Tag Archives: delahaye

Delahaye 175 S

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1950 Delahaye 175 S Coach by Motto

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Delahaye’s post-war bread and butter was the prewar 135 line of cars. It was kind of late in the game when they introduced the 175 model in 1949, as they company only had a few years left in it. These were luxury cars, usually built to order.

The model came to be after Delahaye gave up on its ultra-expensive 165 model. The 175 was joined by the 178 and 180 models, and the three really just differed in wheelbase. Power was provided by a 4.5-liter inline-six that in 175 S spec (which meant triple carburetors) made about 160 horsepower.

Just 51 examples of the 175 were built, and most were optioned into a 175 S with a three-carb setup. This particular car was built with a racing engine that made 200 horsepower as well as Motto coachwork. It has racing history:

  • 1951 Monte Carlo Rally – 1st (with Jean Trevoux and Roger Crovetto)
  • 1951 Carrera Panamericana – 37th, DNF (with Louis Chiron and Andre Mariotti)

After that race, the car remained with a serious of Mexican owners, and it was restored more recently. But this is a Monte Carlo-winning race car that was one driven by one of the legendary prewar Grand Prix racers. It now has an estimate of $480,000-$700,000. More can be found here.

Chapron-Bodied Delahaye

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1940 Delahaye 135MS Roadster Grand Luxe by Chapron

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 2024

Photo – Osenat

The MS variant of Delahaye’s 135 model line was the sportiest, and production spanned both sides of WWII. It would eventually give way to the 235 of 1951, and that car was really just an updated 135 underneath.

This particular car was delivered to Henri Chapron in mid 1939. The intent was to build the body and display it at the Paris Motor Show, but Germany came calling, so the car was sent to America to be displayed at the 1940 New York World’s Fair. Since they couldn’t take it back to France, it was sold new in the U.S., remaining there until the current owner bought it in 2005.

All 135MS examples were powered by a 3.6-liter inline-six, and this triple-carbureted version made about 145 horsepower when new. It now has an estimate of $325,000-$550,000. More info can be found here.

Delahaye 235 Cabriolet

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1951 Delahaye 235 Cabriolet by Chapron

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | February 3, 2024

Photo – Osenat

Delahaye’s 135 model dated back to before the war. In 1951 the company introduced the 235, which didn’t outright replace the 135, but sort of complemented it as a more modern take on the car. Produced through the end of Delahaye in 1954, the 235 proved not enough to save the company.

Power is provided by a 3.6-liter inline-six that was rated at 152 horsepower. A top speed of over 100 mph was claimed, and body work was supplied by some great French coachbuilders, including Henri Chapron on this example.

Only 84 examples of the 235 were built. This was the third of those 84, and it was the first Chapron cabriolet. It was on the stand in Geneva and was first owned by Willy Breitling (and was later titled in his famed watch company’s name). It has not been restored and has an estimate of $142,000-$185,000. Click here for more info.

Delahaye Landaulette

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1912 Delahaye Type 43 Landaulette

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

This was a fancy car for some, presumably, Parisian back in the day. The Landaulette bodywork featured an exposed chauffeur’s compartment – well, it at least has a roof and a windscreen. Chances are they could’ve had side curtains for it too. But the passenger, and likely owner of the car, sat in back in an enclosed box.

The Type 43 was produced by Delahaye from 1911 through 1914. It’s powered by a 3.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 28 horsepower and paired with a four-speed manual transmission. As war approached, the Type 43 became the basis for some trucks as well.

This car was imported to the U.K. from France in 1991 and restored the following year. It’s been drained and sitting in storage since 2000. Recommissioning will be required. It has an estimate of $56,000-$69,000. Click here for more info.

Graber-Bodied Delahaye

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1946 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet by Graber

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | March 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Delahaye’s 135 debuted in the mid 1930s and would remain in production for almost another two decades until Delahaye ceased to exist, and after, you know, taking a pause for the war. The slightly upgraded 135M was released in 1936.

It featured a higher-compression version of the 135’s 3.6-liter inline-six, which on this car is fitted with three Solex carburetors. Output was about 115 horsepower. This car was purchased new by a Swiss banker who had it bodied in his native country by Graber, perhaps Switzerland’s best-known coachbuilder.

This is a post-war body, and it’s a little more restrained than something you may have seen in the late 1930s. It’s still pretty and indicative of the type of coachbuilt classic that would likely be found in a European collection. But! It’s in St. Louis after having been restored in Florida. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $180,000.

