Delaunay-Belleville, formed in 1903 by Louis Delaunay and Marius Barbarou, built some of the most prestigious cars in the world. The company was one of the first to use four separate cylinders in its engines, and the cars are often identified by their unique barrel-like hood, a shape reminiscent of the boilermakers built by Barbarou’s family. Delaunay-Belleville was famous for its quality of construction, materials, and precise machining, and customers included King George I of Greece, King Alphonso XIII of Spain and Czar Nicholas II of Russia, who owned about 40 Delaunay-Bellevilles at one time.
The coachwork on this luxurious limousine-style omnibus is by La Carrosserie Industrielle, an old established carriage maker in Paris. The omnibus was built to carry the Czar’s guests and their belongings between the Russian palaces in Saint Petersburg and Yalta.
