Before ruthless, post war taxation system toppled Paris from its once proud position as the World centre of Women’s fashion and proud cars – one marque, Delage, seemed to link these two diverse forms of art more closely together.

La Belle Delage became special favorites among the best dressed women in Paris, despite some counter attractions by the more expensive Hispano-Suiza and Isotta-Fraschini.

Women in particular found their Delages not only pleasing to the eye, but equally delightful to drive with light, responsive controls, good independent front suspension, while Delage were among the first to fit all synchromesh gearboxes, long before the war.

Louis Delage, talented artist-engineer grew up in the French province of Cognac, where he was born in 1874. Only hard work and determination to save every Franc he could lay his hands on, enabled the youthful Delage to rise from the comparative poverty of a working class home to become one of the great motorcar manufacturers of France.

Sporting interests did not prevent Louis Delage from continuing to improve the range of his vehicles. At the 1923 October Salon Show, a new improvement of model 11CV appeared – the DI, replacing the DE.

The DI was one of those Vehicles that led to the fame of Delage. Its mechanical aspect, well designed and simple was of excellent quality.

• Chassis: 13987
• Engine: 3113
• VCC ID: VV3907
• NZ Certificate Of Registration Available.
• We know, through photos and meticulously documented restoration and build history, that this car was restored from the ground up. That’s total restoration i.e.: chassis, woodwork, upholstery, electrical circuit, engine, everything is new.
• We know it was owned by Russell Hugh Barnard of Christchurch, and a certain Colin Lyon of Pleasant Point, New Zealand. It is our understanding that one of them restored the Vehicle.
• It is VCC registered in New Zealand and also member of the Delage Club in New Zealand…so no doubt that both these clubs in New Zealand would have much more information about its provenance.
• Car is immaculate and in exceptional working order.

Louis Delage created an important part of the tradition and heritage of the automotive golden age in France. Delage cars have all that is meant by ‘la belle voiture français,’ together with Bugattis, Hispano-Suiza and, later, Talbot-Lago, which inspired France’s coach builders to produce moving works of art.

This is a very special car and Delage’s reputation as France’s Finest Car is undisputed. Its multiplicity of models was separated from competition with such fabulous designs as the Indianapolis winning Type Y, the desmodromic valve Type S that Barney Oldfield drove to fifth in the 1916 Indy 500, the 2LCV V-12 Grand Prix cars and the all-conquering 15-S-8 GP of 1927 which swept every grand prix that year, a car that many have said has no equal in GP history for design and execution.

The 1925 Delage DI C represents an appealing part of the French marque’s pre-war history, combining elegant period styling with the engineering quality for which Delage became internationally respected. The DI series was introduced during a period when Delage was establishing itself among Europe’s more prestigious manufacturers, and surviving examples today offer considerably more character and rarity than many better-known mass-produced contemporaries. Values are influenced heavily by originality, body style, provenance, mechanical condition and the quality of any restoration. While Delage enjoys strong recognition among knowledgeable collectors, cars such as the DI C occupy a specialist market, meaning values can vary substantially between individual examples. The best cars, particularly those with documented history and attractive period coachwork, continue to attract serious interest from enthusiasts of quality French automobiles.

The wider vintage-car market has become increasingly selective, with buyers placing greater emphasis on rarity, history, usability and authenticity rather than simply age. Mainstream pre-war cars can take longer to sell than sporting classics from later decades, but exceptional automobiles from respected marques remain sought after internationally. Importantly, cars from the 1920s are now increasingly viewed as pieces of motoring history rather than simply old vehicles, with ownership often centred around preservation, historic events, rallies and the experience of driving machinery approaching a century old. For the right collector, a 1925 Delage therefore offers something increasingly difficult to replicate: genuine pre-war craftsmanship, scarcity and an important connection with one of France’s great historic motor manufacturers.

New Zealand Sales
Unless otherwise stated, vehicles sold for use in New Zealand will be supplied with a new Warrant of Fitness (WoF) and 12 months New Zealand registration at the time of sale.

Transport & Shipping
New Zealand transport and worldwide shipping can be arranged on the Buyer’s behalf and at the Buyer’s cost and risk. Any freight, shipping, insurance, customs charges, duties, taxes, import costs, certification or compliance costs are the responsibility of the Buyer unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Export Sales
For vehicles purchased for export, the Buyer is responsible for determining and satisfying all import, registration, certification, compliance, tax and regulatory requirements applicable in the destination country.

Viewing
All vehicle inspections and viewings are strictly by appointment only.

Applicable Law
All sales are subject to applicable New Zealand law. Nothing in these Conditions of Sale excludes or limits any statutory rights or obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

For more information about this vehicle, please contact us Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 6:00pm (New Zealand Standard Time) on +64 (0) 3 310-6485. Alternatively, you may email us at [email protected] anytime, or contact us through the form below.

The Purchaser is encouraged to personally fully inspect the vehicle and also to have the vehicle inspected, and fully assessed by an experienced, independent, specialist garage - before committing to purchase. While the Purchaser is entitled to rely on statements given by Waimak Group Ltd as being correct, where goods such as vehicles are concerned, with so many moving parts and rust being an issue with older vehicles; a Purchaser who chooses not to seek independent professional assistance when assessing the quality of what they propose to buy is considered as buying at their own risk, and if the vehicle then turns out to be of less than the represented quality, or not up to the Purchaser's expectation, or in the Purchaser opinion not fit for purpose; then the Purchaser is considered to have contributed to their own loss and should not expect any refunds or betterment from Waimak.

NOTIFICATION AS TO NATURE OF GOODS IN TERMS OF THE CONSUMER GUARANTEES ACT 1993

Waimak Group Ltd is a New Zealand registered company and accepts that the vehicle being sold must be of “acceptable quality” in terms of section 7 of the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (the Act) having regard to “the nature of the goods”. Waimak Group Ltd is not aware of any specific defects with the vehicle, however (a) such a vehicle being a classic vehicle may have mechanical breakdowns, electrical failures at inconvenient times and maintenance costs being part of and parcel of ownership of a classic vehicle; (b) reliability is a combination of the particular nature of the classic vehicle, how it is being driven, how it has been maintained, and to a certain extent luck; (c) because of the age of the vehicle, and its propensity to rust, it is likely that the vehicle would have been fully or partially restored, or at least repainted at some point in its life, maybe even more than once. Waimak Group Ltd does not know, and cannot give advice on how good any restoration work on the vehicle had been.

The Purchaser acknowledges that the vehicle is being sold as a classic car; that in terms of the Act and the nature of the goods, the vehicle is an old car, bike or boat, that may have visual and hidden faults, unlike a new motor vehicle.

The Purchaser is encouraged to personally fully inspect the vehicle and also to have the vehicle inspected, and fully assessed by an experienced, independent, specialist garage - before committing to purchase. While the Purchaser is entitled to rely on statements given by Waimak Group Ltd as being correct, where goods such as vehicles are concerned, with so many moving parts and rust being an issue with older vehicles; a Purchaser who chooses not to seek independent professional assistance when assessing the quality of what they propose to buy is considered as buying at their own risk, and if the vehicle then turns out to be of less than the represented quality, or not up to the Purchaser's expectation, or in the Purchaser opinion not fit for purpose; then the Purchaser is considered to have contributed to their own loss and should not expect any refunds or betterment from Waimak Group Ltd.

The Purchaser acknowledges that they have read and fully understand this notification and the nature of a car which is many years old.