Considered by many to be Delage’s pièce de résistance, the D8 featured a four-liter pushrod straight eight-cylinder that ran on five main bearings and produced 105 brake horsepower, with a smoothness and silence of operation that was the envy of nearly every other automaker. Such was the acclaim given to La Belle Voiture Française that its makers proudly boasted, “At the Concours d’Elegance held during 1930 in the principal cities of Europe, Delage Straight Eights received more awards than any other car.”

Several variants of the D8 were produced. Chassis number 34738, offered here, is known as a D8 C, which featured the base Normale chassis with the hotter D8 S’s engine, using amendments to the valve gear and higher compression for 118 brake horsepower at 3,800 rpm. It is the only known surviving D8 C bodied by the renowned French coachbuilder, Henri Chapron.

The car was actually first delivered in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on 14 July 1931, with its original Scottish registration plates, HS6322, remaining to this day. In 1939 it passed to Roland Stanley Bevan of Taunton, Somerset, who sold it in 1959 to Douglas Henry Shrimpton of Dorset. Around 1960 it was acquired by Chicago-based enthusiast Vojta Mashek. Mashek sold the Delage in 1966 to Homer Fitterling of South Bend, Indiana, best-remembered for his large collection of Duesenbergs…which he reportedly towed to shows using the Delage!

Dr. Peter Kesling of LaPorte, Indiana, acquired the Delage from Mr. Fitterling in 1973. In 2016 Dr. Kesling recounted that the car was intact, solid, and ran well, but was ready for restoration. Between 1992 and 1994 the car was restored by the highly regarded LaVine Restorations of Nappanee, Indiana, complete with Brazilian rosewood interior trim. Afterward it was exhibited at several Midwestern events, including in 1994 at the Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance.

The Delage was a proud feature of the Kesling stable until 2016. It was acquired by a collector in California who freshened the restoration, with a rich new maroon livery to the body, and soon passed from his hands to Ray and Bonnie Kinney. The Kinneys considered the Delage one of their first “major” acquisitions, and it became a great personal favorite in the collection. Most prominently it was brought to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2017 and in 2018 to the San Marino Motor Classic, receiving a class award at each.

Accompanied by a history file detailing its life and restoration, this Delage remains La Belle Voiture Française.