Forget Hypercars – This is A Fighter Jet On Wheels!
Never heard of Delage? Very few have – it is a French automaker that used to rule the race tracks in the early 1900s! Founded in 1905 they were known for their V12 hand-built race cars that crushed many speed records and Grand Prix titles!
Since their peak years however, the company disappeared following World War 2 and the Great Depression. But now – over 115 years later – Delage is being revived! And their first modern machine out the gate – is the D12.
Powered by a mid-mounted 7.6 litre Hybrid, the engine cranks 990 horsepower at 8,200 rpm. The street-legal GT version gets a 110 hp electric motor which amps the output to 1,100 horsepower! Of course, there’s a next level version called the D12 Club, which uses a 20 hp electric motor (combined 1,010 hp) but also loses 90 kg!
All models use an eight-speed single-clutch gearbox with sophisticated suspension tech never before used on a production vehicle! The 1390 kg GT model does 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds onto 360km/h, while the less powerful yet lighter D12 Club gets to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds with the same top speed.
Calling it a hypercar would be underselling, it’s a machine an alien would drive, with an extra-terrestrial design purely focused on aerodynamics. Handling dynamics such as the front nose spoiler and huge rear spoiler are tuned razer-sharp, while every vent is made with efficiency and downforce in mind. So much so, it is well capable of being driven upside down in a tunnel!
The daring design doesn’t end with the exterior though. The cockpit is very fighter jet-like and opens up like any glass canopy as seen on Top Gun! Within this carbon-fibre monocoque chassis there is a centre-mounted driver seat with a passenger seat behind in tandem.
For the controls, the driver is treated to a yoke steering wheel complete with two arcade joy sticks that makes the Tesla’s look ancient! Three digital screens are spread over a tiny dash which includes the instrument cluster and an infotainment setup with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay!
In its final stage of testing, the D12 will be sold next year to 30 lucky people with a spare $2.5 million!
In the meantime, the team will take it to the famous Nurburgring track to hopefully beat the Manthey-Racing’s Porsche 911 GT2 RS’ time of 6:43.300s. If they manage a quicker run – no one will forget the name Delage again!
