The sole French manufacturer to win the Indianapolis 500 when its Type Y took the chequered flag in 1914, Delage also enjoyed sufficient grand prix success the following decade to be crowned ‘World Champion of Car Builders’ not to mention setting various Land Speed Records.

A credible rival to Bugatti, Delahaye and Hispano-Suiza, its model range grew to an unsustainable degree during the 1930s.

Thus by 1935, the year it went into voluntary liquidation, Delage was offering no fewer than sixteen different chassis, nine distinct engines and twenty-six catalogued bodystyles! Reincorporated later that same year as the Société Nouvelle des Automobiles Delage thanks to the efforts of its preeminent Parisian dealer (a British expat by the name of Walter Watney) and former arch rival Delahaye, the new entity fielded a far smaller range.

Arguably even more surprising than Delahaye’s vital help was its decision to market / position the reborn Delage’s flagship models above its own.

Unveiled a...