Beschreibung:

3,557cc OHV Inline 6-Cylinder Engine Single Solex Carburetor, 95bhp at 3,800rpm 4-Speed Manual Transmission Independent Front Suspension – Live Rear Axle 4-Wheel Drum Brakes *Exceptionally rare Saoutchik Delahaye *Features include power top and windows *Offered from a prominent Private European Collection *Tastefully refurbished in the last decade *Believed never shown publicly in USA THE DELAHAYE 135 Based initially at Tours, and from 1906 in Paris, Delahaye built its first automobile in 1894, and grew to become one of the most successful and innovative French luxury car manufacturers of the pre-war period. Delahaye started with building quality, belt-driven single and twin cylinder horseless carriages. His designs were so successful that he quickly needed significant investment to keep his business going. He was able to secure funding via some enthusiastic partners but, sadly, Delahaye did not live long enough to see his company's successes, and he died in 1905. But before he died, he hired some very influential and creative engineers who carried on his legacy with some truly spectacular machines. Many patents were issued to Delahaye prior to World War I and perhaps the most important were for a V6 cylinder layout as well as a twin-cam multi-valve engine. Delahaye as a company had quite amazing foresight for the 1910s. Its early products tended to be rather pedestrian, but then in 1935 came the first of a new generation that would change the marque's image forever; the T135 Coupe Des Alpes. A fine sporting car, the T135 was powered by an engine, which, although designed for car use, had first appeared in a Delahaye commercial vehicle. The 3.2-liter, six-cylinder, overhead-valve unit produced 110bhp on triple Solex carburetors, while the chassis featured transverse-leaf independent front suspension, four-speed synchromesh or Cotal gearboxes, center-lock wire wheels and Bendix brakes. Delahaye improved on the formula the following year with the 3.6-liter, 120/130bhp T135MS, 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-liter engine and lasted in production until 1951. By this time Delahaye was in serious financial difficulty as a result of the French government's taxation policies, which heavily penalized cars of over 3.0 liters, and in 1954 was taken over by Hotchkiss. Delahaye had no in-house coachworks, so all its chassis were bodied by independents, which created some of their most attractive designs on the Type 135. It was a most fortuitous partnership, resulting in memorable automotive sculpture from the likes of Saoutchik, Henry Chapron, Franay, Graber, Pennock and Figoni et Falaschi. THE MOTORCAR OFFERED The collaborations between French car manufacturers and coachbuilders were rarely rivaled by those of other countries. It could be said that each carrossier had their hallmarks, Figoni and Falaschi were renowned for their 'Teardrop' designs for example, but if you wanted forward thinking design and individuality, the house of J. Saoutchik should have been your pick. The car we present here was acquired approximately 10 years ago over and above other examples of its peers by its current owner, a seasoned collector for many years with a particular passion for design and engineering. It was chosen for its typical modernity and innovative features that are redolent of its sculptor. Its design is unequivocally contemporary, and seems likely to have been influenced by the American style that was already permeating through in production Cadillacs, Lincolns an