Lucy O'Reilly Schell (26 October 1896 – 8 June 1952) was an American racing driver, team owner, and businesswoman.

[3] Her father was Francis Patrick O'Reilly, whose construction business and later investments in factories near Reading, Pennsylvania had made him wealthy.

In the early days of the war O'Reilly worked as a nurse, caring for injured servicemen in a Parisian military hospital.

In 1936 O'Reilly Schell inherited her father's estate, which she used to fund development of racing cars tailored to her requirements.

She was initially interred in a cemetery in Monte Carlo, but her remains were later relocated to the family tomb in Brunoy, France, where her husband and eventually both of her sons were also buried.

A new chief engineer named Jean François was hired to develop cars suitable for the company's return to competition.

In 1933, after the debut of the two new models at the Paris Salon de l'Automobile, Weiffenbach was visited at his office by O'Reilly Schell and her husband.

O'Reilly Schell wanted Delahaye to build her a special car by putting the more powerful 3.2 L engine from the 138 in the shorter chassis of the 134.

In subsequent years Delahaye introduced several variations on the theme, including the 135 Sport, 135 Coupe des Alpes, and 135 Compétition.

Eventually O'Reilly Schell returned to the company with another request; she wanted a new version of the 135 built specifically for racing.

As a demonstration of her determination to see the car built, O'Reilly Schell convinced a dozen like-minded individuals to place orders for the model.

[10] O'Reilly Schell and her husband stepped in to fill the void, effectively becoming Delahaye's factory racing program.

Drawing on her father's estate, O'Reilly Schell underwrote development of a new car commensurate with the team's ambitions.

The mid-1930s Grand Prix racing scene saw the arrival of the German "Silver Arrows" teams of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union.

[2] The rising tide of anti-Semitism had also effectively blackballed driver René Dreyfus because of his Jewish heritage.

[2] To counter the German juggernaut and ongoing competition from the Italian Alfa Romeos, the French government established the "Société d'Étude et de Fabrication d'Automobiles de Course" (SEFAC) in an attempt to directly develop a new French Grand Prix car for the 750 kg formula.

This challenge promised a prize of 1,000,000 FF to the French manufacturer and team whose car was able to cover 200 km (124.3 mi) at a speed exceeding 146.5 km/h (91.0 mph) by the widest margin at the Montlhéry autodrome prior to 1 September 1937.

[5] On 27 August 1937, Delahaye 145 serial number 48771, fielded by Écurie Bleue and driven by Dreyfus, met and exceeded the requirements by the slimmest of margins.

[18][19] Bugatti returned to the track to try to better the Delahaye's time, but were prevented by mechanical breakdowns, and were unable to mount another challenge before the deadline passed.

[20] After winning Le Million, O'Reilly Schell had a red and white stripe painted diagonally across the cars.

At the halfway point in the race when Caracciola pitted for fuel, he also turned to car over to Lang, the many gear changes having aggravated a previous leg injury.

Following the German invasion of France it is rumoured that Hitler issued instructions that the Pau car, chassis 48771, be seized.

O'Reilly Schell wanted additional funding to finish her next automotive project; the Delahaye 155 single-seater.

Even though their cars were already registered, Écurie Bleue decided to boycott the French Grand Prix held 3 July 1938.