Figoni & Falaschi Delahaye

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1938 Delahaye 135M Three-Position Cabriolet by Figoni & Falaschi

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | January 2022

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

We’ve featured a number of examples of Delahaye’s 135, a model that was sold between 1935 and 1954 and over a number of variations. Speaking of variations, there are also a number of different body styles spread across quite a few coachbuilders. A pre-war 135M with a cabriolet body by Figoni & Falaschi is not one we’ve featured to date.

This one is a 135M, which was a model introduced in 1936 with increased output. This 3.6-liter inline-six has triple carburetors, meaning it had the highest possible factory output rating: 115 horsepower. The car was bodied in France and delivered to its first owner in Uruguay.

It was restored between 2014 and 2016, and the bodywork is actually fairly different from another three-position convertible from Figoni & Falaschi that we previously featured (as that one was bodied post-war). The bidding on this car ends next week. Check out more about it here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $250,000.

Delahaye 148L Coupe

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1949 Delahaye 148L Panoramic Coach by Letourneur & Marchand

Offered by Aguttes | Neuilly, France | June 20, 2021

Photo – Aguttes

Delahaye’s 135-series of cars was one of the very few cars that looked as fresh after WWII as it did before. The 135 was introduced in 1935, and the production of various related models lasted until 1954. Part of the reason this was able to be accomplished is that many of the cars were bodied by coachbuilders, so they continued to look fresh after nearly 20 years.

The 148 was a more boring version of the 135 set on a longer wheelbase. It still featured the same 3.6-liter inline-six that, in this triple-carbureted car, would’ve been rated at 115 horsepower when new.

The body is by Letourneur & Marchand and is of the “Panoramic Coach” variety. Which I think just means it has two doors and a lot of glass. It’s been restored in a very nice two-tone scheme that makes the profile view look like a mid-50s Buick. There were 2,592 examples of the 135 car line built, but the breakout to 148 is unknown. This one should bring between $60,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $67,630.

Delahaye Type 97 Skiff

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1924 Delahaye Type 97 Double Phaeton Skiff by Labourdette

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 4, 2019

Photo – Coys

The best-known Delahayes are from the 1930s and 1940s. These would mainly be derivatives of the 135. Earlier Delahayes are less fondly remembered, but, as you can see here, they still had the ability to be somewhat fantastic.

I don’t have a lot of info on the Type 97, but it appears to be a descendant of the post-WWI Type 84 and Type 92, the latter of which was powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four.

This car supposedly features a wood skiff body by Labourdette. The well-restored interior features green buttoned leather and an engine-turned dash panel. The car should sell for between $40,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Figoni et Falaschi Narval

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1947 Delahaye 135MS Narval Cabriolet by Figoni et Falaschi

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2019

Photo – Mecum

If this car were to be built today, it would ride about four inches lower. At least. That upside-down bathtub styling just looks right at home sucking on the ground. But the roads were different in 1947. Especially in France. And who am I to nitpick a Figoni et Falaschi design?

The Delahaye 135MS is powered by a 3.6-liter inline-six probably making about 145 horsepower. These cars were produced both before and after the war, technically from about 1938 through the end of Delahaye production in 1954.

The “Narval” name, if you haven’t figured it out, alludes to the car’s somewhat narwhal-like appearance. Only seven such Delahayes were bodied like this, and this one has been in the same hands for the last 50 years. It’s a million-dollar car, no doubt. You can see more about it here and more from Mecum’s Monterey sale here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,600,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Chicago 2019.

Delahaye Sport Coupe

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1948 Delahaye 135M Sport Coupe by Hebmuller

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Villa Erba, Italy | May 25, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Delahaye 135M was introduced in 1936 and featured a larger engine than earlier 135 and 138 models. It was popular enough that Delahaye continued to produce the model until they went out of business in 1954.

It was also a sporty car, powered by a 3.6-liter straight-six making 115 horsepower when equipped with three carburetors, as this one is. This example also has an interesting backstory: the body was originally constructed after the war as a replacement body for a pre-war 135 S Competition Court car.

In 2011, the body was removed from the competition chassis and put into storage, only to be restored in 2017 and fitted to a restored 1948 135M chassis. And there we have it. The styling is very unlike most other Delahayes and kind of appears to be somewhat German, which it is. Anyway, you can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $320,041.