1937 Delahaye 135 MS

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

This beautiful Delahaye 135 MS was built during a golden period for the prestigious French marque, when it was producing not only spectacular road cars but also Le Mans-winning sports cars. 

In a letter written to the owner in January 2014, Club Delahaye president Jean-Paul Tissot explained that chassis number 48748 had long been listed in the club register. The number falls within the range of 135 Compétition models that were built between 1937 and 1939, and Tissot stated that this particular car would originally have been delivered in late 1937.

During the 1970s, it was acquired by Maurice Broual, who was based in western France. He bought it from Marcel Chavet, a Parisian coachbuilder who had restored a number of Delahayes. Chavet had started to restore 48748 and had completed the chassis, the wood frame for the body, and the wings. He then sold the car to Broual, who was renowned for the coachwork he fabricated for Delahayes and Delages.

Broual duly built a Figoni-style two-seater body for 48748, before selling the still-unfinished project to Michel and Pascal Lagrèze in 1987. It was then acquired by an Argentine enthusiast in 2007, and restored there in a process that involved a considerable amount of work to Broual’s coachwork. 

The restoration was completed in 2013, and 48748 has remained in the same family ever since. With a stylish body on its short-wheelbase chassis, this superbly presented car is powered by Delahaye’s high-performance ‘Modifée Speciale’ engine. Running on triple carburettors, the 3557cc ‘narrow block’ straight-six features a six-branch exhaust manifold and drives through a four-speed Cotal electro-magnetic gearbox that gives effortless gearchanges.

Performance is as strong as you’d expect from a model that did so well in competition, and is accompanied by a fabulous noise from the big ‘six’ up front. The braking system, meanwhile,has been converted to hydraulic operation, which is compulsory in Argentina. 

The freshly restored Delahaye took part in the 2013 1000 Millas Sport de la Argentina, and won its class in the following year’s Autoclasica – one of the largest and most prestigious classic car events in South America. It is now being offered for sale as not only an exhilarating choice for tours and rallies, but also a supremely elegant pre-war sports car that would grace any show field. 

MODEL HISTORY  

Former railway engineer Emile Delahaye built his first car in 1895, and two years later he moved his company from Tours to Paris. The first four-cylinder design – as opposed to the earlier ‘twins’ – followed in 1903 and the marque’s cars were steadily updated in the years before the First World War. 

Known for a long time as being a rather conservative manufacturer, Delahaye had a change of direction in 1934 when it launched the ‘Superluxe’. Available with stylish coachwork, independent front suspension, and a choice of four- or six-cylinder engines, this was the forerunner of the 135, which would be launched the following year. 

During this period, Delahaye had merged with Delage, and the latter’s sporting know-how was clearly being shared with its new stablemate. The 135 was initially available with a six-cylinder overhead-valve engine of 3.2 litres – later enlarged to 3.5 litres for the 135 M – and either a manual gearbox or a four-speed Cotal electro-magnetic unit. 

Bodywork was supplied by the greatest coachbuilders of the time – Chapron, Figoni et Falaschi, Saoutchik, Pourtout – and Delahaye had shrugged off its previously conservative nature with a new model that offered both luxury and performance. 

It was the latter that attracted enthusiast drivers to the 135, and it was soon chalking up significant competition success. Its finest hour came in 1938, when Eugene Chaboud and Jean Tremoulet took overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours at the wheel of their 135CS.

A 135 also won the 1937 Monte Carlo Rally, and the model lived on after the Second World War. It even formed the basis for the 235, which was launched in 1951. Sadly, Delahaye car production ended in 1954 after the company had been taken over first by Hotchkiss and then Brandt.