1938 DELAGE D8 100-120 CABRIOLET BY DE VILLIARS

Informations

The D8 was the flagship of the French maker of luxury cars Delage. The production took place between 1929 and 1940, but the version D8.100 began producing during 1936. Already at that time, this model was winning at the competitions of Elegance and in the higher circles has become a very popular car. To improve sales of the model D8, Walter Watney, at that time the company owner SNAD (Société Nouvelle des Automobiles Delage) decided to create a shorter and sportier chassis with the label D8.120, which better fitted the body coupe and roadster.Our exemplar D8.100 / 120 with the chassis number # 51597 is unique by being marked as a D8.100, but it is authentic with D8.120. The document from May 1936 contains a transcript of the management company meeting, where it was decided that several chassis D8.120 dismount external exhaust pipes and sell as D8.100. Only two cars were bodied by de Villiars and this is one of them. This is a very rare car that belonged to same owner for 47 years and a long time has been exhibited in the Museum of Le Mans.