Ganz Gallien?
Wenn wir den Delahaye Type 135 machen, dann müssen wir natürlich auch die Delage D8/D8S vorstellen. Doch zuerst schauen wir kurz in die Geschichte der Marke zurück. Pierre Louis Delâge, geboren 1874 in Cognac, stammte aus bescheidenen Verhältnissen, hatte schon ein kleines Kind ein Auge verloren, schaffte aber trotzdem das Studium als Ingenieur. Er arbeitete sich bei Peugeot hoch, gründete dann aber 1905 sein eigenes Unternehmen. Und konnte schon im August des gleichen Jahres sein erstes eigenes Automobil vorstellen. Es ging dann schnell, quasi mit jedem neuen Modell wurde eine grössere Fabrik bezogen, man steigerte sich vom zugekauften Einzylinder zum selbst entwickelten Achtzylinder im ab 1929 gebauten D8. Doch es war ein unglaubliches Auf und Ab bei Delage, manchmal hatte man Geld und über 3000 Mitarbeiter, meist aber keines, was 1935 zur Kooperation mit dem ewigen Konkurrenten Delahaye führte. Wahrscheinlich 1953 lief die Produktion dann endgültig aus, man geht davon aus, dass ingesamt etwa 50’000 Fahrzeuge produziert wurden. (Bild unten: D8 S von deVillars, #38021, 1933.)
Das Meisterwerk war sicher der ab 1929 gebaute Type D.8 (über die genaue Schreibweise ist man sich nicht einig). Der 4-Liter-Reihen-Achtzylinder war den Bugatti-Motoren jener Jahre ebenbürtig, kam auf zuverlässige 100 PS; der D8 S schaffte gar zuverlässige 120 PS. Er glänzte mit innovativen Feinheiten wie einem semi-desmodromischen Ventiltrieb, einem über Entlüftungsschläuche gekühlten Ölsumpf und einer elektrischen Benzinpumpe. Wahrscheinlich wurden vom D8 S nur gerade 145 Exemplare gebaut, 33 sollen überlebt haben. Und weil es sich bei diesen französischen Preziosen um etwas vom Besten und Teuersten handelte, was man damals für Geld kaufen konnte, legten auch nur die bekanntesten Carrossiers Hand an; man sah sie mehr als ganz edle Grand Tourer denn als Sportwagen. Wir zeigen hier zuerst einmal (die Sammlung folgt dann unten und wird schön langsam aufgebaut) ein absolut sensationelles Modell von Marcel Pourtout, Chassis-Nummer 36009, das von RM Sotheby’s in Monterey 2024 versteigert und auf 4 bis 6 Millionen Dollar geschätzt wird. (Bild unten: D8 Sports Tourer von Chapron, #34785, 1931 – mehr davon in der Sammlung.)
Dazu gehört natürlich eine wunderbare Geschichte. Bestellt wurde #36009 vom Pariser Händler H. de Corvaia, der das Fahrzeug an einen französischen Schauspieler verkaufen konnte. Schon 1936 kaufte der angehende Ingenieur Gaston Forgues das Fahrzeug – und es blieb 59 Jahre in Familienbesitz. 1995 kaufte der letzte Besitzer den Delage, rund 30 Jahre später kommt es nun zum erst vierten Mal in den Verkauf. Man kann das verstehen, er ist wirklich wunderbar (und Marcel Pourtout einer der meisten unterschätzten Designer überhaupt)
Klar, eine kleine Sammlung, aber in aller Ruhe.
