Delage D8 C Cabriolet by Chapron 1930 - World Of Classic Cars -

Delage D8 C Cabriolet by Chapron 1930

Certainly considered to be Delage’s pièce de résistance, the D8 was the work of chief engineer Maurice Gaultier. His engine was a four-liter pushrod straight eight, running on five main bearings and producing 105 brake horsepower with a smoothness and silence that was the envy of virtually every other automaker, with the possible exception of Hispano-Suiza.
Reception to the D8 among Delage’s elite clients was enthusiastic, and the chassis rapidly became a favorite for coachbuilt bodies the world over. Such was the acclaim given La Belle Voiture Française—“The Beautiful French Automobile”—that its makers proudly boasted, “At the Concours d’Elegance held during 1930 in the principal cities of Europe, Delage Straight Eights received more awards than any other car.”

Delage D8 C Cabriolet by Chapron 1930

The D8 was offered in two variants, the basic Normale model and the uprated sports edition, the D8 S, which featured amendments to the valve gear and higher compression for 118 brake horsepower at 3,800 rpm. When this engine was fitted to the Normale chassis, the model was referred to as the D8 C, such as the one offered here.

CHASSIS NUMBER 34738

Chassis number 34738 was bodied by the renowned French coachbuilder Henri Chapron and is the only Chapron-bodied D8 C known to survive today. Unusually, however, it was first registered not in France but in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on July 14, 1931, as HS6322 (the registration plates remaining with the car to this day). By 1939, it had passed to Roland Stanley Bevan of Taunton, Somerset, who maintained it for 20 years, after which it was purchased by Douglas Henry Shrimpton of Dorset.

Delage D8 C Cabriolet by Chapron 1930

Subsequently, around 1960, the car was purchased by Vojta Mashek, a renowned early French automobile collector in Chicago. In 1966, Mashek sold the Delage to Homer Fitterling of South Bend, Indiana, the famed enthusiast known for, among other things, an “every year” collection of Corvettes, a vast assembly of Duesenbergs, and this Delage, which he reportedly used to tow the Duesenbergs to various shows!
The current owner, a longtime collector in the Midwest, purchased the Delage from Mr. Fitterling in 1973. It was intact, solid, and ran well, but it was ready for restoration, a job tackled between 1992 and 1994 by the renowned facility of LaVine Restorations of Nappanee, Indiana. Subsequently, the car was displayed at the 1994 Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance and from 2004 to 2007 was exhibited at the ACD Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana, in their Gallery of Classics.
Though now two decades old, the restoration presents exceedingly well, with sumptuous grey leather seating, excellent brightwork, and a superbly detailed engine compartment.

Delage D8 - World Of Classic Cars - Rank 189

Delage D8-120 Aerosport Coupe 1937

The Delage D8 was an eight-cylinder luxury car produced by the manufacturer between 1929 and 1940.
The 4061 cc engine of the original D8 placed it in the 23CV car tax band which, for many contemporaries, would also have defined its position high up in the market hierarchy.
Delage took a traditional view of its role as a car producer, and provided cars in bare chassis form to have their bodies fitted by one of the more prestigious bespoke body builders operating (in most cases) in the Paris area. The D8 therefore appeared, throughout its life, in a wide variety of (frequently) elegant shapes.

Chronology

Delage D8 4-Seat Sports Tourer by Henri Chapron of Levallois-Perret 1931

he D8 was introduced late in 1929 as a replacement for the opulent Delage GLS, but in view of the range of body types (and, subsequently, of engine sizes) with which it was offered it can also be seen as a replacement for the some versions of the Delage DM.

The timing of the D8’s launch, with the European economy still reeling from the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crashes appears unfortunate, but cars at this level were never intended to sell in large numbers, and by taking sales from other top end auto-makers such as, in particular, Bugatti the D8 held its own and justified its manufacturer’s aspirations for it, becoming one of the best known products of what subsequently came to be known as a golden age for low-volume expensive and luxurious cars in France.

Chassis

Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Fernandez et Darrin 1934

At launch there were two versions of the D8 : the “D8 Normale” and the “D8 S”. For the “D8 Normale” there were three different wheelbase lengths: these were 3,167 mm (124.7 in), 3,467 mm (136.5 in) and 4,066 mm (160.1 in), the third of which would accommodate body lengths of more than 5 meters. The “D8 S” was intended for sports car applications, and the shortened wheelbase was intended to optimize manoeuvrability and handling.
Both versions were produced till 1933.

