The Delage D8 was an eight-cylinder luxury car produced by Delage between 1929 and 1940.
78-585: The 4061 cc engine of the original D8 placed it in the 23CV car tax band which also defined its position high up in the market hierarchy. Delage provided rolling chassis to be bodied and fitted out by prestigious carroussiers such as Letourneur et Marchand and Chapron operating (in most cases) in the Paris area. The result was that the D8 appeared, throughout its life, in a wide variety of (frequently) elegant coupé , cabriolet , sedan/saloon or roadster shapes. The D8
156-529: A 1.6-litre (98 cu in) engine, nearly four times as much horsepower as the RAC system suggested. While the RAC system had protected the home market from the import of large-engined low-priced mass-produced American cars, the need for roomy generously proportioned cars for export was now paramount and the British government abandoned the tax horsepower system with effect from 1 January 1947 replacing it at first with
234-636: A 200,000 French francs government prize. Dreyfus also scored a victory in the Ecurie Bleu Type 145 at Pau in 1938, using the model's fuel economy to beat the more powerful Mercedes-Benz W154 . Another Type 145 finished third in the same race. These victories combined with French patriotism ensured demand for Delahaye cars up until the German occupation of France during World War II . In early 1940, 100 Type 134N and Type 168 chassis were built and bodied by Renault as military cars under contract for
312-607: A Delahaye subsidiary by 1938. Walter Watney, the British-born entrepreneurs who established in 1935 the Delage sales and marketing company "SAFAD" remained in post till 1940. Greater urgency was needed over the question of where to build the cars now that the Delage factory had closed. The solution already in place by 1936 involved continuing production of Delage engines and retaining other mechanical components, but installing them on existing Delahaye chassis. The first D8 to be produced at
390-509: A change in car tax policy and after 1945 tax horse-power returned in West Germany, applying the 1928 formula, as a determinant of annual car tax on new cars purchased in or after 1945. However, the introduction of tax on road fuel in 1951 and progressive increases in fuel tax thereafter reduced the importance of annual car tax so that today far more of the tax on car ownership is collected via fuel taxes than via annual car tax. Fiscal horsepower
468-553: A factory to build Model Ts in Manchester , to circumvent the import tariffs that, up to that point, had increased the effective price of foreign cars. Under the RAC's formula the Model T was a 22 'tax horsepower' car, making it more expensive to run than its British-built rivals on sale for the same price. At first the RAC rating was usually representative of the car's actual (brake) horsepower, but as engine design and technology progressed in
546-595: A function of vehicle weight.) Attempts to correlate new tax horsepower values with old ones result in small differences due to roundings used in the new formula which are, for most purposes, unimportant. In 1933 the Hitler government came into power and identified the promotion of the auto industry as key to economic recovery: new cars purchased after April 1933 were no longer burdened by an annual car tax charge and German passenger car production surged from 41,727 in 1932 to 276,804 in 1938. Thereafter war and military defeat led to
624-474: A new, higher quality, and considerably sportier automotive-chassis line, with an appealingly distinctive appearance, improved horsepower, better handling, and a higher price-point. Delahaye was repositioned to appeal to a wealthier, younger, more sporting oriented customer base. Varlet was instructed to establish both the new drawing office, and the racing department, neither of which Delahaye ever had before. Weiffenbach hired Jean François, as Varlet's assistant, and
702-653: A number of technical innovations, particular in its early years. After establishing a racing department in 1932, the company came to prominence in France in the mid-to-late 1930s, first with the International record-breaking Type 138; then, the Type 135 that famously evolved into the special short-wheelbase sports-racing Type 135CS; followed by the V12 types 145 and 155 racecars. Many races were won, and records set. The company faced setbacks due to
780-612: A pillarless hardtop body ten years before General Motors introduced hardtops for their Buick and Cadillac lines. In 1939 the larger engine from the D8-120 also found its way into the D8-100. However, with the declaration of war in 1939 and the invasion of northern France , in 1940, passenger car production came to an end, as the Delahaye plant was taken over by the German military occupation. Although
858-497: A somewhat progressive way of taxing higher-value cars more than low-cost ones but was also introduced to protect the domestic British motor industry from foreign imports, especially the Ford Model T . Henry Ford's mass production methods meant that the Model T was competitively priced with British-built cars despite being a much larger, more durable and more powerful car than other available similarly-priced models. In 1912 Ford opened
