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From around 1900, the Delahaye brand increased its range to include a 9.5HP 2-cylinder engine. At the same time, the company moved its facilities to the city of Paris.
In 1902, the production of a 15hp and 8hp models equipped with two-cylinder and one-cylinder vertical engines respectively started in earnest. And in the following year, their 12hp and 2hp models arrived on the market. Both had detachable cylinder heads and transmitted power through a gearbox and chain drive.
In 1907, Delahaye produced three models equipped with a four-cylinder engine and one with two. Then in 1911, the first Delahaye appeared which was equipped a more substantial a six-cylinder engine. The engine was constructed by joining two three-cylinder blocks at a 30-degree angle.
By 1914, the French brand produced no less than seven different vehicles, starting with the 8hp two-cylinder engined cars, and ending with the more powerful 20/30HP engined cars.
This former fire engine belonged to the Humanitarian Association of Firefighters, The Lisbon Volunteers Division. It was built from scratch at the Societé des Automobiles Delahaye factory in Paris.
The Delahaye 43HP fire engine first came into service in 1914, having been delivered to the volunteer firefighters, “Os Lisbonenses” at their headquarters, on Rua Camilo Castelo Branco, in Lisbon. The “Os Lisbonenses” Christened their new fire engine “A Catarina”. This unit formed part of a series of firefighting models manufactured by the French brand.
In 1957 it was sold to João de Lacerda who in a letter addressed to the Association on 21ST November of the same year, expressed the importance of the French car with the words:
“…the fire engine (…), Delahaye brand, constitutes for us a true relic, not only because it was one of the first units to enter Portugal directly from the factory, but fundamentally because it bears in gold letters ‘Lisbonenses’, it is forever linked to the Capital”