Toby Wilson
Head of Department
LOT 311
1911 Delahaye Type 413a Charabanc Registration no. LE 7485 Chassis no. 8883
Sold for £61,980 inc. premium
Lot 311
1911 Delahaye Type 413a Charabanc
The December Sale Collector's Motor Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia|7 December 2016, 16:00 GMT|London, Olympia
1911 Delahaye Type 413a Charabanc
Registration no. LE 7485
Chassis no. 8883
Registration no. LE 7485
Chassis no. 8883
*Originally a fire engine in France
*Previously on long-term museum display
*British owned since 1973
*Restored and re-bodied 2014-2016
*Previously on long-term museum display
*British owned since 1973
*Restored and re-bodied 2014-2016
Footnotes
Based initially at Tours and from 1906 in Paris, Delahaye built its first automobile in 1895 and later branched out into commercial vehicle manufacture. Up to the mid-1930s its products tended to be worthy though unexciting, but then in 1935 came the first of a new generation which would change the marque's image forever - the T135 Coupe Des Alpes.
Emile Delahaye himself designed the early cars and remained with the company he had founded after its sale in 1897 to two Paris-based industrialists, Léon Desmarais and Georges Morane. He retired in 1901, leaving Delahaye in the capable hands of production manager Charles Weiffenbach and engineer Amédée Varlet. By this time the company had left its Tours home and been re-established in the Morane family's factory in the Gobbelins district of Paris.
The firm built single- and twin-cylinder models initially, and introduced its first four-cylinder car – the Type 11 – in 1903. By the outbreak of The Great War, Delahaye had established a reputation for quality and reliability and was ranked in the top ten of French carmakers. During WWI, Delahaye manufactured military trucks, FN rifles and parts for Hispano-Suiza aero engines.
This particular Delahaye started life in France as a fire engine built by Société Generale du Carrosserie et de Charronage of Paris, and was in service in south east France. After very little tine in service, it was superseded by a larger machine that could cover a wider area. Decommissioned, the Delahaye found its way to the Musée de l'Automobile du Sud-Est in St Cannat (Provence) where it remained for many years. When the museum closed in 1973, the Delahaye was purchased by Michael Banfield, a well known British fire engine enthusiast, who kept it for another 40 years with the intention of undertaking a restoration, though this was never carried out. The Delahaye was registered in the UK in 1981 as 'LE 7485'.
In 2014, the present owner purchased the Delahaye and commenced out a 'ground upwards' restoration, which included fitting the 12-seater charabanc body. The vehicle is powered by a 3.0-litre, four-cylinder, sidevalve engine, which drives via a Ferodo type cone clutch to a three-speed transaxle gearbox with reverse gear. Final drive is by chain. A battery, charging system, and electric starter motor have been added, while the metal brakes have been converted to Ferodo friction linings, and pneumatic tyres fitted to the wooden wheels (the original tyres would have been solid rubber). The restoration was only completed earlier this year (2016), and related bills are available. Perfect for summer outings in the company of friends and family, and with considerable potential for promotional work, this unique vehicle also comes with a UK V5C registration Certificate and import paperwork showing duties paid.
Saleroom notices
Please be advised that the plate on the bulkhead reads: Type 43A, No. 249.
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