Engine

Delage D8-85 Clabot Roadster 1935

The "Delage D8" was powered by a straight 8 engine which was a first both for Delage and for the French auto-industry. The 4061cc engine featured an overhead centrally positioned camshaft and a listed maximum output of 102 hp (76 kW) at 3,500 rpm for the “D8 Normale” and 120 hp (89 kW) in the “D8 S” version. Power was delivered to the rear wheels through a four speed manual gear-box featuring synchromesh on the upper two ratios.
Performance will have varied according to the weight of the body specified but the top speed listed for the "D8 Normale" was 120 km/h (75 mph) with 130 km/h (82 mph) listed for the "D8 S".

Brakes and suspension

Delage D8 120 Drophead Coupe 1937

The drum brakes operated on all four wheels. Suspension was traditional, involving rigid axles front and back with semi-elliptic leaf springs and “friction dampers”

Delage D8-15 (1933 – 1934)

In 1933 Delage introduced the “D8-15” in which the size of the 8-cylinder engine had been reduced to 2668 cc. The “-15” suffix referred to the 15CV car tax band in which the smaller engine placed the car. The lesser performance of this version of the Delage D8 moved the model downmarket in the direction of volume automakers such as Citroen who were already working on a 16 CV 6-cylinder version of their newly introduced Traction model (although the project seems to have been a low priority for Citroën and the car in question would only appear in the market, initially very cautiously, in June 1938).

Delage D8-120 Aerosport Coupe 1936

The 15CV Delage D8, like the original 23CV version, was produced both in “-Normale” versions and in a shorter wheelbase “-S” version. However, the Delage D8-15 had been withdrawn by the end of 1934.

Delage D8-85 and Delage D8-105 (1934 – 1935)

The same year saw the launch of the “D8-85 » and the « D8 105 ». The D8-85 was the less extreme in terms of ultimate performance, offered with a choice between a 3,378 mm (133.0 in) and a 3,578 mm (140.9 in) chassis. The engine displacement, adding the eight cylinders together, was 3570cc in this version producing, as indicated by the name, a maximum output of 85 hp (63 kW) at 4,000 rpm. On The D8-105 the engine size was the same, but the unit was modified to produce 105 hp (78 kW), while the car sat on a shortened 3,296 mm (129.8 in) chassis.

Delage D8S Coupe Roadster by deVillars 1933

In April 1935 the manufacturer’s financial difficulties culminated in the closure of Delage plant at Courbevoie, as a result of which the D8-85 and Delage D8-105 were taken out of production.

Delage D8-100 (1936 - 1940)

The arrangements with Delahaye were worked through over a period of several years, with Delage effectively a Delahaye subsidiary by 1938. Walter Watney, the British born entrepreneure who established in 1935 the Delage sales and marketing company “SAFAD”  remained in post till 1940. Greater urgency was needed over the question of where to build the cars now that the Delage factory had closed. The solution already in place by 1936 involved continuing production of Delage engines and retaining other mechanical components, but installing them on existing Delahaye chassis.

Delage D8S Coupe by Freestone & Webb 1933

The first D8 to be produced at the Delahaye Paris plant under the new arrangements was the D8-100. In this period Delahaye were producing cars with fashionably flamboyant bodies from bespoke body builders such as Figoni et Falaschi and Saoutchik, and the Delage cars followed the same trends. The D8 as the top “mainstream” Delage model, turned up, during the second half of the decade, with various fabulously aerodynamic profiles. Coachbuilders who had traditionally worked closely with Delage during the years of independence, chief among them Letourneur & Marchand and their subsidiary, Autobineau, were also responsible for many eye catching D8 bodied cars during this time.

Delage D8-120 Aerosport Coupe 1937

The D8-100’s 8-cylinder engine was now increased to 430 2cc, the cylinder bores giving rise to a fiscal horsepower of 25 CV., Power output for the « D8-100 » was listed at 90 hp (67 kW), although by 1937 105 hp (78 kW) at 3500 rpm was the value given. By this time the Cotal pre-selector transmission, previously an option, came included in the price of a Delage D8.[3] Delahayes were still powered by six-cylinder engines, and the Delage D8 was the top model produced under either brand.

The D8-100 was launched with a wheelbase choice between 3,630 mm (143 in) and 3,350 mm (132 in), although according to some sources the shorter chassis was delisted in 1937.

