1936 Delahaye 135 S

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | London, U.K. | November 2, 2024

Grand Prix racing in the 1930s was a pretty competitive era with various countries flinging their best automakers into the field. France had Delage, Bugatti, and Delahaye all competing at one time or another, and Delahaye’s brightest car of the period was the 135, which it took racing in the form of the 135 S.

Just 20 examples of the 135 S were built, and this is the second-to-last. It was campaigned by Delahaye themselves. It competed at Reims with Alberto Divo behind the wheel and later changed hands that season in the U.K., becoming a vehicle for Prince Bira, who won the 12 Hours of Donington in it. Other entries included:

• 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans – 8th (with Ian Connell and Rob Walker)
• 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans – 24th, DNF (with Tony Rolt and Guy Jason-Henry)

That 1949 race ended with the 3.6-liter inline-six failed… as no one had rebuilt it since before the prior Le Mans. The car continued to race into the mid 1950s. In 1970 it was purchased by Rob Walker, who raced it in ’39, and restored. It’s remained with his family since. The car now has an estimate of $1,300,000-$1,950,000. More info can be found here.