22 Janvier 2019

DELAHAYE USA

Quick resume about Delahaye :

Delahaye automobile was an automotive manufacturing company founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France, his home town. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines mounted at the rear. His Type One was an instant success, and he urgently needed investment capital and a larger manufacturing facility. Both were provided by a new Delahaye owner and fellow racer, George Morane, and his brother-in-law Leon Desmarais, who partnered with Émile in the incorporation of the new automotive company, "Societe Des Automobiles Delahaye", in 1898. All three worked with the foundry workers to assemble the new machines, but middle-aged Émile was not in good health.

In January 1901, he found himself unable to capably continue, and resigned, selling his shares to his two equal partners. Émile Delahaye died soon after, in 1905. Delahaye had hired two instrumental men, Charles Weiffenbach and Amédée Varlet in 1898, to assist the three partners. Both were graduate mechanical engineers, and they remained with Delahaye their entire working careers. Weiffenbach was appointed Manager of Operations, and, with the blessing of both George Morane and Leon Desmarais, assumed control over all of Delahaye's operations and much of its decision-making, in 1906.

Amédée Varlet was the company's design-engineer, with a number of innovative inventions to his credit, generated between 1905 and 1914, which Delahaye patented. These included the twin-cam multi-valve engine, and the V6 configuration. Varlet continued in this role until he eventually took over the Drawing Office, at 76 years of age, when much younger Jean François was hired in 1932 as chief design-engineer. In 1932, Varlet was instructed by Weiffenbach, under direction from majority shareholder Madame Desmarais, Leon Desmarais' widow, to set up the company's Racing Department, assisted by Jean François. Those who knew him well at the factory affectionately referred to Charles Weiffenbach as "Monsieur Charles".

The brand stopped the car production after the Second World War. In the USA, Terry Cook decided to produce kit car taking inspiration from the Delahaye heritage.

Delahaye USA

We respectfully named the company "Delahaye USA" in tribute to Emil Delahaye, the revered designer who began manufacturing cars in Tours, France in 1879.

Delahaye USA is not connected in any way with the original Delahaye GFA, or The Delahaye Club of France, a loyal group of dedicated enthusiasts who have registered
more than 1,800 cars.

Terry Cook

Owner of Delahaye USA and creator of the Pacific

Biography

Born in Chicago, 1942, graduated high school in New Jersey, 1960.
Studied engineering at Lehigh University for three years.
Started automotive journalism career in 1962 with Drag News.
Staff Writer Drag World Newspaper 1962-65
1966 to 1971 was a staff writer, then editor, at Car Craft Magazine.
Editor of Hot Rod Magazine from 1972 to 1974.
From 1974 to 1977, editor of Vans & Trucks magazine.
From 1979 to 1984 started, grew and sold a successful screen-printing trade publication.
From 1983 to present, owner and operator of Appleton Productions, parent company of Lead East 1950's Nostalgia Weekend and Deco Rides.

Originally an automotive journalist and hot rodder, Terry Cook began manufacturing his own car designs in earnest in the early 1990s. After succeeding with his iconic "Scrape" Zephyr and "Deco Liner" Zephyr Delivery, Cook turned his attention to the coachbuilt-era of the French streamliners after seeing the 1939 Shah of Persia Bugatti in 1995.

In His Own Words

Now that the Pacific's done, what are you doing today to further your passion?

I'm currently building 7 or 8... I lost count, could be 10, creations right now. Some of them I re-designed, some were designed by my pal and pro car designer, John Caswell, a graduate of the Art Center in Pasadena.

Alfred Hitchcock said that the most enjoyable periods of his life were when he would search and search and then find a screenplay he wanted to make a movie of. He would "shoot the movie in his mind". Getting up at 5 am every day to actually shoot the scenes over and over was drudgery, but visually imagining, creating and conceptualizing how each scene would be shot was pure bliss. The same can be said for my visions of cars I love to build. But it takes so long to build them, so I am building 8 or 10 cars at any given time. I am addicted to starting new car projects. Everybody else is building supercars that go 250 mph, I'm building super-looking cars. Make no mistake, I'm just copying and tweaking cars that other people designed decades ago. But I'm picking the best looking cars in history and paying strict homage to those great car designers. I love what I do.

You've got a lot on your plate. Pardon me for saying so but you're 71, how do you do it?

People have told me I am driven by a dynamo of energy. I refer to myself as 24-volt guy in a 12-volt world. I've never been a "money guy". My payoff is sharing that moment of happy astonishment people have when they see one of my creations for the first time. It's everything I do it for.

In my lifetime chasing cars and searching for good vendors and potential customers I've been to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thailand, Japan, Abu Dhabi, New Zealand, Dubai, Hungary, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, England, Scotland, etc. I've been through most of the great car museums of the world, some twice.

So it's the artist's side that pushes you forward.

I love to be creative. Whether I'm writing a story, or assembling an issue of a magazine that entertains and brings enjoyment and education to loyal readers. Or if I'm creating a party that brings joy, relaxation and fun to 13,000 people and families in a 100 percent American way. Creating cars that stun people with their raw beauty is another way to express my creativity. Stun them with beauty, paralyze them with sensual sweeping lines. I'm following my dream.

Delahaye USA - Recreating the Most Beautiful Cars in the World

Recreating The Most Beautiful Cars In The World - Delahaye USA

http://delahayeusa.com/