Delahaye 135 Special Roadster biPlace 3.2ltr 1936 front left

Delahaye 135

Delahaye were a French manufacturer founded in Tours, about 60 miles south of Le Mans, in 1894. They soon after moved to Paris. They made some of the earliest automobiles ever, less than 10 years after Benz patented his model no.1. They went on to make some of the most beautiful, most stylish cars before vanishing in 1954. From 1935 until they closed down, they produced the model Delahaye 135.

Delahaye 135 Special roadster biplace

The Delahaye 135 Special was a very limited variant used by the factory and a few selected clients for motor racing. The image below, taken at the Chelsea Autolegends Classic Car Show in 2011 was one of the these specials built in 1936. It raced in the 1937 Le Mans 24 Hours as well as other events of the period.

The full story of this automobile is available in the auction notes of 2020 where it sold for €917840.