Description
This car is Lot 129 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Quail Auction on Friday August 15, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Wednesday August 13 from 09:00 until 18:00, Thursday 14 August from 09:00 until 18:00, and Friday 15 August from 08:30 onwards, at The Quail Lodge.
Lot 129
1934 Delage D8-15 Saloon
Registration no.
Chassis no. 38632
2, 668cc OHV Straight 8
Single Downdraft Carburetor
79bhp
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Solid Front and Live Rear Axle with Semi-Elliptic Transverse Leaf Springs
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
* One of two surviving examples
* Nicely restored example of a classic Delage saloon
* A CCCA Full Classic©
* A French domiciled machine from 1933 to 2022
THE DELAGE D8
"The 1929 Salon showed the splendid D8, 4-liters with 105 bhp, smooth, silent, elegant and luxurious, Maurice Gaultier's high watermark of excellence. There is one feature in particular which places the D8 among the great cars of all time, and this is the overall high standard of engineering - there are no faults at all. The gearbox, for example, is outstandingly good, due to Gaultier's specialization for years in this field. This thoroughbred of engineering was given outstanding coachwork by Chapron, Figoni, Letourneur et Marchand, Saoutchik, Labourdette, Vanden Plas, Freestone & Webb, Barker, Pourtout, Fernandez & Darrin; they all wanted to show what they could do with it." - William Stobbs, Les Grandes Routières - France's Classic Grand Tourers.
Founded in 1905 by Louis Delage, the company commenced production with a single-cylinder De Dion-engined runabout and within a few years was offering multi-cylinder designs. The publicity value of racing was recognized right from the start, a single-cylinder Delage winning the Coupe Des Voiturettes as early as 1908 and Louis himself taking the 1911 Coupe de l'Auto in a 3-liter four-cylinder. Victories at the Grand Prix du Mans and the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race were achieved prior to WWI, the company going on to become a major force in Grand Prix racing in the 1920s and setting a new World Land Speed Record mark in 1924 with a 10. 7-liter V12. Four-cylinder DI and six-cylinder DM cars formed the mainstay of touring car production in the 1920s, and then at the 1929 Paris Salon Delage launched the D8 model, a magnificent 4. 0-liter straight eight destined to attract the creative attentions of Europe's finest coachbuilders.
THE CAR OFFERED
In 1933 the D8 was joined by a straight eight of 2. 7 liters, the D8-15, a fine example of which is offered here. Featuring elegant saloon coachwork, this representative of what is widely acknowledged to be the finest French car of its day and one of only two surviving examples to retain their original Letourneur et Marchand saloon coachwork. It is believed to have been originally delivered to a chateau in Normandy, where it resided before WWII. Having thankfully survived the ravages of German occupation in France, it remained in France for the majority of its life, heading south to Paris, east to Lyon, and finally southwest to Bordeaux.
Advertised at the time as a complete vehicle but needing recommissioning in La Vie de l'Auto in November of 1999 and 2002, the next owner went about fully dismantling and restoring the Delage. Photos of the car from December 2008 show it completed and from there entered the garages of several subsequent owners before being acquired by the current owner in 2022 and brought to the United States.
Frequently driven and enjoyed in the current ownership, it is reported to be a fine running car with many long drives and flat-out highway runs undertaken. A perfect opportunity to acquire a rare, French 8-cylinder CCCA Full Classic© for the whole family.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
