1904 Delaugère & Clayette 24 HP Type 4A

1904 Delaugère & Clayette 24 HP Type 4A

This little known make dates back to the mid-19th Century when Jean-Pierre Delaugère founded a carriage-making business in Orleans. The family began experimenting with powered transport in the late 1890s, initially using De Dion-Bouton engines and then its own. Delaugère's early automobiles were constructed along Panhard lines. In 1904 Maurice Clayette joined the company, which was re-titled 'SA des Éts Delaugère, Clayette Frères et Compagnie'. After WWI Delaugère turned to proprietary engines but was soon in difficulty, struggling to sell its expensive cars in times of economic downturn. Panhard bought the factory, which was turned over to making bodies.

Introduced in 1904, Delaugère's Type 4A represented a departure from the Panhard tradition, using a wood-reinforced steel chassis frame with steel extensions (like Darracq) to support the engine and gearbox. The former was a 6.3-litre, four-cylinder, F-head unit equipped with low-tension ignition, which drove the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox and double chain drive.

This car is dated by the UK's Veteran Car Club as of 1904 manufacture and thus is a strong contender for the London-Brighton Run. The body is a non-original item fitted during the car's stay in the Aarholm Museum in Denmark, while the VCC Certificate of Date (No. 2337, issued on 25th September 2000) states that the carburettor, magneto and radiator likewise are not original.

Descriptions & pictures by wikipedia & bonhams