Delage D8-120 (1937 - 1940)

Delage D8 4-Seat Sports Tourer by Henri Chapron of Levallois-Perret 1931

By October 1937 Delage were also listing at the Paris motor show a « D8-120 » model, which was essentially a « D8-100 » with the cylinder bore/diameter increased by 4 mm. Listed power was now 120 hp (89 kW) at 4,500 rpm.
In 1939 the larger engine from the D8-120 also found its way into the D8-100. However, with the declaration of war in 1939 and the invasion of northern France, in 1940, passenger car production came to an end, as the Delahaye plant was taken over by the German military occupation. Although the six-cylinder Delages would return in 1946, after the war, the eight-cylinder D-8 did not.

Delage D6 - World Of Classic Cars - Rank 172

Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet 1936

The Delage D6 was a six-cylinder luxury car produced by the manufacturer between 1930 and 1940 and again, after the war, between 1946 and 1953. (The final cars were still receiving their bodies from specialist coach builders and being listed for sale during 1954.) For much of this time it was the company’s principal or, from 1946, only model.
The 3045 cc engine of the original D6 placed it in the 17CV car tax band which, for many contemporaries, would also have defined its position in the market hierarchy. During its long production run the car underwent a succession of changes, many of which involved enlargement or modification of the six-cylinder engine. During the 1930s there were, for some of the time, two or three different engines sizes offered. Principal changes and differences in engine sizes were marked by changes and differences as to the suffix at the end of the car’s name, generally reflecting differences in fiscal or actual horsepower. For some purposes it can be helpful to think of the D6 as a succession of closely related individual models, but the basic architecture of the chassis and engine did not differ radically between the different versions.

Bodies

Delage D6-70 Coupé de Ville 1937

Delage took a traditional view of its role as a car producer, and provided cars in bare chassis form to have their bodies fitted by one of the more prestigious bespoke body builders operating (in most cases) in the Paris area which reflected the way that most of France's auto-industry had, from the earliest days, been concentrated on this one region. The D6 therefore appeared, throughout its life, in a wide variety of (frequently) elegant shapes.

The list of coach builders whose bodies were fitted on the Delage D6 reads like a list of France's leading coachbuilders, many of them descended from carriage builders from the pre-motorcar days. Body builders most frequently mentioned in connection with Delage include Letourneur & Marchand and their subsidiary, Autobineau, Henri Chapron, Henri Labourdette, Marius Franay and, especially after the coming together with Delahaye, Alphonse Guilloré.

Chronology

Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet 1936

The D6 was introduced in 1930 as a replacement for the Delage DM, but in view of the range of six-cylinder engines with which it was offered it could also be seen as a replacement for the smaller engine Delage DR.
In 1930 the D6 was one in a range of three Delage models on offer. The other two were the slightly lighter (but still six-cylinder powered) DS and, at the top of the range, the very large D8 launched the previous year. All three faced strong economic headwinds in the wake of the 1929 stockmarket crashes.

Delage D6 (1930 - 1933)

Delage D6 Faux Cabriolet 1932

The original Delage D6 came with a choice of two chassis lengths, these being 3,149 mm (124.0 in) or 3,289 mm (129.5 in). The 6-cylinder engine had a displacement of 3045 cc. Listed maximum power was 75 hp (56 kW), produced at 3,600 rpm.

By the time production of the original Delage D6 ended, in 1933, 1160 had been produced.

Delage D6-11 (1932 – 1934)

A complementary model, the D6-11, was presented at the 26th Paris Motor Show in October 1932, although production only got under way the following Spring. The D6-11 was a more economical version of the original DE6. The “-11” suffix referred to the fiscal horsepower which was a function of the cylinder diameters and determined the level of annual car tax to be paid by owners in France. The 2001 cc 6-cylinder engine came with a listed maximum power output of 55 hp (41 kW) at 4,000 rpm. There was also an “S” version of the D6-11 for which 60 hp (45 kW) at 4,500 rpm was claimed.