SECTION 10
#1732869196986936-523: A system based on a calculation including engine size and weight. The tax horsepower system remained in effect for seven cantons long into the 21st century; however, as of 2022 , although quite likely earlier, Geneva was the only canton to still base road tax purely on tax horsepower. The plethora of different taxation systems has contributed to there always being an uncommonly wide variety of different cars marketed in Switzerland. Delahaye Delahaye
1014-506: A takeover of Delahaye by Hotchkiss, after which Hotchkiss promptly shut down Delahaye car production. By the end of 1954, after a brief period selling trucks with the Hotchkiss-Delahaye nameplate, the combined firm was itself taken over by Brandt . By 1956, the brands Delahaye, Delage, and Hotchkiss were no longer in use. From its incorporation, Delahaye remained a private, entirely family-owned company, until it closed its doors for
1092-468: A tax on cubic capacity, which was in turn replaced by a flat tax applying from 1 January 1948. However British cars and cars in other countries applying the same approach to automobile taxation continued to feature long, relatively narrow cylinders even in the 1950s and 1960s, partly because limited investment meant that new car models often had new bodies but their engines were carried over from earlier generations. The emphasis on long strokes, combined with
1170-593: Is as follows: where: During the early twentieth century, automobiles in the United States were specified with a figure identical to RAC horsepower and computed using the same formula; this was known either as "NACC horsepower" (named for the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ), "ALAM horsepower" (for NACC's predecessor, the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers ), or "SAE horsepower" (for
1248-401: Is defined simply in terms of overall engine capacity. It therefore encourages small engines, but does not influence the ratio of cylinder bore to stroke. The current Spanish definition does, however, add a factor that varies in order to favour four-stroke engines over two-stroke engines. where: For vehicles where the above formula cannot be applied (e.g. electric vehicles), the tax horsepower
1326-438: Is derived from the effective engine power (which is defined by law as the maximum power that the engine can provide after being used at full power from 30 minutes, which is normally lower than the rated engine power). Until 1998 the nominal power of the engine was used instead of the effective power. where: The 26 cantons of Switzerland used (and use) a variety of different taxation methods. Originally, all of Switzerland used
1404-518: Is still used in Italy for insurance purposes; it was formerly used also for car property taxation and it is based on engine displacement. Following the 1973 oil crisis up until the 1990s, it was heavily imposed on vehicles with engines larger than 2,000 cc, prompting Italian car makers to fit turbochargers for extra power without enlarging the displacement. Fiscal horsepower also lives on in Spain, but
1482-577: Is the amount of CO 2 released and P the engine power, then: P A {\displaystyle P_{A}} is expressed in horsepower, rounded to the nearest integer. The official emission rate of CO 2 included in the calculation is taken from the European certificate of conformity. Tax horse-power ( Steuer-PS ) was introduced in Germany on 3 June 1906 however in contrast to many regions, i.e. British and French tax horsepower formulae above, it
1560-567: The 134N , a 12 cv car with a 2.15-litre four-cylinder engine, and the 18cv Type 138 , powered by a 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine – both developed from their successful truck engines. In 1935, success in the Alpine Trial led to the introduction of the sporting Type 135 "Coupe des Alpes". By the end of 1935, Delahaye had won eighteen minor French sports car events and a number of hill-climbs , and came fifth at Le Mans . In 1936, Delahaye ran four 160 hp (120 kW; 160 PS) cars (based on
1638-683: The Monte Carlo Rally driving a Delahaye. Delahaye also ran first and second at Le Mans . Against the German government-sponsored juggernauts Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union , Delahaye entered the Type 145 , powered by a complicated 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 -litre V12 . Called the "Million Franc Delahaye" after a victory in the Million Franc Race , the initial Type 145 was driven by René Dreyfus to an average speed 91.07 mph (146.56 km/h) over 200 km (120 mi) at Montlhéry in 1937, earning
SECTION 20
#17328691969861716-555: The Society of Automotive Engineers ). (This last term should not be confused with later horsepower ratings by the SAE.) This value is still used for taxation and license fee purposes in the State of Missouri for passenger vehicles, with electric vehicles assigned to the 12–23 Horsepower bracket by statute. Although tax horsepower was computed on a similar basis in several other European countries during
