Louis Delâge

Born blind in one eye in Cognac, Delâge graduated from the École des Arts et Métiers in Angers before founding his automobile company in Levallois-Perret in 1905. His engineering uncompromisingly pursued mechanical beauty, quietness, and speed.

In 1914, René Thomas drove a Delage to victory in the Indianapolis 500. In 1927, his legendary 1.5-liter straight-eight Delage 15 S 8 won every Grand Prix it entered (France, Spain, Italy, Britain), capturing the World Championship. In his later years, Delâge embraced deep Catholic piety, walking hundreds of kilometers on pilgrimages to Lourdes on foot.