The French Delaunay-Belleville P 4B Torpedo from 1924.
Automobiles Delaunay-Belleville was a French luxury automobile manufacturer at Saint-Denis, France, north of Paris. At the beginning of the 20th century they were among the most prestigious cars produced in the world, and perhaps the most desirable French brand.
Julien Belleville had been a maker of marine boilers from around 1850. Louis Delaunay joined the firm in 1867 and married Belleville’s daughter. He changed his name to Delaunay-Belleville and succeeded his father-in-law in charge of the company.
The company started with three models, all four-cylinders: a live axled 16 hp and a 24 hp and 40 hp model, both chain-driven. These were likely the first automobiles to have pressure-lubricated camshafts. The bodies were attached with just four bolts, and the brakes were water-cooled, from a 2 imp gal (9.1 L; 2.4 US gal) reservoir.
Delaunay-Belleville were a prestige marque, and one of the world’s leaders, from the outset, and by 1906, Emperor Nicholas II of Russia had purchased a 40. Other royal owners included King George I of Greece and King Alphonso XIII of Spain.
The first French car maker to offer a six-cylinder engine, Delaunay-Belleville’s 70 hp became available only in 1909, and then only in small numbers, remaining in limited production until 1912. This model came to be known as the Type SMT, or Sa Majesté le Tsar, because Nicholas purchased one of the last 70s built. He also ordered another in 1909; the demand for a silent starter, operable from the driving seat, became known as a Barbey starter, and was made standard at the end of 1910.
