1938 | Delahaye 135C Competition

On offer is a fabulous tribute to the Delahaye 135 Competition Special model.  

Introduced in 1936 and based on the touring Type 135, the Competition model quickly proved itself taking second overall at the 1937 Le Mans driven by Joseph Paul and Marcel Mongin, and only beaten by Bugatti that year. In the 1938 Le Mans this result was bettered by a good margin when Delahaye took  1st, 2nd and 4thplace in 135 Competition models.

The Delahaye 135CS had a 3.5L straight six overhead-valve engine with raised compression, lighter and better-balanced crankshaft, bigger valves and equally important; breathing through triple Solex carburettors. Power was up to 160HP at 4000RPM.

This specific Delahaye 135CS Tribute was converted in 1985 from a Delahaye 135M, also fed by triple Solex carburettors. Of equal importance, the characteristic alloy coachwork including the beautifully shaped flared rear and front wings of the 135CS was fabricated during the rebuild to match the original.

In 1987 the Delahaye was sold at the auction of The James C. Leake Automobile Collection in the US. It was subsequently imported and owned by an enthusiast owner based in Monaco for almost 30 years. The owner kept the car in top condition and used it enthusiastically with his wife for various rallies and vintage car meets in the South of France. There are numerous photos and a few articles in various magazines as documentation. In 2015 the Delahaye was sold on to its current owner in Denmark where it has seen regular use and has been well maintained ever since.

A large file with documents, Delahaye literature, photos, further research on the 135 Competition model and invoices relating to service and work carried out over the years comes with the car. 

The Delahaye comes with older US registration documents and more recent registration documents from Monaco and is ready to be enjoyed on the road.