1924 Delage DI Eight-Lite Shooting Brake

Very few vehicles are built as hunting wagons, yet it appears that this utilitarian Delage was explicitly constructed for just that purpose. It is believed to have been custom-fabricated for a French writer who was an avid hunting enthusiast – to be used at his estates principally for hunting boar. Behind the chauffeur's compartment is a rear bulkhead that folds down to form a double bed, perhaps used by its owner for an afternoon respite or overnight expeditions. Window blinds of Whitchurch silk are fitted for privacy, and the wide-opening tailgate exposes a toolbox equipped with period tools. Carrosserie Castraise, responsible for the functional but straightforward coachwork, is undoubtedly among the less ubiquitous coachbuilders of the era. The firm continued operation into the early 1940s in Castres, a small city east of Toulouse, France. Some have described this vehicle's Eight-Lite or Eight-Window body as a shooting brake rather than a limousine. Shooting brake would be accurate as of its rumored usage by its original owner on his estates in the wine regions of France.

View the World's Largest Shooting Brake Archive Here (Sources Included)