Mullin Delage D8-120 cabriolet to be showcased at Salon Privé

A fabulous Delage with silver screen history is sure to wow onlookers in the Pre-War Luxury Tourers Class during the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance which forms part of Salon Privé.

The 1939 D8-120 Cabriolet, with a ‘Bustle Back’ outline by legendary French coachbuilder Henri Chapron, has a fascinating backstory, and will make a rare UK appearance before an appreciative audience at Blenheim Palace on Thursday, 30 August. Delivered new to Chapron as a rolling chassis, it was equipped with an exceptionally elegant four-seater body, complete with a three-position top. The car was reputedly commandeered by a collaborating French general of the Vichy government during World War 2. In 1946, a year after the end of hostilities, he dispatched the car to California on the assumption that he would be reunited with it shortly thereafter. However, he was unable to obtain a visa to enter the USA, so he fled to Argentina instead. The general subsequently sold the Delage to RKO Pictures, one of the ‘Big Five’ studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age.