DELAGE ROARS BACK

Entrepreneur Laurent Tapie is raising the legendary marque from the grave...

- NICOLAS STECHER

In 1874 Pierre Louis Adolphe Delage was born in the verdant countryside of Cognac, France. Among some of the finest vineyards in the world, this watchmaker's son studied the sciences, graduating from the nearby Ecole des Arts & Métiers with an engineering degree. After securing a financial backer in 1905, he founded Delage, which would go on to find great fame in the world of motorsports. With a fleet of hand-built, V12-powered racers, Delage would claim Grand Prix wreaths and world speed records, peaking in 1927 when his Type 15 S 8 crossed four European Grand Prix checkered flags, winning his eponymous nameplate the World Championship and the Légion d'Honneur for his driver Robert Benoist. Sadly, the halcyon years would be short-lived.

Despite building some of the most luxurious and expensive cars the world had ever seen, the knockout combo of the Great Depression and World War II conspired to kill the marque. By the early 50s, after being sold to peers Delahaye, Delage faded to black.

Until today, that is. "Because I'm French, Delage was really an obvious choice." Laurent Tapie explains from his headquarters in Magny-Cours. A serial entrepreneur, the son of businessman and politician Bernard Tapie - best known for reviving the moribund Adidas in the early 90s, and being owner of the Champions League winning Olympique de Marseille football club – has charged himself with resurrecting the storied marque. “The only two brands in French history that were ever world champion in Grand Prix are Bugatti and Delage, no one else," he reminds us. “Delage set several world records of speed, and in the first half of the 20th Century won more Prix d'Elegance than any other brand in the world."