1946 Delahaye 135M Coach

Delahaye introduced its Model 135 in Paris in 1935, equipped with a 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine. This was followed a year later by the 135 M with a slightly larger engine breathing through single, dual, or triple carburetors. Among its motorsport accomplishments were the top six places at Marseilles in 1936, 2nd overall at the 1937 24 Hours of LeMans, and 1st, 2nd, and 4th the following year. In 1937 and 1939, it won the Rallye Monte Carlo.

This Delahaye 135 M is a four-passenger Coach created by Guilloré. It has freestanding Marchal headlamps, flowing front fenders with 'trouser creases', and single bar front bumper, a slightly raked windscreen, wire wheels, running boards, and horizontally mounted slats in its grille. It has a rear-mounted spare and a crank-operated sliding sunroof. The engine uses three Solex carburetors with the engine bearing a casting date of 1945.

This car was originally sold in England and its firewall bears an importer's plate from UK distributors Selborne Ltd. of Mayfair. Eventually, the car arrived in the United States where it was given a restoration by Restorations Unlimited of Chicago for Robert Hastert. In 1985, it was shown in AACA judging by Frank Koeder, winning a National First Prize.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022