Automobiles Delahaye

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
emblem
Delahaye 135 M Roadster by Figoni & Falaschi (1939) at the Scarsdale Concours

Delahaye was a French automobile manufacturer , the 1894 production of his first vehicles on the model of Benz - motor vehicles recorded.

history

Company foundation and first automobile production

Émile Delahaye owned and ran a factory founded in Tours in 1845 , which had been engaged in the production of machines for brick production as well as stationary engines and railroad cars . Fascinated by the first automobiles, he founded a corresponding company.

Racing intermezzo and new production facility in Paris

The first one- and two-cylinder cars had belt drives , chain drives on the rear wheels and tubular frames. In the Paris-Marseille-Paris race in 1896 , Archdeacon , trailing behind three Panhard & Levassor and De Dion-Bouton motor tricycles, achieved only seventh and Delahaye himself tenth, which is why Delahaye stopped participating in racing after the 1902 Paris-Vienna race . Because of the high sales figures, Delahaye merged with Léon Desmarais and Morane and moved into a new workshop in Paris in 1898 . In 1902 Delahaye withdrew from the company and recruited Charles Weiffenbach as chief designer, who modernized and improved production through the use of gauges and mechanical devices. He introduced removable cylinder heads and other innovations such as two brake pedals to Delahaye.

In 1901, the Société des Automobiles Delahaye set up a factory in the Rue du Banquier in Paris , in which it manufactured cars , trucks and buses . Delahaye also equipped the first fire engines . Delahaye already had a 4.4-liter four-cylinder in 1903. In 1908 the production of four-cylinder engines with 1.5 and 2.1 liters displacement began. At the Paris Motor Show , the 45-60-CV with 130 mm bore, 150 mm stroke and T-head was presented, which was designed for the Spanish King Alfonso XIII. was intended.

Rise to one of the most technically innovative manufacturers

With the development of a V6 engine with a displacement of 2.6 liters, Delahaye was one of the most innovative car manufacturers in Europe. Manufacturers in the USA and Germany also received licenses for the designs. The small and medium-sized four-cylinder models were considered to be very tough and robust, the chassis as undemanding. Thanks to their moderate fuel consumption, they became widely used as taxis . The 18/24 CV model, presented in 1911 and offered until 1914, was downright revolutionary. It was equipped with a monoblock V6 engine with vertical valves and a water jacket that cooled the entire block. The drive power has already been transmitted to the rear axle via a cardan shaft . At the end of the First World War , Delahaye, like many other vehicle manufacturers, achieved most of its sales with trucks.

Weiffenbach pursued the standardization of certain components such as axles , springs and wheels and was aiming for the rational production methods of Renault and Citroën when he decided in 1927 to establish a consortium with Chenard & Walcker , Donnet-Zedel and Unic . The companies involved in the consortium survived the global economic crisis, but their vehicles became less and less technically innovative and no longer corresponded to contemporary tastes. In addition, there was a sales policy error: unlike small companies such as Derby , Rally , Donnet-Zedel and Corre-La Licorne , Delahaye did not have a Swiss agency. In 1932 the consortium, from which UNIC had withdrawn earlier, was dissolved again. In 1933, Delahaye presented two Superlux models with four- and six-cylinder OHV engines designed by the designer Jean François for the first time at the Paris Salon .

  • Delahaye Type 32 1909

  • Delahaye Type 32 two-seater 1910

  • Engine Delahaye Type 32L sedan 1912

  • Delahaye Tourer 1925

  • Delahaye truck 1925

The 1930s, the company's heyday

Cotal electromagnetic selector switch in the 135 MS
Delahaye 135 MS (No. 115, front) 1977 on the Nürburgring, at the wheel of the former Dutch racing driver Dries van der Lof
The 135 MS at the 1978 Oldtimer Grand Prix

In 1934 Delahaye introduced a 12CV model with a 2.15-liter four-cylinder engine, as well as an 18CV model that was powered by a 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine with 90 hp (66 kW). Both engines were derived from the successful truck engines.