Delage D6-3L Grand Prix Race Car 1937

The manufacturers' price list at the motor show in October 1933 listed ten different "standard" body types offered for the car. What they had in common was that the prices were high for a car in the 11CV car tax band/class. In bare chassis form the 6-11 was priced at 31,600 francs for a "normal" standard length chassis and 32,600 francs for a long version. There was also a price of 33,600 francs for a "normal" length sports chassis. The wheelbase lengths in question were 3,060 mm (120 in) (normal) and 3,260 mm (128 in) (long).
The last D6-11 was produced in 1934. Its direct replacement, the D60-12, entered production only in 1936

Delage D6-65 (1934 – 1935)

Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet 1936

In 1934 the new Delage D6-65, appeared, now with a 3,378 mm (133.0 in) chassis. The 6-cylinder engine had a displacement of 2678 cc. Listed maximum power, as identified in the suffix on the name, was 65 hp (48 kW), produced at 4,000 rpm.

Delage D6-60 (1935 – 1937)

As the company succumbed to its financial difficulties, in April 1935 the plant at Courbevoie, which Delage had occupied since 1910, produced its last car, and the process began which would leave Delage as a simple affiliate of Delahaye by 1938. In 1935 Delage retained a separate management, but production was transferred to the Delahaye factory, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. The Delage range was rearranged in order to facilitate the sharing of production facilities.

Delage D6-70 Coupé de Ville 1937

As part of this process, the Delage D6-65 was replaced by the Delage D6-60. It was available only with a 3,150 mm (124 in) wheelbase, shared with the four-cylinder Delayahe Models such as the 134N. Delages retained their own engine designs and the D6-60 came with a straight 6 of 2335 cc which was increased to 2528 cc at the Motor Dhow in October 1936 in time for the 1937 model year. Maximum power now rose from 56 hp (42 kW) to 67 hp (50 kW) at 3,500 rpm. At the end of 1937 the D6-60 was taken out of production.

Delage D6-80 (1935 – 1937)

Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet 1936

Also introduced in time for 1936 was the Delage D6-80. Initially this was powered by a 3227 cc in line 6-cylinder engine for which maximum power of 72 hp (54 kW) is listed. The D6-80 was a long vehicle. Like other Delages at this time the D6-80 shared its wheelbase - in this case of 3,350 mm (132 in) – with a Delahaye. In the case of cars and the accompanying information presented at the 1936 motor show for 1937 cars, the Delage D6-80 also shared its 3557 cc six-cylinder 90 hp (67 kW) engine with a Delahaye, although the switch to a Delahaye engine engine change was not immediately implemented in respect of the cars provided for sale.
By 1938 the D6-80 had disappeared from the Delage range.

Delage D6-70 (1937 – 1938)

Delage D6 Faux Cabriolet 1932

For 1937 Delage presented the D6-70. The car was effectively a rebadged D6-60S, which in turn was a derivation of the D6-60. The D6-70 sat on the same 3,150 mm (124 in) wheelbase as the D6-60 which was withdrawn from sale a few months after its launch. The car’s straight-six engine was of 2729 cc displacement and was not shared with any Delahaye. Maximum output is listed as 78 hp (58 kW) though as before, sources differ. The D6-70 seems to have been the star of the Delage 6-cylinder range at this time, with some particularly elegant bodies provided such as the “Coach Panoramique” 2-door sports saloon from Letourneur & Marchand, a Chapron cabriolet bodied car depicted in the 1937 Delage catalogue and a particularly well balanced “Berline” (saloon/sedan) from Autobineau.

Delage D6-75 (1939 – 1940)

Delage D6 70 1936

The D6-75 appeared for 1939, effectively replacing the D6-70 which had by now been withdrawn. Its 2798 cc 6-cylinder engine was considered particularly refined. Power output was quoted at 95 hp (71 kW). In 1940 production was ended by the rapid invasion of northern France, following the declaration of war at the end of the previous summer.

Delage D6 3-litre (1946 – 1954)

By the end of the war Delage was firmly in the hands of Delahaye, Delage’s British born chief, Walter Watney, having found himself obliged to leave France in 1942. Louis Delâge himself had not been welcome at the company that bore his name since 1935, and would die at the end of 1947.

Delage D6-3L Grand Prix Race Car 1937

1946 found Delage production resuming with a single model, the D6 3-litre, slotting in below the larger and (even) more powerful models for which Delahaye used their own name. Many things had changed in the intervening years, but post-war Delages, like the Delahayes, still had their steering wheels on the right, something which would have been mainstream in France thirty years earlier, but which now very firmly set the high-luxury end cars apart from the Peugeots, Renaults, Citroens, Panhards and Simcas that many French citizens would have seen daily on the roads, and which the more fortunate among them might have aspired to drive or purchase.

