Tag Archives: delage

British-Bodied Delage

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1938 Delage D6-70 Cabriolet by Coachcraft

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 2024

Photo – Osenat

The D6 was, perhaps, the most successful model Delage ever had. The launch model, the D6-11, went on sale in 1932. Eight more variants would be produced before production wrapped… in 1953. This car is a D6-70 chassis, a model that was only offered in 1937 and 1938.

Originally, it would’ve been powered by a 2.7-liter inline-six rated at 78 horsepower. However, this car was purchased by its current owner in 1985 as a project, and part of completing that project was upgrading the drivetrain to D6 Olympic specification, which resulted in the inline-six jumping to 3.0 liters and sporting three carburetors – a setup rated at 100 horsepower during D6 Olympic production from 1948 to 1949.

This car was one of few delivered new to the U.K., where it was bodied by Coachcraft. While it’s been parked since 2020, the car was used heavily under current ownership, being driven to lands as far away as Syria. Now it has an estimate of $43,500-$65,000. Click here for more info.

Delage D6 Grand Prix

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1939 Delage D6 3-Litre Grand Prix

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 17-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The D6 was a long-lived line of Delage cars that started in 1930, took a break during the war, and returned to production afterward and on through 1953 or 1954. The D6 3-Litre road model went on sale in 1946 and lasted until the end of D6 production. It was powered by a… 3-liter inline-six. But so were other, earlier D6s.

This pre-war grand prix car is one of two constructed in preparation for the 1939 season. It’s got a 150-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline-six and was campaigned in the following:

  • 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans – 2nd (with Louis Gerard and Georges Monneret)
  • 1940 Mille Miglia – DNF (with Gianfranco Comotti and Archimede Rosa)

This car was damaged during the race and was left behind in Italy. The disassembled chassis later found its way into the reserve collection of the horrible Schlumpf brothers, remaining there until 1966. The car was returned to the state you see here by a later owner in the 1990s.

It’s now got an estimate of $600,000-$750,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Vanvooren-Bodied Delage

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1938 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet by Vanvooren

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 3, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The D8 was Delage’s masterpiece. It was available in various forms, but the D8-120s seem to always have the most beautiful coachwork. The D8-120 was available from 1937 through 1940 and was the ultimate iteration of the D8.

Power is provided by 4.7-liter inline-eight rated at 115 horsepower. French coachbuilder Vanvooren built the body here, and it seats five. It was restored around the 1980s in a pretty excellent two-ton cream and brown. Check out the artillery-style wheels: the fronts are cream and the rears are brown.

This coachbuilt Delage is expected to fetch between $705,000-$920,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Delage D8-120 Grand Luxe

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1939 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet Grand Luxe by Chapron

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 19-20, 2022

Photo – Gooding & Company

The D8-120 was the ultimate version of Delage’s grand eight-cylinder car. Introduced in 1937, the model was available through 1940, which marked the end of eight-cylinder Delages. Those eight cylinders displaced 4.3 liters, a slight increase over the earlier D8-100. Output was rated at 90 horsepower. Or 120. Depends who you ask.

This car features bodywork by Henri Chapron that is set off by swoopy lines and a bumper-less front end. Between the louvered hood, superbly placed bits of chrome, and kind of intense wheel covers, this car just has that look. The car wasn’t actually bodied until 1946, with the chassis having been intended for the canceled 1939 Paris Motor Show.

It spent time in Egypt before coming to the U.S. The car was restored in 1995 and repainted in these colors, the originals, in 1998. It now has an estimate of $800,000-$1,200,000, which seems like a steal from the sheer look of it. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $940,000.

Delage D8-100 by Franay

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1937 Delage D8-100 Coupe Chauffeur by Franay

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Delage’s D8 was produced in nearly constantly updated versions from 1929 through 1940. There were more than five versions of it, with this, the D8-100 being among the longest produced, lasting from 1936 through 1940.

It’s powered by a 90-horsepower (105 from 1937 on), 4.3-liter inline-eight. Bodywork was either done in-house or contracted out, and Delages often got quite the treatment from some of Europe’s finest coachbuilders.

Look no further than Franay for high 1930 style. This car, the fifth D8-100 produced and the oldest survivor, was one of five with this style of Franay coachwork. It’s long and low. So low in front that it kind of looks hot-rodded. It was on Franay’s stand at the 1936 Paris Auto Salon, and it came stateside in the ’50s. The pre-sale estimate is $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $179,200.

Delage Grand Prix

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1927 Delage 15-S-8 Grand Prix

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 13-14, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Delage is probably best remembered for some of their swoopy coachbuilt models of the 1930s. But as early as 1908, the company was involved in grand prix racing. They introduced an impressive grand prix car in 1914 that would go on to win the Indianapolis 500 that year.

They took the war off, as well as the following five years, before returning to the track. New rules in 1926 led Delage to design the 15-S-8, a car powered by a supercharged 1.5-liter inline-eight. It was an engineering feat, with twin-cam heads and two-stage blower. Horsepower was about 170 at a screaming 8,000 rpm. That’s a lot of revs for 1927.