1794-638: The Volkswagen Beetle , proved more reliable, and achieved greater sales success. In Australia, the various states had their own automobile taxation system. Several depended on the RAC formula, but the flaws of this system were well known as early as 1909. Another formula was the Dendy-Marshall formula, which included an engine's stroke. Several Australian states used Dendy-Marshall, although Western Australia reverted to RAC hp in 1957. The Union of South Africa also depended on Dendy-Marshall, at least in
1872-698: The Wolseley 14/60 and the Alvis 12/70 of 1938. To minimise tax ratings British designers developed engines with very long stroke and low piston surface area. Another effect was the multiplicity of models: Sevens, Eights, Nines, Tens, Elevens, Twelves, Fourteens, Sixteens etc., each to fit with a taxation class. Larger, more lightly stressed engines may have been equally economical to run and, in less variety, produced much more economically. The system discouraged manufacturers from switching to more fuel-efficient overhead valve engines as these generally required larger bores, while
1950-480: The 1920s and 1930s these two figures began to diverge, with engines making much more power than their RAC ratings suggested: by 1924 the 747 cc (45.6 cu in) engine of the Austin Seven (named for its 7 hp rating) produced 10.5 brake horsepower, 50 percent more than its official rating. It became common for the name of a model to include both its RAC tax horsepower and its actual power output, such as
2028-527: The 1920s. The Automobile Club of Australia's "A.C.A. formula" used the same calculations as did Dendy-Marshall formula. The Australian Bureau of Statistics used RAC hp in their Registration of New Motor Vehicles, Make of Vehicles, Australia statistics until this publication was discontinued in June 1976. Several Australian states also added vehicle weight to the power rating, to get a power-weight unit which determined taxation. The Dendy-Marshall / A.C.A. formula
2106-400: The British government. The formula is: where: The formula was calculated from total piston surface area (i.e., "bore" only). The factor of 2.5 accounts for characteristics that were widely seen in engines at the time, such as a mean effective pressure in the cylinder of 90 psi (6.2 bar) and a maximum piston speed of 1,000 feet per minute (5.1 m/s). The system introduced
2184-503: The D8 became one of the best known products of what subsequently came to be known as a "golden age" for low-volume expensive and luxurious cars in France. Two versions of the D8 were launched: the “D8 Normale” and the short-wheelbase “D8 S”. The “D8 Normale” was offered in three different wheelbase lengths: 3,167 mm (124.7 in), 3,467 mm (136.5 in), and 4,066 mm (160.1 in) - which would accommodate body lengths of more than 5 meters. The short-wheelbase “D8 S”
2262-456: The D8-105. The D8-85 was the less extreme in terms of ultimate performance, offered with a choice between a 3,378 mm (133.0 in) and a 3,578 mm (140.9 in) chassis. The engine displacement is 3,570 cc (217.9 cu in) in this version producing, as indicated by the name, a maximum output of 85 hp (63 kW) at 4,000 rpm. On The D8-105 the engine size was the same, but
2340-574: The D8-15 in which the size of the 8-cylinder engine had been reduced to 2,668 cc (162.8 cu in). The "-15" suffix referred to the 15 CV car tax band in which the smaller engine placed the car. The lesser performance of this version of the Delage D8 moved the model downmarket in the direction of volume automakers such as Citroën who were already working on a 16 CV six-cylinder version of their newly introduced Traction Avant model (although
2418-532: The Delahaye Paris plant under the new arrangements was the D8-100. In this period Delahaye were producing cars with fashionably flamboyant bodies from bespoke body builders such as Figoni et Falaschi and Saoutchik , and the Delage cars followed the same trends. The D8 as the top "mainstream" Delage model, turned up, during the second half of the decade, with various fabulously aerodynamic profiles. Coachbuilders who had traditionally worked closely with Delage during
Delage D8 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-556: The French army. The French government had ordered all private automobile production to cease in June 1939, but small numbers of cars continued to be built for the occupying German forces until at least 1942. In 1951, a French military team with Captain Monnier and Colonel Henri Debrus were part of the victorious crew that won the first Algiers-Cape Town Rally with a Delahaye pick-up. After World War II , French luxury car makers struggled under
2574-518: The French government. By 1904, about 850 automobiles had been built. The company introduced its first production four-cylinder in 1903 and shaft-drive transmissions in 1907. Delahaye's chief design-engineer Amédée Varlet invented and pioneered the V6 engine in the 1911 Type 44 . Varlet also designed the Delahaye Titan marine engine, an enormous cast-iron multi-valve twin-cam four-cylinder engine that
