The Delage D12 is a French hybrid hypercar that resurrects one of the most storied names in pre-war motorsport and gives it 1,100 hp, a naturally aspirated 7.6-litre V12, F1-derived suspension, and a price tag of around 1.7 million pounds. Louis Delage's original dream, a road-going car built around a V12 bearing the name D12, was never completed in his lifetime. Benoit Bagur and the revived Delage marque finally completed it, nearly a century later.
The History Behind the Name
In the 1920s and 1930s, Louis Delage was among the most celebrated automobile constructors in the world, winning at Concours d'Elegance and at grands prix in the same decade. His ambition was always to build a road car around a V12 engine, a project he called the D12. It never happened in his lifetime. The name, the ambition, and the configuration survived into the 21st century thanks to a team of French engineers determined to answer the question of what that car might have been.
What the D12 Actually Is
The D12 GT is powered by a 7.6-litre naturally aspirated V12 producing 990 hp, combined with a 110 hp electric motor for a total output of 1,100 hp. Technical director Benoit Bagur, who has deep roots in rally engineering, has worked with 1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve as chief test driver. As Autocar reported, the chassis is a central carbon fibre monocoque with an aluminium rear frame, and the aerodynamics generate nearly double the downforce of most production hypercars.
The suspension system is derived directly from Formula 1: a contractive architecture that is tuned for road use while preserving the lateral load management of a single-seater race car. Carbon fibre wheels with integrated brake cooling complete the technical picture. Despite all of this, the D12 is road-legal and homologated for public roads.
Bespoke in Every Sense
Each of the planned 30 units is built to order. The carbon fibre seat is moulded to the client's body. The steering wheel and pedal configuration are adjustable to fit the driver's dimensions. The Focal sound system can be colour-matched to the exterior finish, and the infotainment system offers up to 432 different driving mode configurations. As TechEBlog noted, no two D12s will leave the factory identical.
TheArsenale is proud to be among the first distributors of the Delage D12. You can find the Delage D12 F1-inspired hypercar directly on TheArsenale. For other exceptional hypercars and track machines, explore the TDF-1 track-only hypercar, the RAESR Tachyon Speed electric hypercar, and the full TheArsenale car collection.
