Delahaye 135

In short

• Produced 1935–1954, with a break during the war; about 2,000 built.
• Overhead-valve straight-six derived from a Delahaye truck engine: 3,227 cc with 71–82 kW (95–110 hp), and 3,557 cc in the 135M of 1936.
• Won the 1937 Monte Carlo Rally and the 1938 Le Mans 24 Hours (Chaboud and Trémoulet), with Delahayes also second and fourth.
• Bodies by Figoni & Falaschi, Chapron, Saoutchik, Letourneur et Marchand, Pourtout, Franay, Guilloré and many others.

Delahaye 135 at a glance

Delahaye before the 135

Commercial vehicles were a large part of Delahaye's business for decades. Charles Weiffenbach, hired in 1898 as a managerial assistant, rose to run the company and concentrated on trucks and fire engines for the government. The sporting turn came after Jean François joined as chief design engineer in 1932. Amédée Varlet had earlier designed the V6 for the Type 44.

A truck engine with three carburettors

The 135 used a 3.2-litre (3,227 cc) overhead-valve straight-six with a four-bearing crankshaft, derived from a Delahaye truck engine. With two carburettors it gave 71 kW (95 hp); with three downdraught Solex carburettors it gave 82 kW (110 hp) and a top speed of 148 km/h (92 mph).

The chassis had leaf-sprung independent front suspension and a live rear axle. Brakes were Bendix drums operated by cable, and standard cars ran on 17-inch spoked wheels. Buyers chose between a four-speed manual gearbox with partial synchromesh and a four-speed Cotal pre-selector. The standard wheelbase was 2,950 mm. The four-cylinder 134N used a 2,150 cc version of the same engine, while the long-wheelbase 138 had a single-carburettor six of 57 kW (76 hp) or a sportier 67 kW (90 hp) tune.

135, 135M, 135MS and their relatives

The short "Competition Court" chassis, with a 2.70-metre wheelbase, came about because Lucy O'Reilly Schell paid for its development. She bought 12 of these cars and kept half for her own Ecurie Bleue racing team.

Le Mans, Monte Carlo and the Mille Miglia

The 135 proved itself quickly. At the 1936 French Sports Car Grand Prix at Montlhéry, 135s finished second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eleventh and twelfth, and in the 1936 Mille Miglia they took second and third. In 1937 a 135 won the Monte Carlo Rally, and 135MS cars finished second and third at Le Mans.

The high point came at Le Mans in 1938, when Chaboud and Trémoulet won in a Delahaye, with two more Delahayes second and fourth. In 1939 two 135MS cars finished sixth and eighth, and after the war 135MS entries placed fifth, ninth and tenth. Competition 135s also set the all-time record in the Ulster Tourist Trophy, and in 1949 John Crouch won the Australian Grand Prix in a 135MS.

The coachbuilders' Delahaye

The 135 was bodied by the leading French carrossiers: Figoni & Falaschi, Letourneur et Marchand, Alphonse Guilloré, Marcel Pourtout, Frères Dubois, Jacques Saoutchik, Marius Franay, Henri Chapron, Faget-Varnay, Antem and others. Graber also bodied cabriolets after the war. A bare chassis weighed 935 kg, and complete cars ranged from 1,250 to 1,640 kg depending on the body, so two 135s can look very different. The Type 168 shows the other extreme: from December 1938 about thirty cars were built with Renault Viva Grand Sport bodywork on the long 148L chassis.

Million francs, Hotchkiss and the end

Delahaye's racing programme went beyond the 135. In 1937 René Dreyfus drove the V12 Type 145 at Montlhéry at an average of 146.56 km/h (91.07 mph) over 200 km. The run won a government prize of 200,000 francs (1937), and the car has been known as the "Million Franc Delahaye" ever since.

After the war the 135M and 135MS returned alongside new designs. The Type 175 ran from 1948 to 1951, the related 178 and 180 were dropped around mid-1951, and the VLR light reconnaissance vehicle, built for the military from 1951 to 1954. The 3.2-litre 135 had not come back after 1940, and the 235 of 1951, a 135MS with modern ponton bodywork by Philippe Charbonneaux, sold only 84 copies. On 19 March 1954 Delahaye president Pierre Peigney and Hotchkiss president Paul Richard signed a merger agreement. Shareholders accepted the takeover on 9 June 1954, Hotchkiss ended car production, and Delahaye closed for the last time on 31 December 1954.

Collecting the Delahaye 135

• Variant: a 3.2-litre 135 from 1935–1940, a 3.5-litre 135M, or a 135MS with the most power.
• Body: the coachbuilder and the chassis number define the car's identity and history.
• Competition history: cars with a racing record, such as the Competition Court chassis, are a separate class.
• Gearbox: the Cotal pre-selector or the manual gearbox, as specified when new.

The power converter translates the 135's hp ratings into kW and PS. The 135 belongs with the great pre-war cars in the 1930s classics section and the wider classic cars hub.

Photo gallery