2652-696: The Marseilles–Nice rally – and Morane's brother-in-law Leon Desmarais. The company moved its manufacturing from Tours to Paris, to a former hydraulic machinery plant owned by the Morane family. Charles Weiffenbach was made operations manager. The company initially produced three models at this location: the 1.4 litre single-cylinder Type 0, and the twin-cylinder Type 1 [ fr ] and Type 2. All three had bicycle-style tiller steering, rear-mounted water-cooled engines, automatic valves, surface carburetors , and trembler coil ignition ; drive
2730-654: The Second World War, and was taken over by amalgamation with arch competitor Hotchkiss in 1954. Both were absorbed by the large Brandt manufacturing organization, within months, with automotive products ended. Delahaye closed forever at the end of 1954, taking Delage along with it. Engineer Émile Delahaye began experimenting with belt-driven cars in 1894, while he was manager of the Brethon Foundry and Machine-works in Tours, France. These experiments encouraged him to acquire
2808-636: The Type 135) in the Ulster TT, placing second to Bugatti , and entered four at the Belgian 24 Hours, finishing 2-3-4-5 behind an Alfa Romeo . Delahaye was able to leverage their racing success to acquire automaker Delage in 1935. American heiress Lucy O'Reilly Schell paid the developmental costs for short "Competition Court" 2.70-metre-wheelbase Type 135 cars for rallying and racing. She purchased 12 of these, reserving half for her Ecurie Bleue amateur racing team. In 1937, René Le Bègue and Julio Quinlin won
2886-506: The Type 135, fitted with hydraulic instead of mechanical brakes, and a triple Solex carbureted version of the 3.6-litre Type 135 engine, which produced 152 hp (113 kW; 154 PS). This power was roughly equal to that of the previous series. Only 84 examples of the Type 235 were built. Delahaye's competitor, Hotchkiss , negotiated a licensing agreement with Kaiser-Willys Motors , and obtained sanction to manufacture its Willys MB 'Jeep' in France. The French army began to appreciate
2964-414: The company for their entire working career. Weiffenbach became the operations manager in 1906, while Varlet focused on technical engineering and manufacturing advances. In 1932, 42-year-old Jean François was hired as chief design-engineer. Amadee Varlet was over eighty by then, and past his creative prime, but his earned respect caused him to be promoted to head up the new drawing office, and set up and manage
3042-434: The company kept no records of these events. The affair could not be effectively contained and resulted in disinterest among prospective buyers. The Type 175, 178 and 180 models were unable to generate enough sales to recover development and production costs. Their production was discontinued in mid-1951. Until early 1951, continuing demand from the French army for the company's light reconnaissance vehicles (VLR) enabled
3120-491: The company to operate. Small but steady demand for the Type 163 [ de ] trucks allowed the business to remain solvent. A one-ton capacity light truck (later sharing its 3.5-litre six-cylinder overhead-valve engine with the company's Type 235 luxury cars) made its debut at the 1949 Paris Motor Show as the Type 171 . During the next twelve months the Type 171 spawned several brake-bodied versions, including ambulance and 9-seater "familiale" variants. The vehicle
3198-448: The company's designer and chief engineer. Delahaye had escaped near disaster, to arise with virtually immediate success, in the new Type 134, followed almost immediately by the International speed record setting Type 138, and then the model that made Delahaye deservedly famous: the Type 135. In 1934, Delahaye set eighteen class records at Montlhéry, in a specially-prepared, stripped and streamlined 18 Sport. The company also introduced
Delage D8 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-602: The depressed economy. General Pons's five-year reconstruction program (the Pons Plan) allocated the majority of its vehicles for export, and installed an increasingly punitive tax regime aimed at luxurious non-essential products, including cars with engines larger than two litres (120 cu in). In 1947, 88% of Delahaye production was exported, primarily to French colonies in Asia and Africa. Delahaye's meagre production of 573 cars in 1948 (compared to 34,164 by market-leader Citroën ),
3354-408: The engine's displacement, a commission simplified the formula to: where: A new system was announced on 23 December 1977 to come into force on 1 January 1978 calculated by the following formula: where: From 1998 until January 2020, the fiscal tax depended on a standardised value of carbon dioxide CO 2 emissions in grams per kilometre (g/km) and the maximum engine power in kilowatts (kW). If C
