1939 Delahaye Type 135 MS

Delahaye was initially based in Tours, Italy when it produced its first automobile in 1894, later moving to Paris in 1906. They would become one of the most successful French luxury car manufacturers of the pre-war period. The popularity of their belt-driven single and twin-cylinder horseless carriages necessitated significant investment to fuel expansion. Although he was able to find investors, he would not live long enough to see his company's success, as he passed away in 1905. Along with securing a strong financial footing, Delahaye hired some of the best engineers of the era who would carry on his legacy long after his demise. The company was issued many patents prior to World War I including the twin-cam multi-valve engine and the V6 cylinder layout.

The Delahaye Type 135 was introduced in 1935 and would enjoy a lengthy 19-year production lifespan and was built in numerous body styles by a long list of coachbuilders. Also known as the 'Coupe des Alpes' for its success in the Alpine Rally, it represented a major shift for the marque, turning away from rather pedestrian models to focus on those with sporty intentions. The engine initially displaced 3.0-liters and just prior to the outbreak of war, grew to 3.6-liters, and would continue in this guise following the war when automobile production resumed. The car's lifespan became numbered when the French government imposed heavy taxes on cars with an engine displacement over 3.0 liters.

Delahaye introduced the Type 135 in 1935 at the Paris Salon and it would be the company's mainstay for the remainder of its lifetime. It was given a new chassis designed by engineer Jean-François with welded box-section side members and pressed cross members welded to a ribbed floor. The suspension was independent with leaf springs and a live rear axle. Behind the standard 17-inch spoked wheels were cable-operated Bendix brakes.

Initially, Delahaye installed a 3.2-liter overhead valve straight-six engine with a four-bearing crankshaft from one of its trucks into the engine bay. This was the same engine powering their Type 138. With twin carburetors, the engine produced 95 horsepower; with three downdraught Solex carburetors installed, output rose to 110 hp. Transmission options included a partially synchronized four-speed manual or four-speed Cotal pre-selector unit.

A year after its introduction, Delahaye installed a larger-displacement 3,557cc engine that offered 90, 105, or 115 horsepower with either one, two, or three carburetors installed. These versions were dubbed the Type 135M. In racing guise, the 135 series took the first six places at the 1936 Marseilles race, a second at Le Mans in 1937 (the 1936 race was canceled), and first, second and fourth place at Le Mans in 1938.

Delahaye Type 135 MS (Modifiee Speciale)

At the Paris Salon in 1938, Delahaye introduced its new top-of-the-line model dubbed the Type 135 MS equipped with an updated version of the existing 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine. With larger valves and a larger cylinder head, output rose to 130 hp. With triple carburetion, output was rated at 160 bhp. Production examples rested on a 2.95m wheelbase platform while the competition models had a shortened 2.70m chassis. Production of the 135MS continued until 1954 when new owners Hotchkiss brought it to an end.

Coachwork

The modern and sophisticated Type 135 chassis provided an excellent canvas for many of the finest coachbuilders of the era to create coachwork. Among the list includes Henri Chapron, Letourner et Marchand, deVillars, Saoutchik, Guillore, Franay, Graber, and Figoni et Falaschi.

by Dan Vaughan

Speciale Drophead by Figoni & Falaschi
Chassis number: 60173

Delahaye had its beginnings in the late 19th century in Tours, France. Delahaye automobile manufacturing would be established in 1894 by Emile Delahaye. The company would soon gain a reputation for their reliable trucks. The company wanted to change their reputation.

Delahaye would set to work designing a new and exciting car. Jean Francois, the company's designer, would start with a 3.2-liter straight-six engine that had been created based upon one of the company's successful truck engines. From there he would design a car around it. In 1935, Francois and Delahaye would introduce the 135, which was also known as 'Coupe des Alpes'.

The 135 would feature independent, leaf-sprung front suspension and a live rear axle. The car's engine could produce 95 hp with twin carburetors, but that number could go up to 110 hp with three downdraught Solex carburetors. Applying the power to the wheels came via either a four-speed Cotal pre-selector or a four-speed manual that was partially synchronized.

The car would immediately catch the eye of many racers and the car would enjoy a good deal of success. But it would get even better when the 'M' model, which stood for competition version, was introduced in 1936. This model 135 would have a larger bore 3.5-liter engine with triple carburetors. Now the Delahaye 135 could reach speeds of around 110 mph and had the reliability to take full advantage of it.

