1936 Delahaye Type 135 Competition Speciale Roadster

This 1936 Delahaye 135S is one of only 14 examples of these great race cars ever produced. They were campaigned extensively both before and just after World War II. They had a relatively basic engine but were still able to prove that winning the race was a matter of reliability and not just power. A car with this chassis won the LeMans race in 1938.

This Delahaye was acquired new by Pierre Louis Dreyfus who planned to compete with it at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1936. Due to social unrest, the race was canceled. Instead, it was raced at the Grand Prix de la Automobile Club de France on June 28, 1936, and the Grand Prix de la Marne on July 5.

The car's next owner was Count Francios de Bremont who raced it at the Grand Prix de Pau where it failed to finish. At the Grand Prix of Tunisia, it placed sixth. On June 6th of 1937, it raced at the three-hour Marseille race.

Early in 1938, the car was sold to Madam Germaine Rouault who registered it in Paris. Louis Gerard was tasked with driving it in the British coronation Trophy in April and the Junior 200-mile race in May 1938.

When Mr. Gerard re-bodied his Figoni Delage D6-70 Coupe (which placed 4th in the 1937 Le Mans race), the body was given to Madame Rouault who installed it on this Delahaye race car. In this guise, it raced during 1938 and 1939 in various races including a victory in 1939 at the La Turbie hill climb at the Paris-Nice Rally.

Custodianship later passed to Eugene Chaboud who re-bodied it after World War II. Between 1945 and 1948, the car raced in over 30 events with the finest achievement being a victory at the Grand Prix of Belgium. In 1947, the car was driven to an eighth at Monza and second at the Grand Prix, Turin. Mr. Chaboud's accomplishments with the car allowed him to be declared 'Champion de France.'

In 1948, this car was re-bodied by Valtat - its current configuration. Another car, owned by Charles Pozzi, also received a similar body and both cars formed the foundation of the newly-formed racing team Ecurie Lutetia. When Delahaye loaned them two Type 175S engines, the suspension and rear axle of chassis 47192 were modified to cope with the weight and power.

After the 1951 Le Mans race, the car was retired from competition. In 1958, it was sold to Carlos Ankersmit who used it sparingly before putting it into storage in 1969, where it would reside for two decades. On April 29th, 1989, the car was sold at auction.

The car currently resides in the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. During its racing career, it competed at Le Mans on four occasions and enjoyed an extensive fifteen-year competition lifespan.