3432-503: The established sidevalve layout could easily use very narrow bores. Despite OHV engines having significant benefits in economy, refinement and performance, the RAC system made these engines more expensive to own because it placed them in a higher tax class than sidevalve engines of identical power output. Despite this, by 1948 the Standard Flying Twelve, a typical mid-size saloon, produced 44 bhp (45 PS; 33 kW) from
3510-529: The foundry and machine-works, so that Monsieur Brethon could retire. Emile soon entered his automobiles in the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris race, and the 1897 Paris–Dieppe race, followed in 1898 by the Marseilles–Nice rally, the Course de Périgeux, and the Paris–Amsterdam–Paris race. Delahaye's automotive company was incorporated in 1898 with investors George Morane – who had driven one of Delahaye's cars in
3588-414: The last time, on December 31, 1954. Emile Delahaye, a successful Tours foundry and machine-works owner, built his first car in 1894. By 1898, the demand required that he expand facilities and obtain investment capital. Emile Delahaye agreed to partner equally with coppersmith business owners and brothers-in-law, Leon Desmarais and George Morane. The arrangement was duly incorporated in 1898, and car assembly
3666-456: The nature of British roads in the pre- motorway era, meant that British engines tended to deliver strong low- and mid-range torque for their size, but low maximum speeds. The long stroke also meant that piston speeds and the load on the big end bearings became potentially damaging at high power outputs. Many smaller British cars did not cope well with sustained cruising at 60 mph (97 km/h) or more, which led to reliability problems when
3744-420: The nearest whole number so a four-stroke engined car of 1,000 cc (61 cu in) would end up designated as a 4 PS (or four horsepower) car for car tax purposes. After April 1928, recognizing the logic of the linear relationship between tax horsepower and engine capacity, the authorities simply set car tax rates according to engine size for passenger cars. (For commercial vehicles vehicle tax became
3822-484: The new racing department, assisted by much younger engineer Jean François. Pierre Peigney, a family relative, was the president, but his was more a formal role, since it was Charles Weiffenbach who had been mandated by the partners to run the company, literally single-handedly. This he did, including after orchestrating the merger in 1954 with Hotchkiss, a prime competitor. President Peigney signed for Delahaye, and president Richard signed for Hotchkiss. Neither company had
3900-510: The project seems to have been a low priority for Citroën and the car in question would only appear in the market, initially very cautiously, in June 1938). The 15CV Delage D8, like the original 23CV version, was produced both in “-Normale” versions and in a shorter wheelbase “-S” version. However, the Delage D8-15 had been withdrawn by the end of 1934. The same year saw the launch of the D8-85 and
3978-433: The rate of 1 tax horse power for every 200 cm (12 cu in). The Cheval Fiscal , often abbreviated to CV from "chevaux-vapeur" (literally "steam horses") in tax law, is used for the issuing of French registration certificates known as "cartes grises" ("grey cards"). It is an administrative unit originally calculated partly from the power of the engine and used to calculate the amount of tax that may be due at
SECTION 50
#17328691969864056-564: The shorter chassis was delisted in 1937 By October 1937 Delage were also listing at the Paris motor show a D8-120 model, which was essentially a D8-100 with the cylinder bore/diameter increased by 4 mm. Listed power was now 120 hp (88 kW) at 4,500 rpm. A long-wheelbase D8-120 was featured prominently in An American in Paris . ( Image here. ) Unusual is the Aerosport Coupé, which featured
4134-462: The simpler machine, available at a much lower price, and cancelled the contract for the more sophisticated Delahaye VLR. In August 1953, the company laid off more than 200 employees. A merger was discussed with Hotchkiss, which was facing similar problems. On 19 March 1954, an agreement was signed by Delahaye president Pierre Peigney and Hotchkiss president Paul Richard . Less than three months later, on 9 June, Delahaye shareholders accepted
4212-482: The six-cylinder Delages would return in 1946, the eight-cylinder D8 series did not. Tax horsepower The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries such as Britain, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate purchase and renewal fees for passenger automobiles based on taxable horsepower. The tax horsepower rating
4290-429: The tax horsepower, calculated as follows: where: or 1.6/π = 0.51 times engine displacement in cc The limits between the horsepower denominations were drawn at either 0.49, 0.50, or 0.51 in different cantons. Thus, the eight horsepower category would cover cars of about 7.5–8.5 CV. In 1973 Berne switched to a taxation system based on vehicle weight, and a few other cantons followed. In 1986 Ticino switched to
