Book Review: Delage, France’s Finest Car

The Great War came and went, and the fortunes of Louis Delâge increased manifold as the factory turned out bullets, despite a failure to ensure munitions quality which caused a scandal. World War I profiteering became an issue, and the French government would argue over how to tax excess war profits until the start of World War II.

A significant post war move was to fire chief engineer Michelat and replace him with Charles Planchon.

The Delage CO

Delâge, never one to look back, decided the post war era was ripe for larger four and six cylinder cars; he was half right, as the 6 cylinder CO model was not selling, but the four cylinder DO did better in the still depressed 1919-1920 economy. The CO model, despite lackluster sales, was quite a car; it had four wheel brakes, the 6 cylinder 4524 cc engine put out 68 hp and was in unit with a multi-plate clutch and four speed transmission connecting to a rear drive via two universal joints. The rear end was supported by semi-elliptic springs and shocks.

Always a bit of a showman, Delâge himself embarked upon a series of whirlwind drives through France with the latest CO model Delage. The first was on September 12th, 1919, when he drove from Paris to Nice, a distance of 621 miles, in 15 hours 55 minutes. The much heralded express train took 21 hours.

The next year he did a complete “Tour de France” with a CO model, and the 3120 mile lap of France took just over six days. His son Pierre followed suit with a tour of Spain. Unusual behavior for a CEO, but Delâge not only gained publicity but made good use road testing the cars as well.

Quality is Job One

The emphasis on quality continued. As the authors duly noted; “The [Delage] cast aluminum crankcase was damascened [engine turned–ed.] by hand, the cylinder block and valve cover were finished in black enamel, the dashboard and instrument panel were also damascened by hand, the control rod for the carburetor and ignition were nickel plated, the radiator was polished silver, and so the list went on…”

By 1921 Delage had introduced the GL model, based largely on the CO but with an overhead valve head and increased horsepower. This was the basis for a great number of sports cars and skiffs from Delage, and developed into the GL S with a SOHC head and the GL GS with a DOHC head.

Delages with four, six and eight cylinders

Throughout the 1920s, Delage produced six and four cylinder cars, the DE-DI range of fours being most predominant, with over 13,000 DO, DE and DI models produced. The six cylinder CO after only 1540 cars built was replaced by the DM-DR models from 1926 to 1929.

Finally, when things were looking good again, Delâge returned to his dream of an eight cylinder luxury car, which was designated the D8. However, the D8 did not see production until late in 1929. The high prices of the luxury cars Delage was producing combined with the Depression would put Delage at the mercy of the banks by 1933. Between 1928 and 1935, only 1900 D8s in all forms were built.

But the twenties were not yet over, and the new engineer, Charles Planchon, was busy designing new race cars. And what cars they were!

Record Car Delage, the DH V12

Planchon came up with a record-breaking car, the DH, a 10.5 liter V12 shoehorned into a chassis with a torpedo shaped body, and among many other records, it broke the Land Speed Record on July 6th, 1924, with an average run of 143.20 mph. The car continued to win events at Brooklands well into the thirties and is still in existence today.

Delage V12 2 LCV

Planchon then designed a 2 liter unsupercharged V12 for the new Grand Prix formula, which none too smartly, also allowed 2 liter supercharged cars in the same class. In 1923, this fantastic Gran Prix car suffered from cooling problems, and failed to win an event. Planchon, though related to Delâge, was fired and Albert Lory was left to refine the V12 2 LCV.

Readers may be familiar with the 1924 Lyon Grand Prix, where Bugatti introduced the fabled Type 35, another unblown car. But it was the Delage that not only was the star of the race, but finished second and third to the supercharged Alfa P2 of Campari.

The tiny V12, with pistons only 1.67 inches in diameter, was also viewed with great interest by a young Enzo Ferrari who was driving the fourth Alfa Romeo P2 (which retired early). In his book, “The Enzo Ferrari Story”, Ferrari states that he had always “hankered after a twelve cylinder, recalling early photographs I had seen of a Packard that had raced at Indianapolis in 1914, and a Delage that came in second at Lyons in 1924.” The Delage was the smallest V12 built until Ferrari’s 1500cc 125 of 1947.

