A Mr. Jourde from India asked his friend Joseph Figoni to build this car in the style exhibited at the Paris Auto Show. It was then shipped to Bombay where it remained until 1986. During its time in India, the car's headlights were removed from the winds and placed on each side of the grille. After decades of neglect, the car was eventually sent to England for restoration and then was exhibited at Concours in Europe and America, winning many awards. Powered by a 3.2-liter straight six engine, the low-slung Delahaye 135 chassis is famous for the many gorgeous bodies built upon it.
Only about 2,000 Type 135 Delahayes were produced over two decades, but they had a profound effect upon French sports car racing. The 135M, or 'competition' model, supplemented the basic 135, with a larger bore and three carburetors, and could reach 110 mph even as a heavy production model. Before World War II, Delahaye built on the chassis, with custom coachbuilders responsible for the bodies. This car was shown at the 1938 Paris Salon by Figoni et Falaschi, and then delivered to Indian Maharaja Morvi Jah in 1939. It is one of only nine Delahayes produced in this Geo Hamm design series, and one of only three surviving examples of the standard wheelbase chassis. The car is powered by a 3.5-liter, 140-horsepower six-cylinder engine with triple Solex downdraft carburetion. It has a Cotal four-speed electromagnetic transmission. | |
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