4368-411: The time of registration. The Citroën 2CV (two tax horsepower) was the car that kept such a name for the longest time. Its use in France dates from 1 January 1913. It was updated in 1956, with further revisions in 1978 and a new emission-based system introduced in 1998. It was originally defined using the following formula: where: In a circular issued on 28 December 1956, the chevaux fiscaux
4446-401: The traditional American-built Jeep of the period. During 1953, the company built 1,847 VLRs, as well as 537 "special" military vehicles. In that year no more than 36 Delahaye or Delage-branded passenger cars were registered. In 1953, the Type 235 was introduced. Fernand Lecour, working with a small group of enthusiastic factory employees, convinced Weiffenbach to introduce an updated version of
4524-407: The two or three decades before the Second World War, continental cylinder dimensions were quoted in millimetres. As a result of rounding when converting the formula between the two measurement systems, a British tax horse-power unit ended up being worth 1.014 continental (i.e. French) tax horse-power units. In Belgium, the tax power depended on the cubic capacity of the engine in cubic centimetres at
4602-435: The unit was modified to produce 105 hp (77 kW), while the car sat on a shortened 3,296 mm (129.8 in) chassis. In April 1935 the manufacturer’s financial difficulties culminated in the closure of Delage plant at Courbevoie , as a result of which the D8-85 and Delage D8-105 were taken out of production. The arrangements with Delahaye were worked through over a period of several years, with Delage effectively
4680-719: The vehicles were exported to other markets, especially the United States . Cars such as the Austin A40 , the Morris Minor and the Hillman Minx all achieved notable initial sales success in the US in the late 1940s, until the short service life of the engines when asked to routinely drive long distances at freeway speeds became clear. Other imports originating in countries with different tax rules and existent high speed road networks, in particular
4758-400: The war, Delahaye's major income was from manufacturing trucks. Following the war, Delahaye attempted, in 1927, to increase profits by adopting a modest form of assembly-line production, in a tripartite agreement with FAR Tractor Company and Chenard & Walcker automakers, and Rosengart, an entry-level manufacturer of small family cars. However, the range of vehicles undertaken to produce
SECTION 60
#17328691969864836-463: The years of independence, chief among them Letourneur & Marchand and their subsidiary, Autobineau, were also responsible for many eye catching D8 bodied cars during this time. The D8-100’s 8-cylinder engine was now increased to 4,302 cc (262.5 cu in), the cylinder bores giving rise to a fiscal horsepower of 25 CV., Power output for the D8-100 was listed at 90 hp (66 kW), although by 1937 105 hp (78 kW) at 3500 rpm
4914-530: The “D8 S” version. Power was delivered to the rear wheels through a four speed manual gear-box featuring synchromesh on the upper two ratios. Although performance varied according to vehicle weight, top speed listed for the "D8 Normale" was 120 km/h (75 mph), with 130 km/h (82 mph) listed for the "D8 S". The drum brakes operated on all four wheels. Suspension was traditional, involving rigid axles front and back with semi-elliptic leaf springs and “friction dampers”. In 1933 Delage introduced
4992-510: Was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company , founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours , France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation in 1898 with two marriage-related brothers-in-law, George Morane and Leon Desmarais, as Emile Delahaye's equal partners. The company built a low volume line of limited production luxury cars with coachbuilt bodies; trucks; utility and commercial vehicles; buses; and fire-trucks. Delahaye made
5070-453: Was a combination of belt and chain, with three forward speeds and one reverse. Desmarais and Morane took control of the company when Émile Delahaye retired in 1901; Weiffenbach took over from them in 1906. The company ceased its participation in racing after Delahaye's death in 1905. Weiffenbach had no interest in racing, and focused on production of practical motorized automotive chassis, heavy commercial vehicles , and early firetrucks for
5148-879: Was calculated based on the overall engine displacement from its implementation. The German formula applied a higher tax horse-power factor to two stroke engine cars than to four-stroke engined cars based on the fact each cylinder in a two-stroke engine fires (has a power stroke ) every revolution whereas an Otto cycle or four-stroke cylinder only fires every second revolution . The formulae for calculating units of tax horsepower ( Steuer-PS ) were as follows: four-stroke engined cars = 0.30 × i × d 2 × s {\displaystyle 0.30\times i\times d^{2}\times s} two-stroke engined cars = 0.45 × i × d 2 × s {\displaystyle 0.45\times i\times d^{2}\times s} where: Incomplete fractions were rounded up to
