1948 Delahaye 135 MS

The Delahaye Type 135 had impressive accomplishments both on the track and in the sales room. They won the 1938 LeMans race, securing both the fist and second position and beating the competition which, in some cases, had more speed and horsepower. The Type 135 was a refined vehicle with perhaps its biggest advantage being its chassis and suspension. It had an independent front suspension with a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. In comparison to other vehicles of its era, it sat very low to the ground. This afforded it impressive handling characteristics and unparalleled performance. Under the bonnet was a six-cylinder engine that displaced 3.2-liters and had between 95 through just-over 110 horsepower depending on the configuration. The bore was later increased bringing displacement to 3.6-liters and horsepower to over 150 bhp.

There were cable-operated drum brakes on all four corners, a worm-and-nut steering setup, and a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the third and fourth gear. The transmission would prove to be its Achilles' heel and was later replaced with a Cotal unit.

There were nearly 12,000 examples of the Type 135 M and 135 MS produced between 1946 and 1952.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2008