1911 Delahaye Type 48 12/14hp Open Drive

Delahaye were heavy engineers, manufacturing brick-making machinery and, later, stationary engines before entering the field of motor car manufacture as true pioneers in 1894. Their early offerings were Benz-like and in the Paris-Marseilles-Paris Race of 1896 Delahaye took 4th and 6th places. Unlike Panhard-Levassor and Mors the company focused little on motor sport however flourished under the leadership of Charles Weiffenbach who joined the company as Chief Engineer in 1898. At the peak of 19th Century production some twenty cars per month were leaving the Paris factory. Edwardian offerings from Delahaye included twin and four cylinder cars of conventional design and, unlike so many of their contemporaries, they built their own engines.

This twin-cylinder Delahaye is listed by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain in their handbook as dating from 1911 and was clearly known to that organization at one time, being formerly registered under the British number SL 10. Such twin-cylinder cars were popular for town use, providing a nimble chassis, upon which lighter weight formal carriages were common. This particular car may well have started life in this guise or may have been configured later on in its life as such. All the same, its stylish coachwork, which reflects horse drawn carriage ancestry, provides a commodious and well-appointed rear compartment (accommodating four) in which to travel while the chauffeur is less cosseted out front.

Descriptions & pictures by conceptcarz & bonhams & en.wheelsage & flickr