Delage D6 70 1936

The D6 3-litre now came with a 2984 cc straight-6 engine. Quoted power of 90 hp (67 kW) at 3,800 rpm was slightly down on the figure quoted for the pre-war D6-70, possibly reflecting a lower compression ratio enforced by the lower octanes of the fuel available to car buyers at this time. Performance would have varied according to the weight and shape of the body fitted, but a top speed of “approximately” 135 km/h (84 mph) was quoted by the manufacturer.
The bespoke body builders had less work now than in the 1930s, but their craft based methods enabled them to respond more immediately to new styling trends than the volume automakers, and many of the Delages from the late 1940s and early 1950s look strangely modern when compared to the early post war products from Renault, Peugeot and Citroen. The coach builders were willing and able more immediately to copy and build on the developments in car design that during the early 1940s had been more apparent in North America than in Europe. Nevertheless, the Delage D6-3-litre of 1948 – 1954 came with exactly the same 3,150 mm (124 in) that had been standard on successive D6s since 1935. A longer 3,330 mm (131 in) was also available for longer bodies such as those for Limousine style cars.

Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet 1936

The Delage D6 3-litre was listed as part of the Delahaye-Delage range till 1954: it is thought that the last of the cars, in bare chassis form, were constructed during the closing months of 1953, but the final batch were still available for purchase during 1954, most of them bodied by Chapron. 1954 marked the exit from auto-production of both brands. The political context and the state of the post-war French economy were hostile to large cars in France. In 1954 even Henry Ford gave up on French auto-production, selling his business to Simca. By 1955 Delahaye had been taken over by Hotchkiss whose own business now survived, at least for the time being, not from producing luxury cars but on the basis of rebuilding and, by now increasingly building from scratch, Jeep based vehicles.

Delage D6 Olympic (1948 – 1949)

Delage D6-70 Coupé de Ville 1937

The D6 3-litre came in its standard form with only one carburettor, In 1946 a performance version, the Delage D6 Olympic, was presented, using the same engine block, but here supporting it with a triple carburettor fuel feed system. The gave rise to an output of 100 hp (75 kW), now with the engine spinning up to 4,500 rpm, and corresponding with a top speed of “approximately” 140 km/h (87 mph). This may have been in connection with the 3-litre Delage racing cars which were much in evidence during the 1948 racing season. However, in 1949 this performance version of the D6 was withdrawn.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927 - World Of Classic Cars -

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

During the decades before and after World War II, Delage produced a series of excellent grandes routières. Part of the French GFA combine along with Delahaye, the marque brought credit to the concept of luxurious, comfortable, high performance.
Through this period, however, the name Automobiles Delage had a halo of respect far out of proportion to the performance of its cars, even with performances in the 24 Heures du Mans in the years bracketing the war that were much more than merely respectable. An aura of instant admiration surrounds Louis Delage’s marque; the name carries immediate respect that borders on awe.
The reason is the car offered here, one of four Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix single-seaters that swept the 1927 World Championship.
Meticulously engineered, finely crafted, and driven by undeniable talent, the Delage 15-S-8 represented a breakthrough in engine design and performance. The most knowledgeable, informed, thoughtful, thorough, and respected experts have without exception or reservation recited the praises of the 1927 Delage Grand Prix cars. From the perspective of years – and even generations – of hindsight, writers as diverse as Laurence Pomeroy, Griffith Borgeson, Denis Jenkinson, William Court, and Karl Ludvigsen have heaped superlatives on the Delage 15-S-8.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

Four team cars were built, plus a later chassis created as a spare for Prince Chula, and all have survived to this day. Each of them was raced well into the fifties then moved instantly into important collections, where they have only rarely changed hands in ensuing years.
The story of the 1927 Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix single-seaters is one of the most intriguing in all of racing, or motor car, history.

