21 Facts About Delahaye

Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Emile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France.

Delahaye built a low volume line of limited production luxury cars with coachbuilt bodies; trucks; utility and commercial vehicles; busses; and fire-trucks.

Delahaye made a number of technical innovations in its early years; and, after establishing a racing department in 1932, the company came to particular prominence in France in the mid-to-late 1930s, with its Type 138, Type 135SC, and type 145 cars winning numerous races, and setting International records.

Delahaye faced setbacks due to the Second World War, and was taken over by amalgamation with arch competitor Hotchkiss in 1954.

Engineer Emile Delahaye began experimenting with belt-driven cars in 1894, while he was manager of the Brethon Foundry and Machine-works in Tours, France.

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Delahaye moved its manufacturing from Tours to Paris, to a former hydraulic machinery plant owned by the Morane family.

Delahaye initially produced three models at this location: the 1.

Desmarais and Morane took control of the company when Emile Delahaye retired in 1901; Weiffenbach took over from them in 1906.

Delahaye ceased its participation in racing after Delahaye's death in 1905.

Delahaye introduced its first production four-cylinder in 1903 and shaft-drive transmissions in 1907.

Delahaye was repositioned to appeal to a wealthier, younger, more sporting oriented customer base.

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.

Delahaye was able to leverage their racing success to acquire automaker Delage in 1935.

Delahaye's purchased 12 of these, reserving half for her Ecurie Bleue amateur racing team.

New face of the postwar Delahaye was styled in-house by industrial designer Philippe Charbonneaux.

However, suspension components underwent catastrophic failure, and Delahaye was obliged to buy back a number of its vehicles to avoid litigation.

Emile Delahaye agreed to partner equally with coppersmith business owners and brothers-in-law, Leon Desmarais and George Morane.

When Delahaye retired in 1901, from failing health, he sold his shares to his partners, with Desmarais purchasing more, thus gaining a majority.

Emile Delahaye had been the company's president, it's sole engineer, and the administrator, until his retirement.

In 1898, Delahaye hired Weiffenbach as his managerial assistant; and, Amedee Varlet as the company's design engineer.

Delahaye was the minority partner, but neither company had the strength and resources to avoid being absorbed by the gigantic Brandt group of companies.