This ultra-rare Delahaye Cabriolet is being sold with our friends online at Bring-A-Trailer. The auction is now live and can be accessed here:
bringatrailer.com/listing/194...
Delahaye (Background):
Based initially at Tours and from 1906 and later, in Paris, Delahaye built its first automobile in 1898 and soon diversified into commercial vehicle manufacture.
The early products tended to be rather lacklustre, but then in 1933 came the first of a new generation that would change the marque’s image: the 138 Super Luxe, a fine sports car and the 135M which was powered by a 3.2-litre, six-cylinder, overhead-valve engine producing 110bhp 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 four-wheel, hydraulic brakes.
Delahaye improved on the formula the following year with the 3.6-litre, 120/130bhp 135MS, and the sports version was soon making a name for itself in competitions, winning the Monte Carlo Rally and Le Mans 24-Hour Race outright in 1937 and 1938 respectively.
The model reappeared post-WW2 again as the 135M and still with the 3.6-litre engine and this lasted in production until 1951. Delahaye had no in-house coachwork offerings, so all its chassis were bodied by independents who created some of their most attractive designs of the era.
Carrosserie Pennock den-Haag:
Following WW2, the concours-winning firm of Pennock, located in The Hague, Holland acquired several chassis from Delahaye, on one of which, with chassis number 800424, they created the outstanding three-position cabriolet offered here. This was done in right-hand drive, like most French cars of quality at that time. Upon completion, the Delahaye was purchased from Pennock by a prominent local Dutch family and is believed always to have been registered in Holland with members of the family into the 1970s. It was subsequently sold and moved to Rotterdam, forming part of a sizeable collection of motor cars where it is believed to have spent the next 25 years of its life.
Another sale to a subsequent Dutch owner/enthusiast took place from the previous collector in Rotterdam in 1995 and he commenced a painstaking ‘body off’ restoration. The restoration was carried out to a very high standard between 1995 and 2010, the work involved completely stripping the car, sandblasting the chassis, and a full engine overhaul by the specialist firm of Jacob in Maastricht. In addition, the body and interior were completely restored together with the woodwork, convertible hood, etc and the car repainted in blue over cream/ivory. The adoption of alternator electrics and an hardened valved seat / “unleaded” cylinder head conversion are the only modifications that took place.
This Delahaye was only registered on the road again finally in 2014 and is remained largely un-driven and in generally excellent condition receiving annual fluid and filter services after joining a prominent museum collection in 2015 until its recent offering here on Bring-A-Trailer.
In preparation for the sale on BaT, the car was sent to James Millar for services and safety checks. The only noted area of concerns are the tires which show minimal actual road use but are now completely out of date and suitable for limited road driving only. Having said that, I spent four days putting just over 40 kilometers on the car and enjoyed every minute of it!
This was my first experience in more than 25 years, driving a “Cotal” preselector gearbox vehicle. My previous experience was mediocre at best and my gut feeling is that a true-wizard and “Cotal” specific expert set up and sorted this one as it is pure automotive magic going up and down the gears with total ease and confidence. The car has only limited mileage since the full restoration and the car barely even broken in. Brakes were a bit sensitive and if it were mine to keep, I would drive it another 50 to 70 kilometers and have them given a final adjustment. They are more than up to the task of stopping the car, just a bit too sensitive and a bit more play or more driving might make all the difference.
In addition to all that I have shared, I would add that despite its size, this is an excellent handling vehicle. I had no problem driving and getting photos and video at the same time with my I Phone, something I would usually not try with similar size vehicles.
Please let me know if I can assist further in anyway with inspections, test drives and worldwide shipping quotes as needed.
Kind regards and best of luck to everyone,
Bill Noon