1939 Delahaye T135M Three-Position Drophead Coupe

Lot details
Registration No: 255 UXH
Chassis No: 49304
Mot Expiry: Sept 2005

From Veteran beginnings, following the display of Emile Delahaye's very first machine at the 1895 Salon du Cycle in Paris, Delahaye became one of France's most exclusive marques - and, by the 1930s and thanks to the enthusiasm of the largest shareholder, one Madame Leon Desmarais, who sought "greatness" for Delahaye on track and road, only the very wealthy could indulge themselves with the £3500 purchase price of what was, pre-war, a very considerable investment for any automobile.
One of the milestone years in the Parisian firm's history was 1935 which was when Delahaye took over the ailing Delage company and, in the process, gained enormously from the latter's motor racing expertise. One of the early benefits to emerge from their collaboration was the legendary 'Type 135', which was powered by an entirely new six-cylinder engine, first of 3227cc capacity in the original Sports version and then with larger 3557cc engine for the 135 Competition and 135 Special. The '135S' became one of the world's most successful competition cars, achieving a string of victories for the company in the five years preceding the Second World War.
When road testing the 135, the 'Motor' magazine hacks of the day awarded the Delahaye's steering full marks for lightness and accuracy, also noting the efficiency of the Bendix brakes and reckoning that the exhaust note might be a tad "fruity" for some tastes. Here, though, was an exceptionally stylish motor car which was also a potent performer. The torquey straight-six matched to a fine chassis resulted in excellent road manners via independent transverse-leaf front suspension and semi-elliptically sprung live rear axle.
Some truly superb and exotic coachwork was produced on this chassis by specialist coachbuilders, such as Guillore, Franay, de Villars, Figoni & Falaschi, and Antam, their craftsmen safe in the knowledge that Delahaye's performance and handling would match their creations. One of the most elegant of these was the cabriolet designed by French coachbuilding maestro, Henri Chapron. Beautifully proportioned and lavishly equipped, his Chapron-bodied Delahaye quickly became the 'factory standard', remaining in production, essentially unchanged, until 1951.
At the outbreak of war some unfinished motor cars were stored safely in the outskirts of Paris until the cessation of hostilities. Chassis number 49304, being auctioned at Stoneleigh, is believed to be one of these rare examples, information in the documentation file indicating first registration in Holland in 1948 (all post-war Delahayes were issued with 8000 series chassis numbers).
Acquired by the Dutch National Museum van de Automobiel in 1956, 49304 was then retained by the collection as a key exhibit at Driebergen for over four decades. Interestingly, a photograph of this very car has been employed to illustrate the Chapron-bodied Delahaye in the definitive 'Beaulieu Encyclopaedia of the Automobile'. Following purchase by the current owner in 2000, the right-hand drive car has been subjected to a full ground-up, chassis-off rebuild by marque specialist I S Polson. In fact, over the four years that the project has been in the workshop, the vendor has calculated that nearly 5,500 man-hours have been spent on completing the restoration.
The engine has been completely rebuilt to Grand Prix specification with the benefit of a new block with correct 49304 number re-instated, together with a new aluminium cylinder head carrying the triple carburettors. Race prepared crankshaft, camshaft, connecting rods and pistons were fitted and balanced en masse with the flywheel. A new manifold, developed by Ian Polson through his experience of racing Delahayes, is coupled to a stainless steel exhaust.. Although not noisy, the exhaust note does give a hint of a powerful engine, which reportedly performs well whilst at the same time having considerable torque. Period comp-spec Delahaye motors produced an impressive for the day 160bhp and were good for 125mph.
The technically advanced Cotel four-speed gearbox has been overhauled, as has the back axle, which now benefits from new 80lb steel half-shafts to ensure trouble-free delivery of the power to the road. We understand that ancillary mechanical and electrical components have received the same detailed attention including steering, suspension, braking system, hubs, wheels and tyres, which have been renewed. Many components have been finished to show standard.
The body frame has been fully restored and the original panelling replaced after being renovated and strengthened as required. All the brightwork has been re-chromed, the windows replaced with laminated glass and the instruments overhauled. The finished coachwork has been painted, again to show standard, in light blue over dark blue wings, the paintwork really set off by a chrome waist strip with chrome pram irons for the hood and chrome tubular bumpers.
The two-door interior has been re-upholstered, also to a high standard, in light blue hide with contrasting dark blue Wilton carpet and matching mohair hood. As an inspection will confirm, the elegantly styled light mahogany dashboard and door cappings have been polished to perfection and the original Henri Chapron plate remains in evidence.
A carefully concealed heater and de-mister has been added to provide the occupants with a little modern comfort in cold weather. Whilst for warm weather, the rear window panel in the hood has been manufactured in such a way that it can be removed independently of the hood to assist airflow through the car. A special upholstered tray has been designed and fitted in the boot, which is a useful size and now benefits from concealed locks, to house the hood cant rails when the roof is folded. A hood cover has been manufactured in the same light blue leather as the interior, piped with dark blue leather.
Now registered in the UK with MOT certificate current until September and attention to detail, which as you can see for yourself has been considerable, should ensure much concours potential. For this has to be one of the very finest examples not only of the marque, but of the 'Post Vintage' and truly 'Grand Touring' car era.