Delahaye 135 MS 'Alpin' Coupé - 1949
Coachwork by Guilloré
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2019
Estimated : € 180.000 - 230.000
Based initially at Tours and from 1906 in Paris, Delahaye built its first automobile in 1894 and soon diversified into commercial vehicle manufacture. Its early products tended to be rather lacklustre, but then in 1935 came the first of a new generation that would change the marque's image: the T135 Coupe Des Alpes. A fine sporting car, the T135 somewhat paradoxically borrowed its engine from one of its maker's trucks. The 3.2-litre, six-cylinder, overhead-valve unit produced 110 bhp on triple Solex carburettors, while the chassis featured transverse-leaf independent front suspension, four-speed synchromesh or Cotal gearboxes, centre-lock wire wheels, and Bendix brakes.
Delahaye improved on the formula the following year with the 3.6-litre, 120/130bhp T135 MS, and the sports version was soon making a name for itself in competitions, taking 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places in the run-to-sportscar-regulations 1936 French Grand Prix and winning the Monte Carlo Rally and Le Mans 24-Hour Race outright in 1937 and 1938 respectively. Prince Bira won the 1938 Donington 12-Hour Sports Car Race in Prince Chula's example and went on to take victory in Brooklands' 'fastest road car in England' race against some formidable opposition. The model reappeared post-WW2 as the 135M with the 3.6-litre engine and lasted in production until 1951.
Delahaye had no in-house coachworks, so all its chassis were bodied by inde¬pendents who created some of their most attractive designs on the Type 135. Chassis number '801186' wears coachwork by the Courbevoie-based coachbuilder A Guilloré, who bodied his first cars in 1937. Concentrating almost exclusively on Talbot, Delahaye, and Delage chassis, Guilloré was active until circa 1950, although manufacture of commercial vehicle bodies continued for some time thereafter.
A unique example, '801186' is featured in 'Delahaye – La Belle Carosserrie Française' by Jean-Paul Tissot, President of the Delahaye club (page 162). It carries 'Alpin' enclosed coupé coachwork very similar in appearance to that of Guilloré's 'Estérel' cabriolet. (Guilloré gave names of French provinces to some of his more luxurious models such as Béarn, Dauphiné, Estérel, and Alpin). '801186' also appeared in the October 1949 edition of 'La Revue l'Équipement Automobile' (copy entry available).
Right-hand drive like many quality French cars of the period, '801186' has the most powerful (125/130 bhp) engine, as fitted to the top-of-the-range MS model, and the Cotal semi-automatic gearbox. This Delahaye was first registered 11th April 1949 as '4359 YD1' in the name of Monsieur Francis Bonnerue of Bougival, Paris, and reregistered on 29th August 1952 as '9895 BK75', again in Paris. In the 1970s, '801186' was one of a number of Delahayes belonging to the Dejaiffe collection in Belgium. At the beginning of the 2000s it went to Retrolegends and afterwards back to France. Described by the vendor as '100%' throughout, this rare and beautiful French thoroughbred is offered with French Carte Grise and Netherlands registration documents.
Delahaye 135 MS 'Alpin' Coupé - 1949
Coachwork by Guilloré
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2019
Estimated : € 180.000 - 230.000
Based initially at Tours and from 1906 in Paris, Delahaye built its first automobile in 1894 and soon diversified into commercial vehicle manufacture. Its early products tended to be rather lacklustre, but then in 1935 came the first of a new generation that would change the marque's image: the T135 Coupe Des Alpes. A fine sporting car, the T135 somewhat paradoxically borrowed its engine from one of its maker's trucks. The 3.2-litre, six-cylinder, overhead-valve unit produced 110 bhp on triple Solex carburettors, while the chassis featured transverse-leaf independent front suspension, four-speed synchromesh or Cotal gearboxes, centre-lock wire wheels, and Bendix brakes.
Delahaye improved on the formula the following year with the 3.6-litre, 120/130bhp T135 MS, and the sports version was soon making a name for itself in competitions, taking 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places in the run-to-sportscar-regulations 1936 French Grand Prix and winning the Monte Carlo Rally and Le Mans 24-Hour Race outright in 1937 and 1938 respectively. Prince Bira won the 1938 Donington 12-Hour Sports Car Race in Prince Chula's example and went on to take victory in Brooklands' 'fastest road car in England' race against some formidable opposition. The model reappeared post-WW2 as the 135M with the 3.6-litre engine and lasted in production until 1951.
Delahaye had no in-house coachworks, so all its chassis were bodied by inde¬pendents who created some of their most attractive designs on the Type 135. Chassis number '801186' wears coachwork by the Courbevoie-based coachbuilder A Guilloré, who bodied his first cars in 1937. Concentrating almost exclusively on Talbot, Delahaye, and Delage chassis, Guilloré was active until circa 1950, although manufacture of commercial vehicle bodies continued for some time thereafter.
A unique example, '801186' is featured in 'Delahaye – La Belle Carosserrie Française' by Jean-Paul Tissot, President of the Delahaye club (page 162). It carries 'Alpin' enclosed coupé coachwork very similar in appearance to that of Guilloré's 'Estérel' cabriolet. (Guilloré gave names of French provinces to some of his more luxurious models such as Béarn, Dauphiné, Estérel, and Alpin). '801186' also appeared in the October 1949 edition of 'La Revue l'Équipement Automobile' (copy entry available).
Right-hand drive like many quality French cars of the period, '801186' has the most powerful (125/130 bhp) engine, as fitted to the top-of-the-range MS model, and the Cotal semi-automatic gearbox. This Delahaye was first registered 11th April 1949 as '4359 YD1' in the name of Monsieur Francis Bonnerue of Bougival, Paris, and reregistered on 29th August 1952 as '9895 BK75', again in Paris. In the 1970s, '801186' was one of a number of Delahayes belonging to the Dejaiffe collection in Belgium. At the beginning of the 2000s it went to Retrolegends and afterwards back to France. Described by the vendor as '100%' throughout, this rare and beautiful French thoroughbred is offered with French Carte Grise and Netherlands registration documents.