Delage Type 4 D 12

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Delage

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Type 4 D 12
Production period: 1937
Class : race car
Body versions : Coupé , roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
4.5 liters
(190 hp)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 2950 mm
Empty weight : 1800 kg

The Delage Type 4 D 12 was a racing car from the French brand Delage . He was also called Delage V12 Andreau-Labourdette .

description

In 1935, after the voluntary liquidation of his first company Delage et Compagnie, Louis Delâge was given the right to manufacture a dozen racing cars annually in his own company. The only possible company name is STAS . It can be assumed that this model came from STAS . Chassis and engine were given the number 1.

Delage decided in 1937 to get back into racing. Albert Lory developed the vehicle. There was no predecessor or successor. The date of the type approval by the authority is not known.

A V12 engine powered the vehicles. It had a 73.5 mm bore and 88 mm stroke . That resulted in a displacement of 4481 cm³ . The engine was rated 26  Cheval fiscal and developed 190  hp .

The chassis had a track width of 1485 mm and a wheelbase of 2950 mm . The curb weight was given as 1800 kg. The construction as a four-seater coupé was unusual . Carrosserie Labourdette manufactured the body based on a design by aerodynamicist Jean Édouard Andreau . A central tail fin was striking . The closed structure was supposed to bring aerodynamic advantages, but had the disadvantage of being heavier. Delage wanted to prove that this Gran Turismo could keep up with racing cars.

In total, only one vehicle was built. It was approved on June 25, 1937. In the fall of 1937, it was presented at the Labourdette stand during the Paris Motor Show. The racing driver Joseph Paul bought it on June 8, 1939.

Races

On July 4, 1937, the 1937 French Grand Prix took place on the Montlhéry circuit. The driver Henri Frètet took part in the training and achieved times that gave hope that the qualification for the race would succeed. After an accident caused by a brake defect, participation in the race was no longer possible.

The vehicle was then given an open body. Joseph Paul drove it on May 7, 1938, the Junior Club International Trophy in Brooklands . Shortly after the start, there was a fire and an accident in which two spectators were killed.

date event place vehicle team Result
07/04/1937 1937 French Grand Prix Montlhéry Type 4 D 12 Henri Fretet not started
05/06/1938 Junior Club International Trophy Brooklands Type 4 D 12 Joseph Paul Target not reached, accident

literature

  • Daniel Cabart, Claude Rouxel, David Burgess-Wise: Delage. France's Finest Car . Dalton Watson, Deerfield 2007, ISBN 978-1-85443-219-3 (English).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Daniel Cabart, Claude Rouxel, David Burgess-Wise: Delage. France's Finest Car . Volume 1. Dalton Watson, Deerfield 2007, ISBN 978-1-85443-219-3 , pp. 311-312 (English).