1946 Delahaye 135M

From simple, belt-drive single and twin-cylinder horseless carriages, Delahaye would grow to become one of the most innovative and successful French luxury car manufacturers of the pre-war period. They built their first automobile in 1898 and soon diversified into commercial vehicle manufacturing. Their facilities were initially based at Tours, moving to Paris in 1906, a year after the company's founder, Emile Delahaye, had passed away. The designs he created had become so successful that a significant investment was needed to keep pace with demand. Having secured funding, he was able to hire many of the most talented, creative, and influential engineers of the era, helping to ensure his legacy continued long after his demise. Charles Weiffenbach became head of Delahaye and would remain in command through both World Wars until Hotchkiss absorbed it in 1954.

Prior to World War I, the company filed many patents including a twin-cam multi-valve engine and a V6 cylinder layout. The company's early products were advanced, albeit rather lackluster and pedestrian, and much of their success was due to their commercial problems. That changed in the early 1930s with the arrival of a new generation of automobiles that would transform the marque's image. The new engine designed by chief engineer Jean Françoise was reliable and durable, with performance that made it highly successful in motorsport competition. It was installed into an advanced underslung chassis which had a lowered center of gravity, a transverse-leaf independent front suspension, center-lock wire wheels, Bendix brakes, four-speed synchromesh, and eventually the Cotal electro-mechanical transmission. Among the racing accolades were successes at Montlhéry, Spa, Marseille, and Le Mans.

At the time, the world was wrestling with the Great Depression, causing many businesses to fold and numerous fortunes to be lost. Instead of expanding their business and embracing mass production, Delahaye made the bold decision to create a highly sophisticated automobile in limited quantities, and its performance credentials were to be advertised by a small racing department. Their racing successes led to their ability to acquire automaker Delage in 1935, obtaining talented engineers and a host of advanced technology which allowed them to remain a Paragon amongst their peers.

In October of 1933 at the Paris Salon, Delahaye displayed their new Type 134 and 138 models equipped with the new 18CV (3.2-liter) six-cylinder engine. A Type 138 18CV Speciale wearing coachwork by Joseph Figoni would achieve four world and eleven international class records at Montlhery in 1934. A year later, Michel Paris (real name of Henri Toulouse) and Marcel Mongin claimed fifth place overall (2nd-in-class) at the Le Mans 24-hours. A victory in the Coupe des Alpes rally by the 'Ecurie Bleue' racing team, founded by American Lucy Schell, would birth the high-performance version wearing the 'Coupe des Alpes' model name.

The 3.2-liter, reverse-flow six-cylinder engine produced 95 horsepower with a single Solex carburetor or 113 horsepower with three Solex carburetors installed. Engine displacement eventually grew to nearly 3.6 liters by increasing the engine's bore by four millimeters. Output rose accordingly, to approximately 120 horsepower with three carburetors installed. In competition guise, which included a high compression head, output exceeded 150 horsepower. This potent engine was placed within a shorter and lower chassis of the 135 Special racing car known as the 135 Competition Court (meaning 'short'). These sport versions took 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places in the run-to-sportscar-regulations 1936 French Grand Prix and won the Monte Carlo Rally and Le Man's 24-Hour Race outright in 1937 and 1938 respectively. Prince Bira won the 1938 Donington 12-Hour Sports Car Race in Prince Chula's example and went on to take victory in Brooklands' 'fastest road car in England' race.

Since Delahaye did not have an in-house coachwork department, they relied on independent coachbuilders for the creation of the bodies. Among the list of carrosseriers who created bodies for the Type 135 were Saoutchik, Henry Chapron, Franay, Graber, Pennock, and Figoni et Falaschi.

After World War II, the model reappeared as the 135M with a 3.6-liter engine. Although the model continued to succeed as being one of the most compelling French automobiles ever produced, its financial success was crippled by the French government's taxation policies, which heavily penalized cars of over 3.0 liters. As a result, production of the 135M ended after 1951 and in 1954, Delahaye was taken over by Hotchkiss.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2022