1939 Delage D6 3-Litre Olympic Sports Saloon

1939 Delage D6 3-Litre Olympic Sports Saloon

Following the takeover by Delahaye in 1935, Delages were built to Delahaye designs but for the most part retained their own superior short-stroke engines and hydraulic brakes. The D6 of the late 1930s was powered by Delage's own overhead-valve 'six' in various capacities, the 3-Litre model being an addition to the range in 1939 and the only one of the pre-war line-up to re-emerge after 1945.

This rare pre-war Delage had two previous owners before the current vendor, the second of whom, a Mr Thierry, owned the car from 1975, keeping it in 'as purchased' condition until 1983 when he decided to completely restore it. The restoration was finished in 1991 and Mrs Thierry used the Delage regularly until she died shortly thereafter. The car stayed, unused, in a garage for the next 13 years until Mr Thierry decided he would part with it. The current vendor bought the Delage from Mr Thierry in 2004. Since then it has been used sparingly, with occasional outings to events such as the Rallye Champagne, Tour de Bretagne, Sorties du Patrimoine, and Rallye du Pays de Fougères, receiving 1st Prize at the latter event in 2018 in the 'over-2-litre' class on account of its originality.

Descriptions and pictures by wikipedia & bonhams