an almost forgotten Louis Delâge died. He is interred in the local cemetery in Le Pecq
, a small town at the far westerly suburbs of Paris.
In 1990, in his hometown of Cognac, an industrial school was dedicated as the "Lycée professionnel Louis Delâge" in his memory.
Born Pierre Louis Delâge to a family of modest means in Cognac
Cognac
Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right...
in the Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as an infant he lost the sight in one eye. At the age of sixteen, he went to study at a trade school Arts & Metiers 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....
, graduating with an engineering degree in 1893. Delage then fulfilled his military obligation and was stationed in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. Discharged in 1895, he found work with a railway company in the south of France but in 1900 moved to 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...
. There, he was employed in the engineering and design department of a motor vehicle manufacturing concern until 1903 when he received an offer to join the fledgling Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
automobile company.
Delâge realized the enormous potential for the automobile as demand soon began to outstrip production. Filled with innovative ideas of his own, in 1905 he raised enough money to open his own assembly plant in a converted barn in Levallois
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...
at the outskirts of Paris. The Delage Automobile Company
Delage
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.-History:...
grew rapidly and their vehicles soon gained a reputation for their stylish appearance and quality and as a dominant force in motor racing. However, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s took its toll and car sales plummeted. By 1935 his company was forced into liquidation, the rights to the Delage name auctioned off to the 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:...
car company.
Louis Delâge was nearly 60 years old when he found himself in a personal financial crisis made worse by his divorce. He sought solace in his Roman Catholic faith, and because he was too poor to afford a car, he often made the pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
on foot or by bicycle to the sacred convent of Saint Thérèse
Thérèse de Lisieux
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux , or Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, was a French Carmelite nun...
in the city of Lisieux
Lisieux
Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
and to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain is an area of ground surrounding the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France...
. In 1947, at the age of 73 and living in near poverty, an almost forgotten Louis Delâge died. He is interred in the local cemetery in Le Pecq
Le Pecq
Le Pecq is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.-Geography:...
, a small town at the far westerly suburbs of Paris.
In 1990, in his hometown of Cognac, an industrial school was dedicated as the "Lycée professionnel Louis Delâge" in his memory.