Delahaye had begun to change its image. It would be taken a step further when 'Grand Carrosseries', like Figoni et Falaschi, would begin designing exquisitely elegant bodywork over the sporty 135 frame. One such example of the body styles to have been so beautifully mated to the raw performance was what would become known as the 135MS 'Speciale'.

Only five of such bodywork styling was ever known to be constructed and the only known example to have survived would cross the block at the RM Auction in Monterey in August of 2011.

Born of simple origins like Delahaye, 'La Morne Moineau' had her beginnings in poverty. She would sell flowers in nightclubs and would be heard singing as she traveled the streets. Her signing would eventually cause her to be discovered by Paul Poiret and she would be vaulted to fame as she would begin singing in Parisian nightclubs.

She would eventually make her way to Broadway where she would meet and marry Felix Benitez. From then on her turnaround would be made complete. She would go from rags to what some believed to be the richest woman in the world during the 1930s. Besides her yacht, villas and her own private DC3 airplane, La Morne Moineau would also come to own chassis number 60173, the very example that would go up for auction this year.

Seen in the United States for the first time ever, this car has earned numerous awards over the years in events in France and went through restoration in the late 1980s to retain its elegance. Complete with a distinctive three-position top, vast amounts of research conducted by Claude Figoni and known to be the only remaining example of the 'Speciale', the car was expected to earn between $950,000 and $1,250,000 at auction.

Besides its brilliant finish and tan leather interior complete with beautiful wood accents and instrument panel, the car comes complete with a treasure chest full of history. Not only does the car turn heads, but because of its history, it has the ability to touch hearts as well. At the auction, bidding reached $800,000 but was not enough to satisfy the reserve. It would leave the auction unsold.

Sources:

'Feature Lots: Lot No. 275: 1939 Delahaye 135MS 'Speciale' by Figoni et Falaschi', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO11&CarID=r299&fc=0#). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO11&CarID=r299&fc=0#. Retrieved 16 August 2011.

'Delahaye: 1939 Delahaye Type 135MS', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z13282/Delahaye-Type-135-MS.aspx). Conceptcarz.com: From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z13282/Delahaye-Type-135-MS.aspx. Retrieved 16 August 2011.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Delahaye', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 August 2011, 09:38 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delahaye&oldid=444413674 accessed 16 August 2011

Wikipedia contributors, 'Delahaye 135', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 August 2011, 10:13 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delahaye_135&oldid=444416991 accessed 16 August 2011

by Jeremy McMullen

Speciale Drophead by Figoni & Falaschi
Chassis number: 60173

This 1939 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet was originally ordered by the wealthy Parisian socialite, Madame Lucienne Benitez-Rexach, who, prior to her marriage to a wealthy Puerto Rican businessman, was a French singer better known as 'La Mome Moineau' (The Little Sparrow). Renowned for yachting with Picasso and skinny-dipping with her elite friends, Benitez-Rexach exercised expensive tase and ordered the Delahaye, with its 3.5 liter, triple-carburetor inline-6 with a Cotal preselect gearbox. She enlisted Paris' most exclusive coachbuilder, Figoni et Falaschi, to create this cabriolet body. The Delahaye remained in France for most of its life where it was restored in 2015 to its original specification and colors, just as Madame Rexach had ordered it.

This Delahaye is a superb expression of Figoni's artistry in creating a four-passenger convertible. It may be understated by Figoni standards, but is arresting and elegant. Still in possession of its original engine, chassis, and coachwork, this Delahaye has been restored to the exact specification as ordered by Mme. Benitez-Rexach.

In 2016, the freshly restored Delahaye was flown from France to the United States, where it participated in a special class invitational display of Delahayes at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, winning the coveted French Cup awarded for the most significant car of French origin.

Cabriolet by Hermann Graber

The one-off coachwork of this Delahaye, with the rare 135MS engine, was begun by Hermann Graber in 1939 and completed in 1940, after which it was sold to Dr. Rudolf Bosshard of Zurich. In 1966, Mr. Graber bought the car back and completed a restoration, making this one of the few Classic Era coach-built automobiles to have actually been owned and restored by its original coachbuilder. Hermann Graber kept the Delahaye until his passing in 1970, and it was maintained by his wife until 1997 when the family finally sold it to Robert Temperli. In 2019 it was acquired by the fourth and current owner, who has maintained it mechanically but has proudly preserved its original Graber restoration from the late 1960s.

Emile Delahaye was born in Tours, France in 1843. He studied engineering in Angers, France. In 1869 he began work with his engineering degree in applied arts and crafts.

