The historic racing car brand from France, Delage, is ready to legally break the fastest road-legal production car record with the D12 Hybrid model, which is its first product after 65 years of vacuum. The French brand was founded in 1905 as a racing car manufacturer. Despite having a short but fruitful career, the firm had to close its doors in 1954.
The Delage D12 is a hybrid supercar whose lines, according to its creators, are inspired by the design of Formula 1 single-seaters and combat aircraft, but are suitable for a road destination. The street-legal Delage D12 will be offered in two versions: GT and Club. Both are powered by a French-made 7.6-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine paired to a bespoke eight-speed automated single-clutch transmission housing an electric motor.
The D12 GT will harness 1,100 hp and have a dry weight of 3,086 pounds (1,400 kg), while the 1,010 hp Club variant will have a dry weight of only 2,888 pounds (1,310 kg).
Both variants, with different finishes, will use a carbon fiber monocoque with bodywork that ‘wraps’ the narrow fuselage, where the pilot sits in front of the passenger. It is no coincidence that the access to the cockpit is reminiscent of the roof of a fighter jet canopy, emphasizing a lean but hyper-technological look. In front of the driver are a video game-like steering wheel and three screens.
The lighter Delage D12 Club is desired to break the lap record for street-legal cars at the Nürburgring. The record is currently held by the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, which recorded a lap time of 6 minutes 44.97 seconds in July 2018.
Entering the year of its revival, Delage plans the production program of the D12 hybrid for next year. According to Robb Report, this car will be built as many as 30 units with an estimated price of US $2.3 million.