Delage

Louis Delage was a trained engineer who began his automotive career in 1903 with Peugeot, launching his own company two years later using the ubiquitous deDion Bouton engines. Like most of his contemporaries in France and elsewhere, Delage raced both for the experience it gave him and his factory and for the visibility it brought the marque. He came second in the Coupe des Voiturettes de l’Auto in 1906 and won the Grand Prix des Voiturettes de l’ACF at Dieppe in 1908. In 1911 Delage moved up in size to the Coupe des Voitures Légères de l’Auto and nearly swept the board, finishing first, third, and fourth.
In 1913 Delage again moved up, this time to the top of the scale, the Grand Prix de l’ACF, where his Type Y four-cylinder racers were extremely successful, including finishing first and third in the Indianapolis 500 in 1914 driven by René Thomas and Albert Guyot. The next generation 1914 Delage Type S engines had four valves per cylinder, dual overhead camshafts, dual carburettors and ingenious fully desmodromic valve actuation. Barney Oldfield drove one of them to fifth in the 1916 Indianapolis 500.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

Delage’s designer since 1910, Arthur Léon Michelat, moved on to the aircraft industry during World War I and was succeeded by Charles Planchon, to whom Louis Delage entrusted the design of a championship calibre Grand Prix engine for the 1923 season. Designated the 2LCV, Planchon’s masterpiece was a tiny 2-litre V-12 with dual overhead camshafts on each bank. This diminutive masterpiece was supercharged for the 1925 season, developing some 205 brake horsepower, and was modestly successful while providing the most consistent competition for the legendary Alfa Romeo P2 during the 2-litre formula.
Delage had dismissed Planchon (cousin or not – the 2LCV’s initial problems were unacceptable to the meticulous Delage) and turned to Planchon’s assistant, Albert Lory, for the continued development of the 2LCV. The performance of Lory, who had received his early experience at Salmson, was apparently satisfactory to Delage, who entrusted him with design and development of the successor to the complicated 2LCV for the 1926–1927 Grand Prix championship formula, which stipulated 1,500cc engine capacity, single-seat bodies with 80cm minimum width and a minimum weight of 600kg for 1926 and 700kg for 1927. Lory created the 1.5_-litre supercharged inline eight-cylinder 15-S-8, the masterpiece of Grand Prix engines of its era and an engine that could – and did – hold its own with the specialized creations of Harry Miller and Fred Duesenberg at Indianapolis.

The Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix car

In The Classic Twin-Cam Engine Griffith Borgeson calls the Delage 15-S-8 ‘a consummate masterpiece in every sense’, and observes that ‘[t]he preciousness of these cars has always been self-evident’. In The Grand Prix Car 1906–1939 Laurence Pomeroy writes, ‘The Delage engine literally represents a technical tour de force both in design and construction.’ Denis Jenkinson in Directory of Historic Racing Cars says, ‘the 8-cylinder Delage 1,500 cc became a land mark in Grand Prix design’. Looking back from the perspective of three-quarters of a century, Karl Ludvigsen in Classic Racing Engines writes, ‘Size for size this was the finest racing car yet seen’; ‘the 15-S-8 Delage was Europe’s finest 1.5 litre racing car’; and ‘They were the crowning glories in the career of Louis Delage, who would never again attempt to build racing cars of such sublime extravagance.’

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

‘Sublimely extravagant’ or not, the Delage 15-S-8, when introduced in 1926, immediately suffered from an unforeseen flaw: the chassis was designed with the engine offset slightly to the left and the single driver’s seat dropped down alongside the driveline to the right. Twin superchargers were located in the middle of the engine on the left with the large single exhaust pipe running down the right side of the body. The red-hot pipe roasted the drivers and the body’s aerodynamics sucked the exhaust gases back into the cockpit, bringing even the most determined and heroic drivers back into the pits for relief in a matter of minutes. The Delage’s performance, however, was so superior that even with repeated pit stops to douse the drivers with water, give them a chance to catch a few breaths of fresh air, or eventually to seek relief drivers to take over, the Delage 15-S-8 won the British Grand Prix at Brooklands and finished second in the European Grand Prix at San Sebastian in Spain.
The definitive Delage 15-S-8 was re-designed by Lory for 1927. It proved to be invincible, sweeping the season’s four Grands Prix and capturing the European Championship, a feat that Louis Delage claimed cost his company the equivalent of $210,000, a massive sum for the time.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

