Delage D6 History

Luxury car · 1930–1953

History

Introduced in 1930 alongside the D8, the D6 used a 3,045 cc straight-six producing 75 hp and was offered on two chassis lengths. Over its long production run it was continuously developed: engine sizes and outputs changed with each major variant (D6-11, D6-65, D6-70, D6-75, D6-80 and others), and it became the mainstay of Delage passenger-car production after the more complex D8 was discontinued.

The D6-70, produced under Delahaye ownership in the late 1930s, proved its competition durability by winning the Tourist Trophy at Donington Park in 1938 and finishing second at Le Mans in 1939 and again in 1949 — extraordinary results for a road-based touring car.

After the Second World War, Delahaye resumed Delage production with the D6 3-Litre (D6-3L), a 2,984 cc straight-six producing 90 hp. A high-performance derivative called the D6 Olympic was shown in 1946, fitted with triple carburettors for 100 hp and a top speed of approximately 140 km/h (87 mph). Production fell sharply in the early 1950s — just 77 Delage and Delahaye cars combined in 1951, 41 in 1952 — before Delage production ceased entirely in 1953.

Generations

First generation · Pre-war D6 series (1930–1940)

Multiple engine variants (3.0–3.6 litres); D6-70 won the 1938 Tourist Trophy and placed second at Le Mans 1939.
- 1930
  Photo: “File:Delage D6 Long Chapron (1930) right.jpg” by Andrew Bone / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
- 1934
  Photo: “File:1934 Delage D6.11 (20875449221).jpg” by Daniel Jolivet / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
- 1937
  Photo: “File:Delage D6-60 Roadster (1937).jpg” by Andrew Bone / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
- 1938
  Photo: “File:1938 Delage D6-70.JPG” by Hektor / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Post-war · D6-3L / D6 Olympic (1946–1953)

Photo: “File:Paris - Retromobile 2012 - Delage D6 3 Litre - 1947 - 003.jpg” by Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . Cropped to 16:9.

2,984 cc six-cylinder; 90 hp standard, 100 hp in Olympic triple-carburettor form; coachbuilt bodies until production ended.
- 1947
  Photo: “File:1947 Delage D6-70 by Letourneur et Marchand - Front three-quarters view 1.jpg” by Akela NDE ( talk ) / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 fr . Cropped to 16:9.