Delage reborn as hybrid hypercar

Here’s a bit of hypercar fantasy to get your working week underway. It’s called the Delage D12 and it’s a petrol-electric hybrid hypercar designed to reset the infamous Nurburgring’s outright lap record.

If you’re into your automotive history you might know the Delage has been around for a while.

The original company was  founded by Frenchman Louis Delage in 1905. It was taken over by Delahaye in the 1930s and ceased operations in 1953.

Now it’s back with Miami-based French entrepreneur Laurent Tapie running the show.

The rights to the Delage name have been licensed from its official owners, Les Amis de Delage, with a purchase price pre-negotiated for an exclusive seven-year period, which started in 2019.

The agreement includes a unilateral option for Tapie, the son of French billionaire businessman and politician Bernard Tapie, to purchase the brand beginning in 2022.

The D12 GT combines a naturally-aspirated 670kW 7.6-litre V12 engine with a 250kW electric motor for a combined output of 820kW. Add an eight-speed single-clutch transmission and 1400kg dry weight for a 0-100km/h acceleration claim of just 2.5 seconds.

Key tech features beyond the drivetrain include a carbon-fibre monocoque, panels and wheels and F1-style pushrod suspension.

Tapie says there’s a 100kg lighter Club version on the wings that would be even faster.

And here’s another mind-boggling stat: the Delage would be worth at least AU$3.2 million if it ever lobbed in Australia.

That’s pretty unlikely as Tapie says just 30 will ever be built, starting in 2021, with two of them reported to have already been sold.

At least if any Aussie does put up the dosh, there won’t’ be any left- to right-hand driver challenges, as the D12 is a two-seater where the passenger sits behind the driver in an enclosed cockpit.

That emphasises Tapie’s ambition to make a road car with the performance levels of an F1 racer.

The best way to prove that as far as he is concerned is reset the Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record that currently resides with the Porsche 919 Evo at 5:19.55 sec. Not bad for 20km and 154 corners!

Tapie has recruited 1997 F1 world championship Jacques Villeneuve as test driver. Sounds like just the bloke for a crack at bettering that time…