GRR

Delage brand revived with D12 hypercar

20th August 2020
Gary Axon

Following a near-70-year hibernation, the once-revered Delage marque is set for a dramatic revival with the introduction of the new D12, a hybrid hypercar, powered by a naturally aspirated 7.6-litre V12 engine, coupled to an electric motor, with a cumulative power output of up to 1,130PS (831kW).

delage-d12-goodwood-20082020.jpg

From the beginning of the 20th Century in 1905, until its 1953 demise, Delage stood as a proud symbol of French luxury motoring, successful and influential in both motor racing and on the road, with its innovative 2.0-litre V12 LCV competition cars dominating Grand Prix racing in the mid-1920s. Delage went on to take the prestigious ‘World Champion of Car Builders’ title in 1927, with four Grand Prix wins for its later 1.5-litre straight-eight, with multiple Le Mans podium finishes as well.

After a 67-year gap, Delage’s new owner, French entrepreneur Laurent Tapie, plans to revive production at the marque’s old Levallois-Perret plant, pending settlement of a dispute with the French government over the Factory’s now-protected architectural property status.

delage-d12-badge-goodwood-20082020.jpg
delage-d12-concept-goodwood-20082020.jpg

Tapie plans to build just 30 examples of his new Delage D12 at around €2 million a pop, with the first two cars already sold. The standard D12 is the 1,130PS ‘GT’, tipping the scales at around 1,400kg, but there is a lighter, 1,310kg D12 Club, with a smaller electric motor and a total power output of 1,038PS. Both share the in-house 7.6-litre V12 engine, mated to an eight-speed gearbox. The centrally-tandem-seated D12 will use Formula 1-inspired pushrod suspension, with ex-F1 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve being the chassis development driver for the ambitious Delage project, working alongside a team of experienced motor racing engineers.

Although no maximum speed figures have been released as yet, the new D12 is said to accelerate from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in just 2.5 seconds, with Tapie confident that the Delage will be capable of setting a new Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for road-legal cars.

  • Delage

  • D12

  • delage-d12.jpg

    Festival of Speed

    Video: $2.3 million Delage D12 makes world debut at Goodwood

  • delage-anorak-main-jonathan-sharp.jpg

    News

    The Delage D12 is a questionable motoring revival | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

  • phil-hay-delage-d12-fos-main.jpg

    Festival of Speed

    Delage makes a comeback with ambitious hypercar

The must-have subscription for motorsport enthusiasts

JOIN NOW