Delahaye produced its first car in 1894, though a lot of its early output was of business automobiles. Founder Émile Delahaye designed the automobiles and drove them in competitors through the model’s early life, earlier than retiring in 1901, when Charles Weiffenbach took over as director and Amédée Varlet grew to become chief designer.

Presently the marque’s identify was as famend on water because it was on land, with motor-boat racing dominated by Delahaye-powered craft – one in all which set a brand new World Pace File of 33.84mph. There proved to be little revenue on this sector, nevertheless, and the corporate redirected its consideration to highway transport. Beneath Varlet’s path, Delahaye produced a succession of strong automobiles that had an enviable popularity for reliability, in addition to positive sports activities automobiles. 

Nevertheless, it was the quite a few successes in motor sport that put the auto maker within the historical past books, together with victory on the 1938 Le Mans 24 Hours. But it was the 135, unveiled on the 1938 Paris Salon, that remodeled Delahaye’s picture from boring dependability into stylish excessive efficiency. It attracted the eye of France’s best coachbuilders, corresponding to Figoni et Falaschi, Franay and Saoutchik, and never surprisingly appealed to the concours set. Manufacturing data had been misplaced throughout World Warfare Two, however it’s believed that solely 2000 examples of the 135/235 household had been made.

The 135 MS (Modifiee Speciale) pictured is the definitive model of Delahaye’s signature chassis. It’s believed to be one in all three produced with bodywork by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Viotti. Solely two of these are presently recognized to be extant, making this an exceptionally uncommon automobile that I noticed and pictured at Concours of Class in 2020. Its powerplant was a completely up to date model of the present 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine, boasting 135bhp and a 100mph prime pace to make it one of many quickest automobiles on this planet.

This Delahaye 135 MS has had solely two earlier homeowners, and it was purchased in a desolate situation by an engineer in Switzerland in 1988. It subsequently underwent a complete restoration over a ten-year interval. Boasting matching numbers and introduced in its unique colors, in 2015 it gained Greatest in Present on the nineteenth RAID Suisse-Paris Concours d’Class.

As historical past went on to point out, the 135 MS was sadly the final nice automotive to be made by Delahaye. Whereas manufacturing of this sort prolonged for greater than 20 years, after the warfare the chassis was restyled and the design quickly began to point out its age. Delahaye was taken over by Hotchkiss in 1955.

ENGINE

3.6-litre six-cylinder, overhead valve, 135bhp, triple carburettors

CONFIGURATION

Entrance engine, partially synchronised four-speed guide gearbox, rear-wheel drive, unbiased, leaf-sprung entrance suspension, stay rear axle, cable-operated Bendix brakes