1912 Delage Type R. Tourer

The current custodian purchased this fine Delage in 2002 from Mr Banfield, a prolific veteran car enthusiast and a past president of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain. The Delage was in derelict condition, but was original, untouched and required no welding whatsoever. All panel work, including the wing panels, are all original and amazingly, the timber framing is also original and in good condition. The vendor has instructed a programme of sympathetic restoration to the original specification during his ownership of the motor car, at a cost of over £60,000. The wood spoked artillery road wheels have been restored and are fitted with new tyres and tubes. The engine has been dismantled, fully checked and reassembled, and is in full running order. The carburettor and magneto have been reconditioned by a specialist, and the gearbox overhauled and fitted with new bearings; the unit has also been modified to take modern oil seals. The original radiator assembly has been cleaned and pressure tested by a specialist.

The rear axle has been removed, stripped, found to be in working order and refitted. The brake shoes are machined to accept modern brake linings. New King Pins have been manufactured and installed, and interestingly, the original oilers carrying the Delage inscription were refitted. A Dynostart has been fitted to ease the starting procedure, and the Delage is equipped with a recently new battery.

The five seat, three door coachbuilt body assembly has been removed from the chassis, sympathetically restored, reassembled and repainted to an exceptional standard. The original upholstery and trim were beyond restoration and therefore used as patterns to produce exact copies of the original. The same process applied to the hood assembly and the leather side skirts. All original brass components, including the Lucidus oil side lamps, the acetylene headlamps by Besnard of Paris, the Dependence Generator, the folding windscreen, the Rettectall driver’s mirror and all of the brass brackets and fittings have been refurbished to an exceptional standard. Even the bone interior door handles are in place. It is also worth noting that there is a useful stowage compartment at the rear of the body.

Since the restoration, the Delage has been tested for approximately twelve miles on private roads for shake down purposes, so we would recommend further use and testing.

Supplied with the motor car is a photocopy of the ‘Instructions for the Maintenance, Lubrication and Driving of Delage Cars’, a scale drawing of the windscreen assembly, the Delage section of the VSCC information, and the V5 registration document.

A wonderful opportunity to acquire an exceptional Edwardian Delage.

SOLD