1937 Delage D8-120 Coach Aérosport by Letourneur et Marchand, restored by Hill & Vaughn. This was the first major product by Delahaye after acquiring the Delage brand after its receivership.
It was based upon a modified Delahaye chassis, with an advanced independent front suspension featuring a transverse leafspring.
Power came from what was essentially the Delahaye 135 MS six-cylinder engine, but with two additional cylinders, displacing 4,744 cubic centimeters and producing some 115 horsepower.
With ample torque, the high-speed 'gran routier' automobile could cruise to speeds of nearly 100 mph, while having excellent handling for its period and being ideal for comfortable long-range touring. Its factory styling, featuring a towering grille, long hoodline, and external exhausts, were the perfect mate for the Letourneur et Marchand custom coachwork.
It featured a distinctive fastback roofline, that descended across the car and formed a small dorsal ridge down the tail. This combined with frameless, pillarless, subtly overlapping panes of window glass that curved and descended with the molded beltline, produced an airy and dramatic look.
Source © RM Sotheby's. The photos by Theodore W. Pieper are of the model sold to the British Delage concessionaires University Motors.