"Preserving History: Uncovering the Unrestored Originality of the 1922 Delage 11CV Torpedo"

"Delage have to their credit many world's records, including a world's championship, and more awards at the principal Concours d'Elegance than any other car in the world... To these achievements Delage have added a third and greater. They have made the highest known degree of luxury and performance available at the price the average motorist can pay."

Delage's publicity had every right to sing the praises of what, arguably, was the finest French car of its day. Founded in 1905 by Louis Delage, the company commenced production with a single-cylinder De Dion-engined runabout and within a few years was offering multi-cylinder designs. The publicity value of racing was recognised right from the start, a single-cylinder Delage winning the Coupe Des Voiturettes as early as 1908 and Louis himself taking the 1911 Coupe de l'Auto in a 3.0-litre four-cylinder. Victories at the Grand Prix du Mans and the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race were achieved prior to WWI, the company going on to become a major force in Grand Prix racing in the 1920s and setting a new World Land Speed Record mark in 1924 with a 10.7-litre overhead-valve V12. Four-cylinder DI and six-cylinder DM cars formed the mainstay of touring car production in the 1920s.

This very appealing, sporty looking Delage comes with a purchase invoice issued by Ateliers et Magazins du Sebou in the French colony of Morocco on 3rd June 1925 to one Maurice Maupiox, an engineer. Mr Maupoix made frequent visits to the dealership as evidenced by related invoices on file. In 1954 he moved to Vesly, France and eventually sold the car to Belgium on 31st May 1963. The purchaser was a Mr Verhoeven, as stated on the Belgian registration certificate. After that, the Delage was never registered again. An unrestored survivor and believed highly original, the car starts, runs, shifts and brakes - even the lights are working. Equally surprising, all the original instruction booklets and tools are still present.