Delahayes were among the most beautiful automobiles of this era. Some of the then well-known body manufacturers such as Chapron , De Villars , Figoni & Falaschi and Letourneur et Marchand built luxury bodies for Delahaye; Brandone in Cannes repeatedly made replicas of these designs for local customers.

In the 1930s, Delahaye also took part in races. In addition to first places in the overall classification and the corresponding classes in the Paris-Saint-Raphaël , Paris-Nice rallies , the Chanteloup and Château-Thierry mountain races , the Alpine Cup and Grand Prix of Algiers and the 24 Hours of Le Mans , the record drives in Montlhéry achieved because of them Promotional effect of particular importance. The goal was the world record over 48 hours. This was achieved at an average speed of 176.294 km / h, with the previous 4000 and 5000 mile records being undercut. Spurred on by the successes, the spontaneous suggestion to let the smoothly running Delahaye continue driving was enthusiastically received after a two-hour break and a new world record of 10,000 km at 168 km / h was set.

The Delage brand, which is far more active in sport , was in financial difficulties. In 1935 a collaboration began with Delahaye in the financing of the independent production of own models, which developed more and more into the production of Delahaye models with Delage trademarks and coolers . Through this merger, Delahaye gained new customers in a prestigious upper price range.

The 135 model, launched in 1935 , was a success and the truck business continued to flourish. From the sport version of the 18 CV for the Alpine Cup, the Coupe des Alpes model with a three-carburetor system was developed, with which Delahaye drivers Albert Perrot , Marcel Mongin and Paris, along with the American Lucy O'Reilly Schell and her husband Laury Schell , managed many To win victories and excellent placements. Lucy O'Reilly Schell, wealthy by an inheritance, offered the company to cover the development costs for a competition vehicle according to their requirements. From the 135 model three variants “Sport normal”, “Coupe des Alpes” and “Compétition” were derived, which with three carburettors produced an output of 110 hp (81 kW) instead of 95 hp (70 kW). The engine block and crankcase made of die-cast , pistons made of light metal and, in particular, pressure circulation lubrication with a gear pump , which also ensured the lubrication of the cold engine through special devices, were its features. In 1937 René Le Bègue and Julio Quinlin won the Monte Carlo Rally on a Delahaye.

At the same time in Germany, the Nazis made almost every effort to ensure their dominance over the nations: the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union racing teams were brought into line, and no expense was spared to build some of the most advanced vehicles whose speed was in the remained almost unmatched for the next 50 years. The French government countered in 1937 with a tender for the fastest racing car among the French manufacturers. The prize was a million francs . In addition to Bugatti with a 4.5-liter eight-cylinder model, SEFAC also took part with a 3-liter compressor model designed by Émile Petit and Delahaye with its new model 145 , which has a 4.5-liter V12 engine with hemispherical shape Combustion chambers was provided in magnesium cylinder heads. Delahaye won the Million Franc Race with the so-called Million Franc Delahaye, which René Dreyfus won in Pau in 1938 on the Type 145 against the heavy German Mercedes-Benz W 154 piloted by Rudolf Caracciola . This race victory, in combination with French patriotism, caused a wave of demand for Delahaye until the German occupation of France during World War II .

  • Delahaye turntable ladder 1930

  • Delahaye 135 MS 1936

  • Delahaye 135 M Roadster 1937

  • Delahaye 135 M Coupé 1939

Second World War

During the war, joined Delahaye together with Simca , UNIC, Bernard & Laffly the group Groupe Français de l'Automobile (GFA) of Baron Petiet and produced medium-heavy trucks.

Production resumed

After the war, production of the pre-war model with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder (Delahaye 134) and a 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine (Delahaye 135 and 148L) was resumed. Both engines had overhead valves and sat on a sturdy chassis. At the front there was an independent suspension on wishbones and transverse springs with longitudinal sliding arms , while at the rear it still had a rigid axle on semi-elliptical springs.

Delahaye 135 M.

