1936 Delage D8-100 Coupe Chauffeur

1936 Delage D8-100 Coupe Chauffeur Coachwork by Franay

In 1935, headed by British-born entrepreneur Walter Watney, Delahaye took over the ailing Delage company. The same year, a new Delage sales and marketing company called SNAD was established. In the new scheme of things, Delahaye was to become a sporting marque, while Delage would be positioned at the top of the luxury market. At the Paris Salon in October 1935, a new range of 4 and 6 cylinder cars was shown, but for the 8 cylinder cars, it was last year's models. As a consequence, there was a pressing need to present a new 8-cylinder chassis. As development money was tight and time was short, this new chassis was to be an evolution of the pre-1935 D8-105 model, and work commenced in January 1936.

Delage 8-cylinder engine tooling was no longer available, so two cylinders were grafted onto the block of the existing 3,227 cc 6-cylinder engine that powered the successful Delahaye 135 model. In spite of using a mixture of current Delahaye as well as newly designed parts, the resulting 4.3 liter 8-cylinder engine was a paragon of smooth and quiet running. A Panhard automatic gearbox was considered in the early development stages. In the end, however, and once again in the interest of silence and smooth operation, the highly successful Cotal electro-magnetic unit, which was used by a number of contemporary French luxury makes, was specified. The first D8-100 prototype was type-approved on June 24, 1936, with deliveries commencing soon thereafter. The resulting chassis was both appealing and desirable, while considerably lighter and with better road manners than its over-large competitors such as the mammoth Hispano-Suizas, Rolls-Royce Phantom or Packard V12 models. Within a short period of time, the D8-100 chassis, along with its slightly more powerful sister-model the D8-120, became the absolute queens of the French concours circuit, as the most prominent French carrossiers flocked to clothe them with their finest creations.

Descriptions & picture by bonhams