French title
Chassis no. 36879
Engine no. 8491

- One of the 99 Delage D8S chassis
- High-quality restoration
- Elegantly styled three-position cabriolet

In the Paris Motor Show issue of La Vie Automobile in 1932, the journalist Henri Petit concluded his test of the new Delage D8S in these terms: "There is a special pleasure to be had from the ability to drive at such high speeds with a complete sense of safety, while keeping plenty of power in reserve to accelerate or climb a hill." Added to the range in 1933, the D8S was an exclusive and sporting model. This chassis, of which 99 were built, offered extra power, with positive-return valves inspired by aviation and an oil sump cooled by ventilation tubes, and had lowered suspension. It was fitted with bodies by the most prestigious coachbuilders and remains Delage's most iconic touring model from the period.
Chassis 36789, one of the 99 D8S chassis, left the factory in Courbevoie in 1932 and it was probably at Vanvooren, also based at Courbevoie, that it received this elegant four-seat cabriolet body with a folding hood. Although this cannot be stated with certainty, many details of the car's appearance are shared with other bodies from the coachbuilder. The quality of finish is remarkable, right down to details such as the integrated door hinges, a refinement still rare at the time.
Its elegance so appealed to the famous collector André Surmain, who owned the most beautiful Delage D8S models (the works roadster, the Pourtout cabriolet) that he acquired the car in the 1960s. It was apparently at this time that the engine no. 86 originally fitted to the car was transferred to Surmain's works roadster. The car is now fitted with the D8 block no. 8491, but this has been reassembled with the valve control system specific to the D8S, as the current owner has confirmed. The car was next seen in the hands of Jean-Jacques Léon, notably on the Delage Rally at Mougins in October 1981. The elegant cabriolet then changed hands in 1994, before entering the workshops of J.L. Bonnefoy for restoration, during which it was repainted in cream. Philippe Salvan became its new owner in 2006 and had it repainted in its current attractive shade of black, while the hood was restored using beige fabric. Its current owner, a discerning and meticulous collector, acquired the car in 2014. In order to be able to drive it at any time, he decided to rebuild the electrical system using proper cotton-fabric cables and ensured that all the instruments worked. The brakes were restored, the swivel joints and their bushings rebuilt and the bearings replaced. The upholstery was entrusted to the Manufacture Française du Cuir in 2016 to be restored. In superb condition, this stylish three-position cabriolet, with its low, swept-back windscreen, has all the equipment needed for long journeys: two spare wheels, a searchlight within easy reach of the driver, and even a free-flow exhaust for use out of town! It will be equally at home in concours d'élégance as on Europe's pretty backroads.

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