The D8-100 was the first of the sumptuous sporting eight-cylinder Delage automobiles to be built under the auspices of the firm’s onetime competitors, Delahaye.

It featured an enlarged engine, producing roughly 100 brake horsepower and mated to the Cotal pre-selector transmission on either a 132- or 143-inch-wheelbase chassis, permitting the fitment of many types of coachwork.

These bodies were made for the crème of European society by the continent’s finest coachbuilders, including Franay of Paris, known for the exceptional quality of fit and finish of their beautifully designed work.

Chassis number 50770 was reportedly the fifth D8-100 produced and is the earliest known survivor.

This is believed to have been one of five examples bodied as this handsome coupé chauffeur by Carrosserie Franay, all of which differed in the detail of their rear sheet metal; it is further currently the only one known to have survived.

Delage historian Daniel Cabart indicates that when new the car was...