Whatever happened to... the Delage D12?

What is it?

A resurrection of French marque Delage, which from 1905-1953 rivalled Bugatti and Rolls-Royce in the production of luxurious motor cars for the very wealthy. Naturally, the best way to pay tribute to this lineage is with a skeletal hybrid praying mantis with wheels, developing a combined 1,100bhp from an electrified 7.6-litre V12.

Did they build any?

Against the odds, there is indeed a running prototype which was showcased on various concours lawns in the latter part of 2019. The firm promised that old chestnut of creating ‘the closest experience possible to a street legal F1 car’. Y’know, like the McLaren F1. And Aston Valkyrie. And Mercedes-AMG One. And Bac Mono.

Where are they now?

Construction of the 30-strong production run, at a cool £1.7m a pop, was apparently due to begin in October 2023, so we ought to be seeing them trickle out into Monaco any day now…