1951 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet

Jul 17

Written By Katelyn McSherry

This 1951 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet has beautifully constructed coachwork by Chapron. After its completion, the car remained in Paris where it was last registered in 1965. Soon after, it was imported into the United States by Californian Ben Paul Moser, who was well known for importing European vehicles. He kept the car until his death in 1992, where it was then purchased in his famous estate sale by Jacques Harguindeguy, a well-known enthusiast of and expert in French coachwork. He displayed the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1994, where it was awarded the French Cup, recognizing it as the most significant car of French origin at that year’s concours. In 1996, it was acquired for the Bob Pond collection, where it stayed for the next 18 years. In 2014 it was acquired for the Audrain Collections.

The Delahaye’s 135, introduced in Paris in 1935, was a rare model produced before and after World War II. It boasted a brand-new chassis with the same 3.6-liter, six-cylinder engine first seen in the earlier Type 138, proving to be a remarkable automobile upon its release. One year later, Delahaye introduced the 135M, which offered a slightly larger engine with improved horsepower and was offered with a choice of single, dual, or triple carburetors. The 135 proved to more than hold its own in competition, as it swept the top six places at Marseilles in 1936. In the following years, leading up to the beginning of the Second World War, the 135 further cemented its reputation, taking 2nd overall at Le Mans in 1937 and 1st, 2nd, and 4th the following year. Outside of Le Mans, Delahaye 135s also took 1st at the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1937 and 1939. The 135’s success on the race track helped build the car’s reputation on the road.

Following the conclusion of the war, production of the Type 135 resumed and continued with the same 3.6-liter engine used before the war. By this time, the company was nearing its end, as the French government had placed large taxes on cars with displacement over three liters. Even today, six decades after the final Delahaye was produced, the famous 135 series cars remain very highly regarded as some of the most compelling French automobiles ever produced.

This reputation is due as much to the fabulous custom coachwork with which the chassis were outfitted as it is to the fine engineering. Demanding clients requested fantastic designs for the sporting 135 from such coachbuilders as Figoni et Falaschi, Franay, Saoutchik, and, perhaps most prominently, Levallois-sur-Seine atelier Henry Chapron.