Monday 16th October 1843

Born on this day, Emile Delahaye, French automotive pioneer who founded Delahaye Automobiles. In 1894, he displayed his first automobile at the first-ever Paris Motor Show. In order to gain publicity for his product, Delahaye raced one of his own cars in the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris road race. Faced with health problems, Delahaye partnered with two industrialists from Paris, brothers-in-law Leon Desmarais and Georges Morane. By 1898, the new owners had relocated the entire operation from Tours to Paris. In 1901, Delahaye’s poor health forced him to retire to the French Riviera where he died in 1905.