For 1927, they company took their 1926 cars and tweaked them a bit. Four 1927 examples were produced, with this being the last. Changes included relocating the exhaust and shifter. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1927 Grand Prix of ACF Montlhery – 3rd (with Andre Morel)
  • 1927 Spanish Grand Prix – DNF (with Morel)
  • 1927 British Grand Prix at Brooklands – 3rd (with Albert Divo)
  • 1929 Indianapolis 500 – 7th (with Louis Chiron)
  • 1930 French Grand Prix – 6th (with Robert Senechal)
  • 1931 Italian Grand Prix – 9th (with Senechal)
  • 1931 French Grand Prix – 5th (with Senechal)
  • 1933 Eifelrennen – 1st in class (with Earl Howe)
  • 1933 Avusrennen – 3rd (with Howe)

That’s a pretty impressive resume, mostly because was competitive for nearly a decade (it saw regular competitive use through 1935). After WWII, two of the four Delage 15-S-8 race cars were acquired by the same guy who also bought some spares. He ended up assembling three complete cars by mixing and matching parts. This car’s history since is described in more detail here. You can read more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $1,000,000.

Delage D6 3-Litre Cabriolet Milord

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1948 Delage D6 3-Litre Cabriolet Milord by Guillore

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | November 1, 2020

Photo – Artcurial

It’s amazing that this car was produced in 1948. Mostly because it looks like a coachbuilt classic from the 1930s, not something that could’ve been bought new five years before the Corvette debuted. What’s even crazier is that the D6 3-Litre was produced until the end of Delage in 1954!

The D6 was introduced in 1932, and it was updated over the years. The 3-Litre model was introduced after the war in 1946 and is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six rated at 90 horsepower. This example carries Cabriolet Milord coachwork from Guillore.

It wears an older restoration and was part of its previous owner’s collection for 40 years. It is now estimated to bring $140,000-$190,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Delage D8 by Vanden Plas

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1930 Delage D8 Tourer by Vanden Plas

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | June 24, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

The D8 was Delage’s eight-cylinder car that was in production between 1929 and 1940. If that seems like a long time, keep in mind that the Great Depression wasn’t exactly a great time to engineer and take to market a brand new, high end luxury car. That said, Delage did improve the car incrementally over the years, offering no less than five sub-models to the D8 line.

Produced in 1930, this is one of the original line of D8 cars. D8s were powered by 4.1-liter straight-eight engine making 120 horsepower. This car is listed as being powered by a 4.4-liter unit, its origin unknown. However, the body is the original body supplied to this chassis, having been bodied by Vanden Plas in Belgium.

It’s known to have been involved in an accident in the 1950s, but an enthusiast owner acquired it in the 60s and brought it back to proper form. It spent two decades in a collection and the current owner bought it in 2007, bringing it back to roadworthy condition after it suffered gearbox trouble while on a set for a film. It is expected to sell for between $190,000-$215,000. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1924 Delage Wagon

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1924 Delage DI Eight-Lite Shooting Brake

Offered by The Finest | Hershey, Pennsylvania | June 11, 2016

Photo - The Finest Automobile Auctions

Photo – The Finest Automobile Auctions

Here’s an interesting car from a new auction house. In the 1930s, Delage would produce some of France’s greatest luxury automobiles. But it had lots of practice, having been founded in 1905. The company won the 1914 Indianapolis 500.

The DI was introduced in 1923 and lasted through 1927. They are powered by a 2.1-liter straight-four rated in period at 14 horsepower. It was the smallest car in Delage’s lineup when introduced. There is a reason that station wagons are referred to as “Estates”  in Europe – they were often used as hunting cars on large estates, as was this custom “Shooting Brake” constructed by Carrosserie Castraise.

This car came to the U.S. in 1998 and was mechanically refreshed in 2014. It hasn’t really been shown in America and sports an older restoration. Only 938 Delage DI cars were built and there aren’t many left. It should bring between $45,000-$75,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Mecum Phoenix 2019, $23,100.

April 2016 Auction Highlights

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Before we get to April, here’s another one from March: Bonhams’ Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale. The top seller was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe for $1,219,096.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Our featured DFP brought $66,641 and the La Buire $13,328. The rest of the results can be found here. And the final March sale we covered was that of Osenat. We featured a 1913 Mors that sold for $28,135. The top sale was this 1936 Delage D8 Convertible by de Villars for $355,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Next up, Auctions America’s Ft. Lauderdale sale. The two cars we featured from this sale (besides a previously-featured Renault that failed to sell at a high bid of $290,000) were, bizarrely, both Brazilian. The Bianco sold for $24,750 and the Puma $19,250. The top sale was this 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona for $649,000. Full results can be found here.

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

Fourth in this rundown is Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach sale. We featured a car that was removed from the run order well in advance of the auction (but not well enough out that we didn’t catch it, get excited, and feature it). Otherwise, the top sale was this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 for $550,000 and you can look at the rest of the results here.

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

And on to Mecum in Houston where the predictable top sale was this 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition for $425,000. Our featured Dodge WD15 brought $18,000 and complete results can be found online here.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum