After a 70-year absence, famed French automaker Delage is returning with an all-new hypercar called the D12.
The name is a throwback to the eight-cylinder Delage D8 of the late 1930s. It was a beautiful coupe with teardrop fenders and a sleek body. In its day, it was one of the premier cars available.
Delage says the new D12 is more like a fighter jet than a car. The driver sits directly in the center. There is a single passenger seat, but it’s directly behind the driver. It’s more like the cockpit of a fighter plane than a standard vehicle setup. The D12 has been designed more like a Formula 1 racer than a typical streetcar, according to the company.
The original Delage company went bankrupt in 1953. The name was transferred to the Les Amis de Delage organization. The brand is now being resurrected. It’s been licensed to a new French company that is focused on building race cars.
Let’s Talk Numbers
Powering the new D12 is a 7.6-litre V12 engine that is proprietary to the automaker. It’s combined with a single electric motor for an output of 1,100 horsepower. That’s enough power to propel the D12 from 0-to-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. That’s crazy fast!
Delage said that it intends to take the D12 to the Nurburgring test track in Germany. They claim the D12 can beat the current record lap time for production cars, whch is 6:44.97. It was last set by the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ in 2018. Helping them to reach that record is former Canadian F1 world champion driver Jacques Villeneuve, who has signed on to be one of the company’s test drivers.
Only 30 D12 racecars will be built at a cost of $2.3 million USD each. The first D12 deliveries are expected in 2021.
Delage
Delage
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