1936 Delahaye 135 CS GP

Jul 17

Written By Katelyn McSherry

In 1938 this very car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans but was badly damaged three weeks later at the 24 Hours of Spa. One of 14 made, this 1936 Delahaye 135 CS GP was ordered by privateer racer Henri Toulouse to compete in the 1936 racing season. He won the Grand Prix of Marseilles and finished 2nd in the Grand Prix de La Marne. Shortly after, the car was purchased by Eugene Chaboud and it was raced it again at Le Mans as well as small tracks in England. In 1939, it was shipped to Australia where it competed in road races including the Australian Grand Prix. It was next purchased by British car collector, Ian Polson, who completed a full restoration in 1968. He then sold the car to John Ruston in 1994. In 1999 Peter Mullin purchased the car, where he has driven it at numerous racing events, and is part of the world-renowned Mullin Collection today.

Delahaye began experimenting with automobiles in the late 19th century, and entered cars into competitive races as early as 1896. Delahaye abandoned racing after founder Émile Delahaye’s death in 1905, and newly appointed manager Charles Weiffenbach shifted the company’s focus to their production vehicles, commercial vehicles and firetrucks for the French government.

It has been rumored that Monsieur Charles met with his friend Ettore Bugatti to seek his opinion on turning Delahaye around. Whether or not this rumor is true, it is on record that Madame Leon Desmarais, the majority Delahaye shareholder instructed Charles Weiffenbach to come up with a new higher quality automotive-chassis line with vastly improved horsepower, and re-establish a racing department. By 1933, Delahaye was back in the racing game, and quickly began to see success at the highest levels of European motorsport.

The all-new Type 135 range was first shown to the public at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon, with both competition and road cars announced. Race versions featured a larger and more powerful inline-six paired with a shorter and lower chassis than the road car. Referred to as the Compétition Spéciale, the 135 CS was fitted with a light and simple aluminum body with cycle fenders to reduce drag.

The Delahaye 135 S made its race debut at the 1936 Rally Monte Carlo finishing second overall. A 135 CS was driven by Michel Paris to its first significant victory in May of 1936 at the Marseilles Grand Prix. Other victories scored in the 135's debut season were in the Rallye Feminin Paris Saint-Raphael, the Rallye Paris - Nice and the Grand Prix de Algiers.

With no new competition cars available immediately after the War, the Delahaye 135s continued to race for many more seasons. Due to their long careers, very few examples, if any, have survived in their original condition and some were even re-bodied several times. It is believed that only seven of these genuine 135 Compétition Spéciales have survived.

Lent by Peter & Merle Mullin