Alexander Lippisch's Delta IV was a continuation of his work on delta wing designs pioneered in his Delta I Delta II and Delta III aircraft. The project began with an order from Gerhard Fieseler for a design that his company could build for him to fly in the 1932 Europarundflug air rally. The result was a highly unorthodox design sporting large delta wings canards and an engine and propeller mounted in both the nose and tail of the plane.