Delage D8C Faux Cabriolet von Figoni, #34737, 1932:
–
Delage D8 Sports Tourer von Chapron, #34785, 1931:
–
Delage D8 S Coupé von Freestone & Webb, #38220, 1933:
–
Delage D8 S Cabriolet von Fernandez & Darrin, #38229, 1934:
–
Delage D8-15 Saloon, Letourneur et Marchand, #38632, 1934:
–
Chassis-Nummer: 51042
Motoren-Nummer: 51033
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Miami 2026, nicht verkauft, angeboten für 2,75 Millionen Dollar, mit diesen Angaben: «Inarguably one of the most beautiful designs on the D8-120 was the Coach Aérosport, created by the brilliant scion Marcel Letourneur, one of the finest French artisans of the 1930s, and crafted by his family’s shop of Letourneur et Marchand. It was created specifically for the D8-120’s debut at the 1936 Paris Salon, with the idea of drawing maximum attention to the utterly flamboyant chassis—something it was quite well-equipped to do. Incorporating early aerodynamic research by Jean Andreau, the Coach Aérosport was an evolution of a prior design known as the Coach JeLM. Unlike the JeLM, it featured a distinctive and extraordinarily beautiful fastback roofline, that descended smoothly across the car and formed a small dorsal ridge down the tail. This combined with frameless, pillarless, subtly overlapping panes of window glass that curved and descended with the boldly molded beltline, produced an airy and extremely dramatic look. The design would prove highly impactful, influencing further “pillarless” designs in Europe, and General Motors’ famous “hardtop convertibles” of the early 1950s. Historian Richard Adatto notes in his book From Passion to Perfection that 13 examples of the Coach Aérosport were produced, and the survivors are rightly held among the most extraordinary automobiles of their generation. They are included in some of the most prestigious collections and museums worldwide.
According to Delage historian Daniel Cabart, this body was the second of six Coach Aérosport of the so-called “first-series” design, number 5649, distinguished by a more subtle frontal layout with freestanding headlamps and built on the early-style D8-120 chassis. Cabart notes that the body was originally mounted to chassis number 51000, finished in black with the body molding and rear wings in orange, and Havana leather interior, and was the only example of this style with the distinctive louvers along the top of the hood, as it retains today. It was exhibited in this form at the 1937 Brussels Motor Show, then sold to the British Delage concessionaires University Motors, which exhibited it at the Eastbourne Concours d’Elegance in July of 1937. The irony is that this extraordinarily beautiful car proved difficult, indeed, to sell. In the May 1938 issue of Motor Sport, it was written that “the particular car in question…was originally fitted with one of those particular spicy streamlined saloons which the French seemed to like,” but that British buyers had desired something more conservative. Accordingly, chassis number 51000 was rebodied as a cabriolet by Coachcraft. The Aérosport body was moved to chassis number 51042, with updated Dunlop steel wheels. Cabart believes that the new chassis had been supplied for the body by the Delage factory, as its number does not appear in any coachbuilder’s surviving ledger. According to an article by David Burgess-Wise in the February 1998 issue of Classic & Sports Car, in the early 1950s, the Halfway Garages of Padworth, Berkshire, sold the car, now carrying engine number 51033, to Harold T. Raitt of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Daniel Cabart notes that it was later sold to Ed Wachs, in this era a well-known collector of unusual European automobiles in Illinois. Later, according to Burgess-Wise, it was reportedly acquired by Wisconsin-based enthusiast Henry Uihlein II, a great admirer of the D8-120 who over the years acquired several important examples. In the early 1990s the car was acquired by a collection in California, which undertook its restoration at Hill & Vaughn of Santa Monica, established in part by legendary racing driver Phil Hill and regarded as the finest facility on the West Coast in its time. Following restoration, it was displayed at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, then featured in the aforementioned Classic & Sports Car article. It also appeared at the 2001 Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance. Later in 2001, it was acquired for the present collection, in which it has been a stalwart for the last quarter-century, among many other extraordinary examples of custom French coachwork. It has, in current ownership, continued to make occasional show appearances, most prominently at the 2005 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and was pictured in an article in Automobile Quarterly. Further, it has continued to be well-maintained and preserved, both mechanically and cosmetically, and is still in very strong condition throughout.»
–
Delage D8-120 Cabriolet Grand Luxe Chapron, 1939
Chassis-Nummer: 51980
Motoren-Nummer: 51980
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2025, Schätzpreis 700’000 bis 900’000 Dollar. Mit diesen Informationen: (siehe unten in Kommentare)
–
Mehr schöne Klassiker haben wir in unserem Archiv.
diese Kribbeln in die Bauck.. 🙂
Ja, so kann man es sagen.
