The 1933 Delage D8SS: born for the concours, built to be driven

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Show cars occupy a category all their own. We've all heard the stories: gleaming machines being rolled onto the concours lawn, only to have their wheels swapped out on the spot to ensure not a single blade of grass touches the treads. Impressive, no doubt. But it's the cars that are actually driven — as they were always meant to be — that truly capture the imagination. Especially when they feel just as much at home on the road as they do on the concours field.

During a recent visit to Gubso Garage in Denmark, we encountered one such rarity: a 1933 Delage D8SS with a Sedanca Coupé body, crafted by the famed British coachbuilder Gurney Nutting. Fully restored, mechanically sorted, and almost ready to hit the road. And indeed, it will — owner Mark Vogel plans to drive the car himself next month to the prestigious concours at Blenheim Palace, where it will shine not only on the lawn, but on the journey there as well. Just as it should.

When we visit, work on the car is still in progress. “There are a few details we want to perfect,” Mark says, as he and his team put the final touches on the car. “Fortunately, we can finish those in-house.”

The car was acquired in a partially restored state in France, where it had resided only since the 1990s. Before that, it spent its entire life in the UK — a detail that’s evident not just in the history, but in the design itself. Chassis number 37794 was delivered new to England in 1933. Gurney Nutting fitted it with an elegant, all-aluminium Sedanca body. The engine was upgraded at the time with four SU carburettors, transforming it into a full-fledged D8SS — the Super Sport variant, featuring a short wheelbase and an output of around 145 bhp.

This was no ordinary motor car. In October 1933, it was exhibited at the London Olympia Motor Show and featured in numerous publications — including a glowing article in Country Life, which not only detailed the design but also included a full road test. By April 1934, the car was officially registered and would pass through the hands of various collectors. In the 1960s, it was acquired by British automotive historian J.R. Buckley, who wrote about the car extensively in his works on Delage.

Those British roots are still palpable today. Standing beside the car, the distinctly English silhouette is unmistakable — the upright windscreen, the finely crafted roofline, the poised proportions. We ask a mechanic to open the roof, and with clear enthusiasm he begins the intricate process: bolts loosened, panels slid back, side sections folding away with mechanical elegance — art or engineering? Perhaps both.

The car has been restored to a high mechanical standard, and it shows. Despite the large doors, they close with a satisfying ease. Inside, the cabin is luxuriously understated — refined rather than ostentatious. The longer you study the car, the more it seems to earn your trust. It grows more beautiful by the minute.

Old photographs show the car has worn various liveries over the years. The current combination — ivory with a crimson roof — might not be everyone’s first choice, but it turns out to be entirely original. Mark produces a December 1933 article in which the colours are explicitly described as “ivory with crimson head.”

“When we bought it, it really was a project in bits and boxes,” Mark explains. “The previous owner had started the restoration but never finished. I thought it would be a good project for the team here — something to eventually sell. But it turned into a far bigger undertaking than expected, because we wanted to return it to how it looked on the Olympia stand in 1933.”

And now, more than 90 years later, that moment has come. The car is back in top form — and ready to once again face a London audience. Not on a trailer, but under its own power. As it was always meant to be.

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