The 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine with 110 hp (81 kW) powered the 135 M , which in the competition version 135 MS with three carburettors achieved 130 hp (96 kW). As early as 1947, a new model 175 with a 4.5-liter six-cylinder engine was introduced, the front and rear suspension of which had been fundamentally revised: At the front, the wheels were individually suspended from cranks according to the Dubonnet system, which in turn were attached to the swiveling housings of the Hydraulic shock absorbers with coil springs were located, at the rear there was a rigid De-Dion axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and trailing arms. It also had hydraulically operated brakes and a Cotal 4-speed gearbox with a two-disc dry clutch. The engine developed 140 hp (103 kW). Even if the pre-war racing successes were no longer there, Delahaye achieved a victory with the 4.5-liter six-cylinder at the Grand Prix du Comminges in 1949 and first place overall in the 1951 Monte-Carlo Rally.

Slump in sales, takeover by Hotchkiss and production cessation in 1957

1948 Delahaye Cabriolet 135 MS
Delahaye 175M

But the sales dropped. As of 1951, the brand reached no more than 100 units sold per year. Bodybuilders such as Henri Chapron , Guilloré , Figoni & Falaschi , Carrosserie de Sécheron , Langenthal, Carrosserie Graber in Wichtrach , Pennock , Letourneur et Marchand , Saoutchik , Motta / Charbonneaux and Gebrüder Beutler in Thun designed different body variants.

The penultimate model, the VLR 1 (voiture de reconnaissance légère), a 3.5 liter vehicle according to the model of the Jeep with four-wheel drive was introduced 1951st It had a differential lock at the front and rear. The front-wheel drive could be switched off. The four-speed transmission with a two-stage countershaft provided 8 forward gears. The off-road vehicle was powered by a newly developed 2-liter four-cylinder engine. It was bought primarily by the French army.

Delahaye 235 MS Coupé

The 175 model , which was difficult to sell in the post-war period as a result of French tax legislation, was replaced by the 235 model in autumn 1951 , which had a certain stylistic similarity to the later Mercedes-Benz 190 SL . With the revised cylinder heads and three Solex falling flow carburettors, the 3.6 liter engine achieved 150 hp (110 kW).

In 1954, Delahaye was taken over by Hotchkiss , who shut down car production in order to produce trucks under the name Hotchkiss-Delahaye for a few months until the name Delahaye was dropped completely in 1956.

Special vehicles

The Delahaye 135 M (1937) by Peter Mullin (USA) won the Trofeo BMW Group Italia (audience award) at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2008 on Lake Como . It was a vehicle of which only nine copies were built. The vehicle was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1937 and was then sold to an Indian maharajah . In 1987 the vehicle left India, was restored in England and then sold to a collector in Florida . The current owner bought the vehicle in 1993 and has won several awards with it since then.

Web links

Commons : Automobiles_Delahaye  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Hediger, Ferdinand; von Fersen, Hans-Heinrich; Sedgwick, Michael: Classic cars, Hallwag AG, Bern and Stuttgart, 1988, ISBN 3-8228-8944-X , p. 144
  2. ↑ teamdan.com: 24 September - 3 October 1896 - Paris-Marseilles-Paris: 1710 km ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.teamdan.com
  3. ↑ Lintelmann, Reinhard: 1000 automobiles, Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne, ISBN 3-625-10543-8 , p 31
  4. ↑ Hediger, Ferdinand; von Fersen, Hans-Heinrich; Sedgwick, Michael: Classic cars, Hallwag AG, Bern and Stuttgart, 1988, ISBN 3-8228-8944-X , p. 145
  5. ↑ a b ibid., P. 146
  6. ↑ a b edb., P. 147
  7. ↑ ibid., P. 148
  8. ↑ ibid., P. 150
  9. ↑ a b Gloor, Roger: Post-war vehicle, Benedikt Taschen Verlag, Cologne 1994, ISBN 3-8228-8944-X , p. 126
  10. ↑ ibid, p. 127