Donkervoort D8

2013 Donkervoort D8 GTO Premium Edition

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | October 22, 2023

Photo – Artcurial

The most amazing thing about this car is that this is what happens when you are a company that builds Lotus Seven replicas and you just keep iterating on the same idea. You can certainly see a little bit of Lotus Seven left in there, but not much.

Donkervoort is a Dutch company that was founded in 1978. Their first car, the S7, was a basic Seven replica. This has been the same basic formula for all of their cars, but things started to get weird when the original D8 went on sale in 1993. By the late 2000s, the design evolved into something more like this. The wild D8 GTO was sold between 2013 and 2022.

It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter Audi inline-five that was rated at 400 horsepower. It’s a rocket. This one is #7 of 25 Premium Edition cars built – and they all came with black magnesium wheels, carbon bucket seats, carbon doors, and an upgraded exhaust. The estimate is $160,000-$210,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

Delage D8 by Vanden Plas

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.

Four Beautiful Delages

1937 Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique by LeTourneur et Marchand

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1937 Delage D6 70 Coach Panoramique by LeTourneur et Marchand

This sale is packed with amazing cars and I don’t have time to feature them all (why does Retromobile have to be so close to the Arizona auctions!?). I’m stacking today’s post with four beautiful Delage automobiles, starting with my favorite of the bunch.

The Delage D6 was in production (in several different iterations) from 1930 through 1954 (with a break for the war). The D6-70 was built for 1937 and 1938 only. It uses a 2.8-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower. The body is the remarkable Coach Panoramique style by LeTourneur & Marchand.

This is a very desirable, very usable car and it is expected to sell for between $135,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $101,342

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1936 Delage D6 70 Cabriolet Mylord by Figoni et Falaschi

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1936 Delage D6 70 Cabriolet Mylord by Figoni et Falaschi

Here’s another D6-70 that was built toward the end of 1936 and first registered in August of 1936. It uses the standard 2.8-liter straight-six making 78 horsepower. This was the top-of-the-line six-cylinder Delage you could buy – although any car bodied by Figoni et Falaschi could be considered pretty top-of-the-line.

The “Cabriolet Mylord” bodystyle is pretty and very regal-looking. The top can either be all the way down, all the way up, or sort of halfway in between where only the back seats are covered and it creates sort of a parachute effect. At any rate, this is a beautiful car that should bring between $250,000-$325,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

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1933 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Pourtout

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1933 Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Pourtout

The Delage D8 was the biggest car Delage built. It also had the biggest engine. The D8 S had an even bigger engine than the standard D8. Only 145 examples of the D8 S were constructed. It uses a 4.0-liter (or 4.1… it was 4,061cc) straight-eight making 120 horsepower.

This car is original and preserved. The Cabriolet bodystyle is by legendary French coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout. One design aspect I really like are the 1920s/1930s-style body-colored Rudge wheels. This is one of stars of the show and a really beautiful automobile that evokes the period brilliantly. It should sell for between $1,360,000-$1,630,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,281,647

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1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

The Delage D8 was introduced in 1929 and this 1931 model uses the 4.1-liter straight-eight, in this case making 102 horsepower. The body is by Henri Chapron and I would describe it as “restrained elegance.” It’s not flashy – but it is also earlier than the other three cars in this post. Dramatic design really flared up the farther they got into the 1930s.

This car was restored in the 1960s and has been maintained since. It would be a relatively inexpensive way to get behind the wheel of a Delage D8 – it’s expected to sell for between $550,000-$675,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $438,318.

Delage D8 by Chapron

1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1931 Delage D8 Roadster by Chapron

Photo – Artcurial

The Delage D8 was introduced in 1929 and this 1931 model uses the 4.1-liter straight-eight, in this case making 102 horsepower. The body is by Henri Chapron and I would describe it as “restrained elegance.” It’s not flashy – but it is also earlier than the other three cars in this post. Dramatic design really flared up the farther they got into the 1930s.

This car was restored in the 1960s and has been maintained since. It would be a relatively inexpensive way to get behind the wheel of a Delage D8 – it’s expected to sell for between $550,000-$675,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

Update: Sold $438,318.