The 1927 Delage 15-S-8 retained the exquisite detail design, castings, machining, and fabrication of the 1926 engine, including a billet crankshaft running in a complement of nine roller or ball bearings, roller rod bearings, and a gear drive to the dual overhead camshafts that involved, along with various accessory drives, something like 20 meticulously cut close tolerance gears, each with its own roller bearing. Pomeroy counted 62 roller or ball bearings in the engine that Reg Parnell supplied to him for analysis. The two valves per cylinder were located at a very wide 100 degree included angle and were actuated by small finger followers to absorb the camshafts’ side thrust. The head was actually inclined slightly (less than 3 degrees) towards the intake side, making the camshaft drive gear train asymmetrical and even more sophisticated.
The most visible change for 1927 relocated the exhaust to the left side of the engine. This also entailed moving the supercharger. The block and auxiliary drive layout placed the ignition magneto on the right side, so instead of two smaller blowers on the engine’s left side Lory placed a larger blower at the front drawing the air/fuel (a mixture of 40 per cent benzene, 40 per cent petrol, and 20 per cent alcohol) through a horizontal Cozette carburettor and then running down the right side of the engine through an intake manifold of gradually decreasing cross-section to individual intake ports. Boost pressure was only 7_ psi, a modest figure even at the time.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

Dry sump lubrication was provided with feeds at very low pressure, 1–2 psi, throughout the engine. Vast quantities of lubricating oil were supplied by three pumps, one scavenge pump in the sump and individual pressure pumps for the crankshaft and another just for the auxiliaries and valve gear. Planchon’s employment with Delage had ended after the weaknesses of the somewhat complicated design of the 2-litre V-12 2LCV were revealed. Lory ensured his employment by making reliability a primary objective of the 15-S-8 design. His skill was borne out in competition where in seven races during 1926–7 involving 20 starts they won five, swept the top three places on two occasions, and retired due to engine maladies only three times.
The Delage 15-S-8 chassis broke no new ground (although the execution of the mechanically-actuated drum brakes was brilliantly refined). The gearbox had five speeds with overdrive in fifth. The engine’s flexibility and capability of revving to 8,000 rpm gave drivers the choice of up-shifting for reliability or winding out the roller bearing engine to its maximum to suit circuit configurations.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

The one shortcoming of the 15-S-8 was the rigidity of its frame. The long engine, supercharger, and transmission assembly precluded cross bracing the front of the channel section frame from the front axle back to the driver. Even in an era when frame flex was accepted as part of the suspension, the twist in the eight-cylinder Delage GP’s frame was notable, causing it to wander on straights and be less than precise in corners. On the other hand, it was such an exhilarating racing car that none of its competitive drivers seems to have seen fit to complain about vague handling.

Delage 15-S-8 Chassis No. 4

The history of the chassis offered here illustrates the brilliance of Lory’s design, which after winning the 1927 GP Championship remained competitive in voiturette racing through the thirties and still held its own on track with the eventually all-conquering Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta after the war. As one of only four team cars it was certainly actively campaigned but no individual chassis records or photographic evidence exists to identify specific chassis to drivers and races.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

Delage withdrew from Grand Prix competition after the 1927 season and chassis number 4 was sold to Louis Chiron who took it to Indianapolis for the 1929 500 mile race. There, in a Grand Prix car that was designed for road racing and was already in its third season, he finished seventh on the highly specialized Indy oval. His was the only car to finish (and one of only two to qualify for) ‘the show’ in 1929 that was not of either Miller or Duesenberg origin. Not long after the race, Chiron brought the car back to France, selling it to Robert Senéchal.
In 1930 and 1931 Robert Senéchal raced it in the French Grand Prix finishing sixth (at Pau in 1930) and fifth (at Montlhéry in 1931) as well as racing in the 1931 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It was acquired by Earl Howe in 1932 to replace the 15-S-8 Delage he bent around a tree at Monza. Howe raced it at Avus and Dieppe in 1933 and again at Avus in 1934 (now fitted with an ENV pre-selector gearbox and 16 inch brakes). At Donington in 1934 Howe finished fourth in the Nuffield Trophy and third at the Circuit des Planques at Albi. A third place in the Grand Prix de Berne in Switzerland in 1935 marked the end of Howe’s ownership.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