In 1925, the 2 LCV was supercharged, and went on to win the Grand Prix at Monthléry and at San Sebastian.

Throughout the Delage volumes, the authors weave many comments from the drivers of the era, the engineers, and the contemporary media. It reads well, but this reviewer found that it was also helpful to use the Delage racing history as written by Griff Borgeson for “Automobile Quarterly”, Volume 14 Number 2. Certainly using both gave a very nice overview of these often confusing years.

Delage 15 S8

Delâge himself decided not to contest the Grand Prix for 1926, but reversed himself and had Lory create one of the most prized Grand Prix cars of all time, the straight eight 1.5 liter supercharged Delage 15 S8, which produced 170 hp at 8000 rpm. This car totally dominated the season and won for Delage the World Championship in 1927, having won every race it entered. Admittedly, the competition was lacking, but that was not the fault of Delage. So good was the car it continued to win races ten years after. (read more about the fantastic Delage…..)

Although there were financial problems in 1926-27, by 1928-9 Delage was almost on top of the world. The four and six cylinder cars were considered the best in class and were selling well. In competition, Delage cars won hill climbs, sports car events, Grand Prix races, and even held the Land Speed Record for a while. The formidable 15 S8 became the world champion. Delage cars were the darling of the extremely upclass and popular Concours d’Elegance events held throughout France. The ultimate Delage, the straight eight, D8, was right around the corner. But so was the depression.

The end of an era

It took a while to really get a grip on France, but by 1933 a major recession was unavoidable. Suddenly it seemed the company was in the wrong business at the wrong time. Only 1902 D8s of all types were made, while frantic attempts to introduce new and less expensive models failed to stem the tide of losses. Banks called on loans that could not be repaid. Sales fell even further and stocks of cars piled up. A subscription bond was issued but failed to raise enough money to repay the bank loans. On April 16, 1935, Louis Delâge gave up and the firm went into voluntary liquidation.

An attempt by a prominent Delage dealer and businessman Walter Watney to save the company was put in place and while it served a purpose, eventually a badge-engineering deal was made with Delahaye and Watney later sold all his rights to the Delage brand.

The book’s authors give a complete view of the end of Delage from many perpectives; that of Delage himself, of Walter Watney, Delahaye, and others, including the opinions of the banks involved in the collapse of Delage.

When Delage is a Delahaye

Essentially, from 1936 on, Delages were assembled at Delahaye, equipped with chassis provided by Delahaye, and a range of engines based in part on a Delahaye design. However, the six and eight cylinder engines that powered the Delages from 1936 on were more Delahaye than Delage.

That left the hood, badge and grille to be claimed for Delage. A separate company, formed by Watney, was set up to assist in the sale and marketing of the Delage brand via existing dealerships.

Even the classic D8 Delage of 1929 was replaced by a Delahaye designed straight eight; most of the luxury cars used a Cotal gearbox. But the name remained, so strong was the tradition of excellence established by Delage that the brand lived on, more or less, until 1954, when Delahaye itself was no more. Notably, the D8 100 and D8120 became classics in their own right and continued to be the stars of the Concours d’ Elegance circuits.

The answer to the question, therefore, is that after 1935, a Delage is more a Delahaye than a Delage, and with each year it was less and less Delage.

Delages continued to be coach built cars throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. The coachbuilders included Letourneau & Marchand, Gaston Grümmer, Figoni et Falaschi, Chapron, De Villars and others. (for much more information about coachbuilders, check out Coachbuild.com)

The story of Delage is a truly fascinating one–a great but perhaps unloved leader and visionary, Louis Delâge created a legend in his own time, enhanced France’s position in all forms of competition, and failed largely because of the economy, not because of poor products. “Delage, France’s Finest Car,” brings to life this history through a wonderful array of statistics, ads, republished road tests, letters, drawings, documents and first rate contemporary photography. Essential for the complete motoring library.