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Topic starter
08/02/2026 5:00 pm
I have two Delage D8 120 S Coupés bodied by Letourner et Marchand so far and will likely add more of this model in time, as I have a special affinity for the automobile. Several years ago, the Northern California Marine Assoc. held their annual dinner in the Blackhawk Museum, surrounded by the vintage cars on display at the time. Somewhere around here I think I have a pic of myself standing next to a 1927 Tulipwood Hispano-Suiza taken that evening. But, the high point for me was being seated seven feet away from an extraordinary 1938 Delage D8 120s Aérosport Coupé by Letourner et Marchand. I will include the only photo of the car while on display, which I found online, as well as several others showing the same car outdoors at an event. I believe it was on loan to the museum, though it may have been part of their permanent collection.
The two of this model I have in my little group are a blue one by Spark and a yellow/brown model from the IXO Museum collection:
I learned something surprising about the IXO Museum model which I will post in a new message. (Too many photos for this post.)
Topic starter
08/02/2026 5:04 pm
The surprise was when I read the IXO Museum model is a copy of the one in the Peterson Automotive Museum and here are the photos of the Peterson Delage D8 120 S Coupé bodied by Letourner et Marchand:
I dare say it's a match, although the Peterson automobile is a 1937 and IXO's model is listed as a 1939. Poetic license, perhaps?
Topic starter
08/02/2026 5:16 pm
Another bit about Delage: if you ever get the chance to drive one, you should know that floor shifter is not a gear changer, but a direction changer. Yup. All four gears forward and reverse. The gear changer is the little gadget on the left side of the steering column, known as a Cotal pre-selector 4 speed manual shifter. It's advantages were numerous: 'During the 1920s and 1930s, several French luxury car manufacturers used three-speed or four-speed preselector gearbox manufactured by Cotal. A unique aspect of the Cotal gearbox was the use of electromagnetic clutches (instead of band brakes) to engage the gears.[21] A downside to this approach was that a loss of electrical power meant that the engine could no longer drive the wheels. The clutches were controlled by a simple dashboard or column-mounted switch, described as "a cherry on a cocktail stick",[2] and relays. There was no mechanical servo action, so no need for the Wilson's cam or toggle arrangements and the change gear pedal.' (Wiki)
08/02/2026 5:31 pm
The surprise was when I read the IXO Museum model is a copy of the one in the Peterson Automotive Museum.
Yep, here it was last March.
08/02/2026 5:40 pm
Beautiful cars. I was at the Blackhawk museum about 1 year ago. Great place to visit.
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
09/02/2026 7:43 am
Love the Delage!! Like this one in 1/24th:
09/02/2026 8:20 am
@perrone1 These are all very nice models of car that was clearly ahead of its time! 😉
09/02/2026 11:10 am
Spectacular in any scale.
John Bono
North Jersey
09/02/2026 3:49 pm
And here's the Tulipwood I saw on Father's Day 2009 in Oakbrook, IL.
09/02/2026 3:54 pm
@paul-rouffa ...big deal, so someone flipped a canoe over and added an engine & some wheels. (yawn )
😆 😀 😆
Topic starter
10/02/2026 12:17 pm
@paul-rouffa The car I saw at the Blackhawk museum in 2002 had copper-colored, or painted, wheels and spokes. The radiator surround and headlamps were in chrome, though, like the one in your photos. However, the pan in front of the radiator was the same color as the wheels on the Blackhawk Tulipwood H-S.
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