Delage 15S8 "Dick Seaman Special"

1936 Delage 15S8 Grand Prix "Dick Seaman Special"

195 bhp @ 8,000 rpm (claimed) /
185 bhp @ 8,000 rpm (actual)
1.488 liter straight-eight
5-speed manual transmission

After the close of the 1927 racing season, Louis Delage shuttered the Delage racing department to focus on building road cars, and sold all of the 15S8s to various private collectors.

This particular car, chassis #4, was raced in the 1929 Indy 500 by Louis Chiron. Robert Senechal bought the car in 1930 and raced it until his career-ending injury in 1931. He then sold the car to Earl Howe.

Earl Howe already owned a Delage 15S8 so chassis 4 was more of a backup car, that is until Howe crashed the other 15S8 at the 1932 Monza Grand Prix. He then raced chassis 4 until the end of 1935, when Richard Seaman bought the car from him.

Seaman had been racing MGs and ERAs through the 1934 and 1935 seasons, but with the Delage 15S8 his racing career really took off. He commissioned famous engineer Giulio Ramponi to upgrade the car to 1936 specifications.

Ramponi stiffened the suspension, removed weight, added a larger supercharger, and replaced the aging brakes with a set of hydraulic brakes. The 10-year-old car was a beast with the new upgrades, and Seaman was able to win 3 races in the voiturette class using the car.

Seaman's performances impressed Mercedes-Benz manager Alfred Neubauer so much that he gave him a contract to drive with the German team for 1937. Richard Seaman would eventually crash fatally in the Mercedes-Benz at the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix.

After the 1936 season, the "Dick Seaman Special" saw very little racing. Seaman sold the car to Prince Chula. His nephew, Prince Bira, raced the car in a couple of races in 1937 before switching to ERA cars. Prince Chula sold the car to Reg Parnell after the close of WWII. It has since changed hands several times, most recently being sold in 2021.