The next owner, in 1935, was a young Richard Seaman. By now the voiturette formula was 1,500cc and Seaman engaged Giulio Ramponi to make the Delage a voiturette champion. Ramponi’s work included converting the brakes to hydraulic operation, extensive lightening, relocating the front springs outboard, increasing the supercharger boost, and revising the valve timing. The preparation and Seaman’s driving were successful, with Seaman making a mockery out of the 1936 season voiturette competition throughout the UK and Europe. At one point Seaman and his 1927 Delage won the voiturette races at Pescara, Italy, Berne, Switzerland, and Donington Park, England, on successive weekends, a 16-day period where Seaman claimed he did no work at all on the car to win highly competitive races in three separate countries. The 1936 season in this car brought Dick Seaman to the attention of Alfred Neubauer at Mercedes-Benz and earned Seaman his ride in the Mercedes Silver Arrows in 1937, with its eventual brilliant success and terrible tragedy.
Prince Chula Chakrabongse acquired Seaman’s highly successful Delage for his cousin Prince Bira to drive, and with Rubery Owen they embarked upon a programme to update the car with a new independent front suspension chassis frame designed by Albert Lory. Chula’s preparation included building a duplicate independent front suspension chassis frame.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

Denis Jenkinson recorded the subsequent history in his 1987 book Directory of Historic Racing Cars, an indispensable but frequently overlooked reference work: ‘When the war came everything Delage was sold to Reg Parnell, and this included the new car [with I.F.S], the spare I.F.S. chassis frame, the two 1927 chassis frames, one original [the ex-Malcolm Campbell, W. B. Scott, Captain Davis car] and the other with the Seaman modifications, and all the engines, gearboxes, etc. After the war Parnell assembled three cars from the vast array of parts, and individual cars lost their identity. The result was three Delage cars, two with the 1937 I.F.S. [Chula] chassis frames, and one with the Seaman-modified chassis frame.
Jenkinson continued, ‘These three Delage “entities” were used extensively in immediate post-war racing … The “Seaman” car has been preserved, owned for many years by Rob Walker, but now sold to a French enthusiast. While it is legitimately accepted as being the Seaman-Delage, it is not strictly true, for some of the parts came from the other Delage cars, or the spares pool, and some of the parts that really were on the Seaman car got put on to the others during Parnell’s time.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

However, the modified chassis frame and axles undoubtedly are traceable back to 1936 [making it] satisfactorily “Authentic”’, which in Jenkinson’s carefully refined and defined hierarchy of old race cars is about as good as it gets. Only the ex-Briggs Cunningham Delage now in the Collier Collection ranks as better, earning Jenks’s rare accolade of ‘Genuine’.
From Reg Parnell, the ex-Delage team, Louis Chiron, Robert Senéchal, Earl Howe, Richard Seaman, Prince Chula Delage 15-S-8 was sold, equipped with a pre-selector gearbox and engine crankcase numbered ‘3’ from the Delage written off by Earl Howe at Monza in 1932, to David Hampshire, who passed it along to the great enthusiast, driver, Grand Prix team owner, and timber merchant R. R. C. Walker some time in the period 1948–50. It remained in Walker’s collection until 1968 when a garage fire damaged the body. A period photograph shows the chassis and engine essentially undamaged and complete. Rob Walker then undertook a complete restoration with John Chisman, including creating a new body to the 1936 Seaman configuration.
The car was acquired by the vendor, Abba Kogan, at auction some years ago and recent work has included a careful re-restoration to return it to its condition when raced in 1936 by Dick Seaman in voiturette competition. Work has included re-creating the five-speed overdrive gearbox from the original drawings and patterns.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

It is now ready for any event or historic race for which its age and single-seat configuration makes it eligible. Its history, the aura of the legendary Delage 1926–7 Grand Prix cars, a succession of championship-calibre drivers and its decades-long record of competitive racing in Grand Prix and voiturette competition make it one of the few cars that is welcome literally any- and everywhere. Its long, cherished, and uninterrupted history with the finest, most perceptive collectors has imbued it with unparalleled provenance.
In addition to a restoration movie, the file with this Delage 15-S-8 includes pre- and post-Walker fire photos, a 1936 letter from Automobiles Delage to Richard Seaman with tuning and timing details, a letter from Louis Chiron to Alan Burnard (owner of one of the other ex-Parnell Delage 15-S-8s), various historical photographs, and Alan Burnard’s history of this chassis (including its extraordinary racing record) and the other Delage 15-S-8 chassis.

Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix Car 1927

All four of the original 1927 Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix cars survive today, each with individually unblemished history and provenance and each carefully ensconced in the stratosphere of collections. Only one of them is going to come on the market any time soon, much less be publicly available. It is this car, ex-Delage, Chiron/Indianapolis, Senéchal, Howe, Seaman, Chula/Bira, Parnell and Rob Walker, which is arguably the most important and significant of the 1927 Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix cars.