1951 Delahaye Type 235

Coupe by Henri Chapron

The chassis of the Type 235 is similar to the 135 but its 3.5-liter engine is more powerful with triple carburetors and a redesigned cylinder head that increase the output from 130 to 152 horsepower.

This particular Type 235 was designed and built by Henri Chapron with a pronounced flowing fender line that later appeared on a Delahaye 235 Saoutchik Coupe displayed at the 1953 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. In the late 1950s, it was brought to the United States by Otto Zipper, and in 1961, when owned by Herman Platt, it appeared in Road & Track magazine. Platt sold it to Tommy Hilton, who restored it in 1966, then it was stored in a garage where it sadly deteriorated. In 1982 the car was discovered by Richard Straman, who returned it to its former glory. This is one of the last great Delahayes. By the end of 1954 the company was in crisis and was purchased by Hotchkiss. Delahaye ceased production of its glorious automobiles although it continued to sell utility vehicles and trucks until 1956.

Cabriolet by Saoutchik
Chassis number: 818005
Engine number: 818005

The Delahaye 235 was the last attempt by Delahaye to produce a successful sports car after the war. This example has a unique Saoutchik body, first exhibited at the 1951 Paris Auto Show. With a 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder engine and a Cotal pre-selector gearbox the Delahaye 235 was a modernized descendant of Delahaye's pre-war 135 with revised suspension. Far from cheap, it cost double the price of the rival Jaguar XK120 or about the same as a Bentley Mark VI and five times the cost of a Citroen Traction Avant, one of its ever-popular French rivals. Sadly only 84 Type 235s had been built at the end of 1954 when the Delahaye Company ceased production for the last time. This car led a busy life in Europe, being shown at several concours, until 1964 when, with 80,382 kilometers on the clock, it was put away in a garage in France. During the last 45 years that car has been driven less than 100 kilometers; and it is complete and original in every respect.

The 235 Roadster is powered by an inline 3.5 liter, six-cylinder, overhead camshaft engine, with three Solex downdraft carburetors, and develops 105 horsepower. It was capable of 169 kph (106 mph).

Coupe de Luxe by Henri Chapron

The Delahaye Type 235 was first presented at the 1951 Paris Salon de l'Automoible, but due to its high price only 84 examples were sold between 1951 and 1954.

This Chapron-bodied Type 235 sold for 3,800,000 francs, five times the price of a Citroen 15CV Big Six. By prewar standards the 235 featured very modern styling; it wore new pontoon-style bodywork with a full-width grille by chief designer Philippe Charbonneaux. All of the Type 235s were bodied by French carrosseries, including Letourneur et Marchard, Franay, and Saoutchik. This is one of three similar coupes built by Chapron. Powered by a 6-cylinder 3.5-liter, 152 horsepower engine, the Type 235 was one of the fastest luxury cars of its day. In 1953, to prove the car's speed and reliability, Delahaye entered the prototype Type 235 in the second running of a rally between the South African Cape and Algiers, a distance of 8,885 miles. The car broke the previous year's record, averaging over 100 mph over the 10 days of the race.

The 235 was a modern vehicle introduced in 1951, just after the close of World War II. It was powered by a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine capable of producing just over 150 horsepower and could reach speeds of 100 mph, or more. The 235 replaced the 135 and was Delahaye's only model offered for sale during this time.

Delahaye produced the rolling chassis and left the creation of the bodies up to coachbuilders, such as Letourneur & Marchand, Chapron, Ghia, and Vanden Plas.

by Dan Vaughan

A luxury automobile built by French manufacturer Delahaye, one of the oldest names in automobile history, dating back to 1894, the 235 was produced from 1951 until 1954. Introduced at the Paris Auto Salon in 1951 the 235 was an effort by the company to update the pre-war 135 model for the 1950s. Sales had plummeted for Delahaye and even combined, the production of the Types 135 and 175 only amounted to 77 units sold for the 1951 model year. The company needed some revitalization and they hoped that 235 would do it.

Fernand Lacour was the man responsible for the mechanics of the 235 while the new modern 'ponton-style' bodywork with the full-width front was created at the hands of chief designer Philippe Charbonneaux. Motto in Italy created a total of 84 prototype bodies. Made of traditional construction, the body was made of steel and aluminum. Sold only in chassis form in the beginning, the 235 received bodywork from a variety of coachbuilders including the famous Henri Chapron, Figoni, Antem, Saoutchik, and various others.

Delahaye contacted master craftsman Henri Chapron in the spring of 1951 to prepare him for the arrival of a new chassis. Chapron immediately set to work so he could be ready for the next Paris Salon. Unfortunately, numerous delays held him back from his normal creative flow and the result was a model derived heavily from the previous year's cabriolets on the 135 chassis. Though the 235 kept a very classic look, it featured a very stunning look with characteristic bulges surrounding the wheel wells and the oval grille.

After introducing his 235 Cabriolet, Chapron next began preparation of a closed version. The base of the Cabriolet was mimicked including the bulges at the front and rear wheel wells, but the roof was completely new. The closed version would be considered a 'two-door hardtop' and differs from a coupe since there is a window behind the door, but no B-pillar.

The Delahaye Company never used their own facilities at the rue de Banquier in Paris, but in an attempt to fix dwindling sales in 1953 standardized 'factory' bodywork from Chapron was used. This saved the Delahaye Company nearly 30 percent on the modified coach-built versions.

The 235M used the popular 3.6-liter inline six from the 135MS with three downdraught Solex carbs and 152 hp at 4,200 rpm. The 235 featured an overhead valve, in-line six-cylinder engine that produced 160 horsepower and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 11.5 seconds. The 235 was the replacement for the bigger Type 175, while the lesser 135M was still offered until 1954. The 235 had a top speed of around 106 mph. Unfortunately, the brakes and the fuel consumption were commonly criticized, as the heavy bodywork made by the French coachbuilders wasn't as technologically savvy in comparison to competitive models.

The 235 broke the record from Le Cap to Algiers in Africa in 1952. With a top speed of roughly 113 mph, the 235 had a six-cylinder 3.5-liter engine with a Cotal electromagnetic gearbox.

Though Delahaye had high hopes for the 235, the reliance on old-fashioned 1930 technology held them, despite the contemporary and sophisticated appearance of the model. The 235 was incredibly expensive with a Chapron-bodied 235 priced twice as much as the much faster Jaguar XK120 and five times the price of a Citroën 15CV 'Big Six'. The sluggish economy and the high tax rate on big-engined cars in post-war France all combined in an unfortunate end for the Delahaye Company. The French army chose license-built Hotchkiss Jeeps instead of the Delahaye VLR 'Jeep' and Hotchkiss took the reigns of the Delahaye Company in June 1954. Not long after the Delahaye cars reached the end of their lifespan. In 1954 the 235s appeared one final time at the Paris Salon to sell the remaining stock.

Sources:

http://www.finecars.cc/en/detail/car/189548/index.html?no_cache=1&ret=20&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Boffset%5D=6&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Browcount%5D=6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delahaye_235

http://www.tbauto.org/cars/delahaye_235.htm

by Jessican Donaldson