Der Gelbe, der geschlossen besser aussieht als offen. Unglaublich, ein superedel-Hot-Rod. Auch der unterste in schwarz mit den roten Kotflügeln, wunderschön. Das Coupé in dunkelviolett, im Bugatti-Style, aber doch ganz eigen. Gott, sind die alle schön.
Aber, wie man in Bayern sagt: „Wennst nix derheiratst oder dererbst, bleibst a Depp bist dass d´ sterbst.“
#36009 ist absolut atemberaubend.
Vielen Dank für den tollen Artikel.
Viele Grüße
Jens
«Chassis number 51980 was one of the final examples of the grand Delage D8-120 chassis produced prior to World War II. The hostilities rudely interrupted it before completion, and the unused chassis remained in storage for the duration. In 1946, with peace finally having come and the basis for custom coachwork being at a premium, the chassis was sent by Delage’s corporate parent, Delahaye, to the noted Parisian coachbuilder Henri Chapron. His creation, dubbed a Cabriolet Grand Luxe, features especially dramatic lines, including robustly curved fenders that surround the wheels, a relatively low and sharply raked folding windshield, a louvered hood, “aviation-style” bumpers, a pointed tail, and magnificent inlaid wood and chrome interior trim, all as documented in correspondence on file. It was outfitted with the Torpedo “special” grille, which curves from the top of the radiator all the way to beneath the front apron—a fabulous touch also used on the famous Pourtout-bodied Delage D8-120 Aero Coupe. The completed creation was finished in Valentine Capri Blue and Ruby Red, accented by a red leather interior. Like all of the best coachwork in this era, the Cabriolet Grand Luxe was a bridge between the subtle curves of the pre-war years, and the advanced aerodynamics to come—and it was a showstopper, as indicated by its intended use for the 1946 Paris Salon, as noted on its Delahaye correspondence (although it is believed to have not actually been shown there). Instead, the paperwork indicates that construction of the car extended into 1948, after which it was finally sold to a buyer, believed to have been in Egypt.
If the car ever indeed journeyed to Egypt, it soon was brought to the United States. It was purchased in 1953 by Bob Grier, a photographer and passionate automobile enthusiast, best remembered for his ownership of the D8-120 Cabriolet Deltasport shown at the 1939 World’s Fair, and the famed Delahaye 135 Competition Court later owned for decades by the late Malcolm Pray. Photographs included in the history file, taken in the 1950s outside the famous Fina’s Imported Motor Car Company in New York City, show the car in very much its original configuration, including the iconic curved grille and “skirts” over the rear fenders. Reportedly this Delage was kept by Grier until the late 1960s, then sold to Cal Bedell of Glen Cove, Long Island, who largely stored it for 15 years. In the late 1980s it was acquired on trade by a prominent East Coast dealer, who sold it to Alfredo Brener of Houston. Mr. Brener undertook a restoration of the car in two-tone maroon and black, with the top converted to nearly disappear below the rear deck. He went on to show it at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1995, earning an award in its class. A year later it was sold to Jerome Sauls of Pennsylvania, who soon passed it to his longstanding client, Dr. Joseph Murphy, then assembling a select collection of important Full Classics. As one of the most significant automobiles in the Murphy stable, the car was featured in the book written on the collection, In Search of Excellence by Dennis Adler. Mr. Sauls reacquired the Delage from Dr. Murphy in 1998, and returned it to its blue and red livery, after which it was returned to Pebble Beach in 1999. This time, it won its class. He held on to the car for another five years before it was acquired by the late Los Angeles-based collector, Tony Vincent. Mr. Vincent oversaw a two-year-long restoration of the car to a more correct condition, including reinstalling the original rear seat removed in the prior restoration, and then upkept the car well within his small private collection while also occasionally bringing it out for further concours showings. It once again returned to Pebble Beach in 2005, this time as part of the Delage Centennial celebrations alongside many other significant examples of the marque; it was awarded Most Elegant Convertible, always a sought-after prize and especially so given that field! In its current ownership as part of a distinguished Florida collection, the Delage has continued to enjoy excellent care, including the rebuilding of the carburetor and minor interior improvements by Vantage Motorworks. Invoices for this are included in the file along with a history of this particular example, the aforementioned build documentation, and invoices from the Vincent restoration work. Further, the car is accompanied by a convertible top».