Delage 4 Cylinder
Delage 4 Cylinder
Delage D8
Car : Delage D8
Year : 1929
Engine : 8 cylinder in line
Bore and stroke : 77×109 mm
Cylinder capacity : 4060 cc
Gears : 4 forward
Brake horse power :120
Maximum speed : 98 mph
Wheelbase : 10 ft 10 ins (3.30 m) or 11 ft 11 ins (3.63 m)
Suspension : front and rear: semi-elliptic leaf- springs
Delage was a famous name in the second and third decades of the twentieth century due to its numerous sporting victories. Outstanding amongst these was the one gained by Thomas in the 1914 Indianapolis 500 setting a new record (at an average of more than 82 mph) for the celebrated American circuit. 
Another of its instant successes was the win in a race based on fuel consumption at the Sarthe circuit (Le Mans).
Racing activity absorbed a large part of the French firm’s manufacturing resources but it also enjoyed an excellent commercial reputation. The 1912 4-cylinder is typical of Delage’s touring products. These, to begin with, were powered almost exclusively by 4-cylinder engines, the standard models being built by Ballot. The 1447 cc 4-cylinder entered production in 1910 and continued until 1913. Its maximum speed was about 31-34 mph.
The 1929 8-cylinder was a luxury machine. Its straight-8 engine developed 120 bhp in the touring version and 145 bhp in the D8 S. The 4-speed gearbox was mated directly to the engine. The use of rubberized canvas flexible couplings made the transmission particularly quiet. It had wire wheels like almost all prestige cars of the period. The model pictured here weighed 3,180 pounds (1,440 kg) which was quite heavy. It was unveiled at the 1929 Paris Motor Show and it entered production in 1930. The D8 was the firm’s largest model.
This was another company that was responsible for sporting triumphs. The 135 is a typical example of its large range of products. It had a 6-cylinder engine with the same bore and stroke as a 4-cylinder engine introduced at the same time, (this was one way of bringing about the standardization that was Weiffenbach’s object). The 135 was bodied in a variety of ways by the French coach-work/designers, who at that time were the acknowledged masters of the art.
A 12-cylinder engine was chosen for the 2-litre formula. This developed 120 bhp at 6,000 revs. This engine had been designed by Plancton and Lory who tried to make it more reliable and powerful by the addition of a supercharger. When the new 1½ formula came into force, Lory chose an 8-cylinder which in 1927 won a notable string of successes.
The 10 CV of 1921 can already be regarded, even in its shape , as a modern car but De Dion-Bouton had lost its elite clientele and its production was not numerically great enough to enable it to complete with Renault and Peugeot. After the war, during which De Dion-Bouton, like others, was occupied with orders for the military, it was unable to adjust itself to the new climate and to produce popular models. It returned to its old pre-war cars, including the 8-cylinders that had made it famous, but this was against the general trend. Three thousand cars a year was not enough to keep a car manufacturer alive. Perhaps one of the reasons for De Dion-Bouton’s decline was that the two founders did not train and mould young engineers to continue their work. De Dion-Bouton ceased to make cars in 1933.
His involvement with cars began when he bought the production rights to a vehicle designed by Leon Bollée, powered by a single horizontal cylinder engine. However, he became dissatisfied with this and in 1920 he bought the English firm of Clément-Talbot and later Sunbeam, creating S.T.D. (Sunbeam, Talbot Darracq); but this group made the mistake of producing cars that were very alike.
Clément-Bayard’s production was characterized by a large number of models (eight in 1913) of various engine sizes. Amongst these , in 1906 there was a large 100 HP ‘square’ engine (160×160 mm), intended principally for racing. The 18 HP which distinguished itself in the 1903 Paris-Madrid race also had a ‘square’ engine (90×90 mm).
It was presented to the public on June 4 < 1919 in the Champs Elysées show room of the manufacturer Fernand Charron which had been lent for the occasion to André Citroën. Deliveries began in July of that year at a lower price than similar models built by his competitors. Initial production was 30 units a day. Including utility versions a total of 28,400 were built.
Like Henry Ford, who for a while, offered the body of his famous Model T in a single colour (black), Citroën restricted it to yellow ‘citron’. It is worth mentioning that from 1923 onwards Citroën made catalogues and price-lists for repair available to purchasers of the Type C with the obvious intention of éviter toute surprise dans les factures (to prevent any surprises in the bill). It was also possible to replace a part that was not working with a new or reconditioned part. This prevented the car from being off the road for a lengthy period.
These innovations, particularly the front-wheel drive were not well received by the public and initially the 7 A was more criticized than praised. From then on all Citroëns have had front-wheel drive and because of this feature the 7 A, as the first in the line, and its followers simply bear the title ‘traction’. The sheet (metal) monocoque body was very low, making it easy to get into and the inside was very roomy. It was, however, poorly received because there was no running board. The 7 A’s engine developed 32 bhp at 3,200 revs and its maximum speed, in accordance with André Citroën’s specifications, was 62 mph (recommended maximum : 58 mph at 3,800 revs). In the 7 C the capacity was increased to 1628 cc and its power to 36 bhp at 3,800 revs. A total of 83,789 of the 7 A and its derivatives (B, S, C) were built. The basic design remained in production until July 1957.