1930 Delage D8 Series C Cabriolet
- Engine
- 4.1L inline-eight, pushrod overhead-valve, five main bearings, ~102 bhp
- Colour
- Grey-green with black wings
Chassis 33783 is a Series C Delage D8, the flagship luxury model introduced at the 1929 Paris Salon and bodied — per Figoni archive records — as a four-place faux cabriolet when delivered to the British concessionaire in October 1930. The D8's four-litre straight-eight was engineered by Maurice Gaultier and represented Delage's ambition to match its celebrated racing pedigree with a world-class road car. This example was comprehensively restored by J.L. Bonnefoy between 2004 and 2006, emerging as an open cabriolet finished in grey-green over black wings with a brown leather interior.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate €375,000 – €500,000
- 1930-10-20 →Factory deliveryJ. Smith & Co. (Delage concessionaire, Great Britain)partial documentation
Chassis delivered to the British Delage dealer on 20 October 1930, per the Figoni coachbuilder archive. Original body recorded as a four-place faux cabriolet costing 25,500 francs.
- → 2002Acquisition unknownGerard Sambucchipartial documentation
Nice-based owner who held the car by the early 1990s; registered under plate 1930 XV 06 during his tenure.
- 2002 → 2009Acquisition unknownJacques LaFondpartial documentation
Commissioned a comprehensive restoration by J.L. Bonnefoy in Orval, France, carried out between 2004 and 2006, covering the chassis, drivetrain, and wooden bodywork structure. The car was re-registered under plate 924 PDN 75 during this period.
- 2009 →Private salePresent owner (consignor)partial documentation
Acquired the car in its fully restored state and has retained it since.
- Date unknownP. Heathpartial documentation
Listed as owner in a 1974 VSCC Delage Section reference, located somewhere in southern France or Spain. No additional documentation available.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2004RestorationJ.L. Bonnefoy
Full restoration carried out over two years, encompassing a chassis and drivetrain rebuild and complete refurbishment of the wooden body structure. The car emerged finished in grey-green with black wings and brown leather upholstery.
Work was commissioned by Jacques LaFond and completed by 2006. A photographic restoration file documenting the work, including images of surviving original timber in the cowl and rear body, accompanies the car.
- —Modification
At some point during the 1930s the original faux cabriolet bodywork was likely restyled to contemporary taste, resulting in a cabriolet configuration. Door lengths were extended and the hood was correspondingly altered to stow neatly behind the boot.
Discrepancy between the Figoni production record (faux cabriolet, body no. 994) and the current cabriolet coachwork is attributed to this period restyling, a practice common among coachbuilt cars of the era.
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