1937 Delahaye 135M at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Prewar Delahaye

European Classic 1925-1939 Closed

European Classic 1925-1935 Open Early

European Classic 1936-1939 Open Late

Prewar Sports and Racing

Prewar Preservation

Ferrari Grand Touring

Ferrari Competition

Voisin Early 1927-1933

Voisin Late 1934-1938

Postwar Custom Coachwork Sports

Postwar Custom Coachwork Touring

Mid-Engined Show Cars, Prototypes, and Concept Cars

Cars that Raced in the Forest (Pebble Beach Road Races)

Postwar Sports and Racing

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Prewar Delahaye Vehicles

1936 Delahaye Type 135

1936 Delahaye Type 135 Sport

1937 Delahaye 135M

1938 Delahaye Type 135

1939 Delahaye Type 135 M

1939 Delahaye Type 165

Information on the 1937 Delahaye 135M

More photographs of the 1937 Delahaye 135M

The origins of Delahaye lie in a company started in 1845 to produce brick-making machinery. Emile Delahaye was a railroad engineer who designed rolling stock for the French and Belgian railroads. He designed his first car similar to the German Daimler in 1895. Two years later, he moved his company to Paris and began a variety of engineering projects. His first shaft-driven cars appeared in 1907 and a V-6 as early as 1912. During World War I the company introduced stationary engines, gun parts, and aircraft components. After the war, it concentrated on dull and dependable cars, typically rather antiquated in design and appearance. All that changed when the 135 prototype appeared at the Paris Auto Salon in 1933.

Delahaye took over Delage in 1935, a maker of elegant cars and a company with an established clientele. After competing in the French Grand Prix in 1935; Delahaye finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th behind the winning Bugatti in 1936; won the Monte Carlo rally in 1937 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1938. The Type 135M, equipped with three carburetors, provided the chassis for flamboyant coachwork by various carrossiers; none more so than Figoni & Falaschi, chief purveyors of the French teardrop - a name Figoni despised. Joseph Figoni was the genius stylist/designer and Ovidio Falaschi was the accountant who kept him solvent.

Delivered new in 1936 to Vienna, Austria, to a bohemian industrialist, it was re-discovered in Czechoslovakia in 1997 and purchased by Jacques 'Frenchy' Harguindeguy (an individual famous for collecting, restoring and showing antique cars), who restored the car and went on to win best of Show at the 50th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Concours in 2000. It is one of two known to survive on the short wheelbase chassis.

The Type 135Ms are truly a prestigious masterpiece with a strong racing history and heritage that was formed on stability, robustness, and stamina.

The car is powered by a water-cooled, inline, six-cylinder, 3.6-liter engine, fitted with a single Solex carburetor, coupled to a four-speed manual transmission. This 115-horsepower car weighs 2,450 pounds.

Also photographed at :

The Elegance at Hershey >> European (1932-1941)

The Elegance at Hershey >> European Luxury and Sport

The Elegance at Hershey >> Delahaye

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