When Delage revealed the D12, it wasn’t simply launching a new hypercar – it was reasserting a name that once stood at the very pinnacle of luxury, design, and Grand Prix competition. More than a century after its founding, the storied French marque has returned not as a nostalgia act, but as a serious contender in the modern hypercar conversation. That story – and the philosophy behind it – is the focus of the latest duPont REGISTRY Talks podcast, featuring Delage CEO Laurent Tapie.
Visually, the D12 looks less like a conventional road car and more like an idea pulled straight from motorsport and aviation. With its ultra-low stance, flowing carbon-fiber surfaces, and fighter-jet proportions, Delage describes the D12 as the closest street-legal experience to a Formula 1 car. That ambition is deeply personal for Tapie, who at just 21 years old won a competition that allowed him to drive a Formula 1 car in France – an experience he still describes as one of the greatest days of his life. “When I decided to launch a hypercar,” Tapie explains, “I wanted to recreate this incredible feeling, and this car delivers that experience.”
Under the sculpted bodywork lies a mid-mounted 7.6-liter V12 paired with electric assistance, producing around 1,100 horsepower. A carbon monocoque chassis, carbon fiber wheels designed to aid brake cooling, and advanced active aerodynamics – including six front flaps and rear aero elements – place the D12 firmly in the realm of engineering audacity. To help bring that vision to life, Tapie assembled a team that includes 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve as a test driver.
Yet the D12 makes sense only when viewed through Delage’s extraordinary history. Founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge, the marque dominated early motorsport, winning everything from the Grand Prix des Voiturettes to the Indianapolis 500, and ultimately securing the 1927 World Manufacturers’ Championship. It later became synonymous with elegant luxury cars favored by royalty and elites – before fading away entirely.
In the podcast, Tapie explains why Delage waited decades to return, refusing to dilute the brand with shortcuts. The D12 isn’t a lifestyle exercise or a badge-engineered revival; it’s a modern expression of Delage’s original DNA: haute luxury, intellectual engineering, and genuine racing credibility.
Witness the full story behind one of the most intellectually compelling hypercars of our time, tune in to duPont REGISTRY Talks with Laurent Tapie.
