Delaunay

Automobiles Delaunay-Belleville was a French luxury automobile manufacturer based in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Established in the late 19th century, the company quickly gained a reputation for producing some of the most prestigious and desirable cars in the world, and was regarded as one of the leading French marques in the early 20th century. The company's cars were known for their advanced engineering and high levels of luxury, and they were popular with wealthy customers in Europe and beyond. Despite their success, however, Delaunay-Belleville struggled to adapt to changing market conditions in the post-World War I era, and the company eventually ceased production in the 1920s. Today, the marque is remembered as an important part of the history of French automotive engineering and design.

Julien Belleville, who had been making marine boilers since the mid-19th century, founded a company that later became known as Automobiles Delaunay-Belleville. Louis Delaunay, who joined the firm in 1867 and married Belleville's daughter, took over the company after his father-in-law's death and changed his name to Delaunay-Belleville. In 1903, Louis Delaunay and Marius Barbarou formed S.A. des Automobiles Delaunay-Belleville, and the first car was exhibited at the 1904 Paris Salon, where it received high praise. Delaunay-Belleville became a prestigious brand and was popular among royalty, with Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, King George I of Greece, and King Alphonso XIII of Spain among its customers. The company was the first French car manufacturer to offer a six-cylinder engine, and its 70 hp became available in small numbers from 1909 until 1912. Delaunay-Belleville cars were sold as bare chassis, and bodies were coachbuilt for them. Between 1906 and 1914, British imports were mainly bodied by Shinnie Brothers, a Burlington Coachbuilders subsidiary in Aberdeen, then shipped to London for sale. In the late 1920s, Delaunay-Belleville began to lose its prestige and converted to truck and military vehicle production. The business was sold to Robert de Rovin in 1948, and the factory was thereafter used to make cyclecars.