Emile Delahaye began business in Tours, France in the middle of the 19th century for the purpose of constructing engines for the ceramic industry. The company branched out and began constructing mechanical appliances such as pumps and engines. In 1888, Delahaye designed an internal combustion engine for the shipping industry. It was not until 1896 that Automobile production began for Delahaye. His first automobiles produced were powered by belt-driven single and twin-cylinder engines.

Emile used motor racing to promote his vehicles. In 1896, Emile Delahaye entered the Paris-Marseilles race. Not only did he enter a vehicle his company had created, but he entered as the driver. The results were astounding, which truly speaks highly of the caliber and quality of the automobile. The demand for the vehicles began pouring in and a second factory was opened.

Due to failing health, Delahaye was forced into retirement in 1901. This was a year after the second factory was opened in Paris. Since Delahaye had no heirs, management control was passed onto a young engineer named Charles Weiffenbach. Weiffenbach oversaw operations until 1954.

In 1905, due to failing health, Emile Delahaye passed away.

Automotive racing was paramount during this period in history. This is why many of the vehicles built during this era were built to be raced and to be used as the daily driver. The sales of the vehicles were stimulated by the way the vehicle performed on the race track. Weiffenbach, however, had a different philosophy. His main focus and priority were to build dependable vehicles. Many of the early vehicles were equipped with four-cylinder engines capable of producing between 9-12 horsepower. Near the beginning of the First World War, a 6-cylinder, 2565cc engine was used.

In addition to automobiles, the Delahaye company produced trucks, lorries, parcel carriers for the post office, motor plows, fire engines, and other commercial and military vehicles. Many of the vehicles were used during the First World War

From 1927 to 1933, productions of medium-class cars were low, but the vehicles that were produced carried with them a reputation for being reliable and robust.

In the early thirties, Weiffenbach, also known as 'Monsieur Charles' by his peers, was in his early 60's. The decision was made to boldly move into the sports car arena. This was in response to the market trends and a way to re-establish a competitive edge in the automotive technology spectrum. For an automotive company that had never created a car that could achieve a top speed faster than 110 km/h, this would be a major undertaking.

Jean Francois, a 29-year-old engineer, was commissioned to construct a series of sporty cars using as many spare parts as possible. Talbot's new independent suspension was used along with a new chassis with box-section side members. The engine was borrowed from one of their trucks. The engine featured a 65mm crankshaft with internal lubrication. In 1933, the vehicles were introduced at the Paris Car Salon. They were the 4-cylinder 12CV and the 6-cylinder 18CV. At the show, Lucy O'Reilly Schell approached Weiffenbach with a request to have a vehicle built that could be entered in rally events.

Lucy O'Reilly, a wealthy American of Irish origin, had a passion for racing. So fueled by Delahaye's desire to produce sports cars and Reilly's financial backing and quest to win motorsport events, the company re-entered the racing scene.

The Delahaye Type 135

The Type 135 was created with variants such as the 135 Competition Speciale (135 CS), designed specifically for racing. The 135 Sport and the 135 Coupe both featured a 3.2-liter engine. The Sport produced 96 horsepower while the Coupe had 110 horsepower. 120 horsepower was produced by the 3.6-liter engine that rested in the Type 135 Competition model. The engine in the 135 CS was a simple pushrod-operated engine borrowed from the 1927 Type 103 truck engine. It gave up horsepower for great acceleration and torque.

The Type 135 is considered one of the most famous and prestigious vehicles produced by Delahaye. In both design and racing competition, it was very successful. Designed in 1934 it was quickly entered into races such as the 24 Heures du Mans, the Monte-Carlo Rally, and the Paris-Saint-Raphael motor race, where it had great success at being a competitive and reliable automobile.

The Type 135 Competition Speciale Sports Car (CS) had a chassis 25 cm shorter than the 135 touring car. This shortened version had better weight distribution which greatly improved the handling and performance. The engine and 4-speed Wilson epicyclic gearbox were placed lower in the chassis, thus contributing to the benefits of a better-balanced vehicle. The 135 CS came equipped with an 80-liter or a 100-liter fuel tank, this option was left up to the buyer's discretion.

The 135 CS was debuted in the 1936 Monte Carlo Rally where it finished 2nd in a field of fierce competition. In 1936 it was the winner of the Marsailles Gran Prix. At the French Grand Prix is placed second, third, fourth and fifth.

Well-known coachbuilders, such as Franay, Letourner & Marchard, Chapron, and Guillore, were tasked with outfitting the 135's. This may have been influenced by Delage, an automotive company that Delahaye merged with in 1935. As a result, the 135 won numerous awards for styling and design.

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

by Dan Vaughan