5226-457: Was composed of the shareholders, plus their appointed manager of operations, Charles Weiffenbach, as chief executive officer. Emile Delahaye had been the company's president, its sole engineer, and the administrator, until his retirement in 1901. In 1898, Delahaye hired Charles Weiffenbach as his managerial assistant; and, Amédée Varlet as the design-engineer. Both men were qualified mechanical engineers, with differing talents, and both stayed with
5304-454: Was computed not from actual engine power but by a mathematical formula based on cylinder dimensions. At the beginning of the twentieth century, tax power was reasonably close to real power; as the internal combustion engine developed, real power became larger than nominal taxable power by a factor of ten or more. The so-called RAC horsepower rating was devised in 1910 by the RAC at the invitation of
5382-458: Was defined as: where: The result is multiplied by 0.7 for a four-stroke, diesel engine (also for wood gas-powered vehicles or those running on CNG ). Since ω {\displaystyle \omega } and K {\displaystyle K} are both constants while n {\displaystyle n} , D {\displaystyle D} , and L {\displaystyle L} combine to form
5460-400: Was delayed until 1948 due to the war, post-war shortages, and the death of its designer. With a license agreement in place and no viable alternatives, Delahaye proceeded with production of the Type 175. However, suspension components underwent catastrophic failure, and Delahaye was obliged to buy back a number of its vehicles to avoid litigation. The risk of negative publicity was so great that
5538-480: Was excessively extensive, too diverse, and totally devoid of practical standardization. The collaboration did not last long as shrinking sales volume threatened the company's survival. By 1931, the triumverate had disintegrated. It has been alleged that Weiffenbach met with his friend and competitor Ettore Bugatti , to seek his opinion on turning Delahaye around. In 1932, Desmarais's widow and majority shareholder, Madame Leon Desmarais, instructed Weiffenbach to develop
5616-461: Was fitted into purpose-built speedboat La Dubonnet , which briefly held the world speed record on water . German manufacturer Protos began licensed production of Delahaye models in 1907, while in 1909, H. M. Hobson began importing Delahaye vehicles to Britain. US manufacturer White pirated the Delahaye design; the First World War interrupted efforts to recover damages. By the end of
5694-417: Was intended for use in France's African colonies, having large wheels and high ground clearance, and was also exported to Brazil. By 1952, thirty Type 171s were produced per month. Delahaye's last entirely new model, a 2-litre Jeep-like vehicle known as Delahaye VLR (Véhicule Léger de Reconnaissance Delahaye) was released in 1951. The French army believed that this vehicle offered a number of advantages over
5772-579: Was introduced late in 1929 as a replacement for the opulent Delage GLS , but in view of the range of body types (and, subsequently, of engine sizes) with which it was offered it can also be seen as a replacement for the some versions of the Delage DM . It was launched when the European economy was still reeling from the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crashes - though cars at this level were never intended to sell in large numbers. By taking sales from other top end auto-makers such as, in particular, Bugatti ,
5850-478: Was moved to the vacant Paris factory owned by the incoming partners. When Delahaye retired in 1901, from failing health, he sold his shares to his partners, with Desmarais purchasing more, thus gaining a majority. As the Desmarais and Morane families were connected by marriage, Delahaye was a family-owned business, from 1901 until its takeover by Hotchkiss in 1954. Delahaye was the minority partner. The board of directors
5928-434: Was optimized for manoeuvrability and handling in sports car applications. Both versions were produced until 1933. The "Delage D8" was powered by a straight 8 engine which was a first both for Delage and for the French auto-industry. The 4061cc engine featured an overhead centrally positioned camshaft and a listed maximum output of 102 hp (76 kW) at 3,500 rpm for the “D8 Normale” and 120 hp (89 kW) in
6006-457: Was the value given. By this time the Cotal pre-selector transmission, previously an option, came included in the price of a Delage D8. Delahayes were still powered by six-cylinder engines, and the Delage D8 was the top model produced under either brand. The D8-100 was launched with a wheelbase choice between 3,630 mm (143 in) and 3,350 mm (132 in), although according to some sources
6084-410: Was unsustainably low. The new face of the postwar Delahaye was styled in-house by industrial designer Philippe Charbonneaux . Production of the outdated pre-war Type 135 and 148L was resumed in 1946, to restart cash flow and because the Type 175 and its two longer-wheelbased versions were not ready for introduction. The Type 175 was very modern when it had been envisioned in 1938 but its production
#985014