Delahaye does not build many cars like the Delahaye 134 with 2151 , built from 1933 to 1946 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. Its designer of record is Jean François.
Where it came from
The Delahaye 134 is a four-cylinder luxury automobile manufactured by Delahaye. Based on Jean François' Delahaye 135, it was produced from 1933 to 1940 (from 1936 as the 134N) and was briefly brought back by Delahaye manager Charles Weiffenbach in 1945 after hostilities ended. At the same time, the larger engined 134G also appeared. As a part of the "Plan Pons" aimed at reviving French industry, Delahaye was to focus on building luxury cars, in particular for the export markets. The lesser 134 did not suit the plan and was taken out of production by 1946, in preference to the more lucrative 135, 148, and 175 models. Most 134s built carried saloon bodywork by Autobineau, a subsidiary of Letourneur et Marchand.
The 2.15-liter engine (bore and stroke of 80 mm × 107 mm (3.1 in × 4.2 in)) of the 134 and 134N was a four-cylinder version of the 3.2-litre, four-bearing overhead valve inline-six from the 135, itself based on a lorry engine. Power was 50 hp (37 kW) at 3800 rpm. This engine was also sold to Amilcar, who installed it in their Pégase car from 1934 until 1937. Amilcar, however, claimed a max power of 58 hp (43 kW). Like the 135, the 134s featured independent, leaf-sprung front suspension, a live rear axle, and cable operated Bendix brakes. Transmission was either a four-speed manual or a four-speed Cotal pre-selector. A total of 340 134N were built, of which about 100 examples post-war (these are almost entirely identical to 1939 models), mainly for the domestic market. Twenty or so of the 2.4-liter 14 CV 134G models were built in 1945–1946, only for export. However, wi
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 2151 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 4-speed Manual transmission / manual / 4-speed Preselector gearbox / pre-selector. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2950 mm / 3150 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti Type 57, the Chevrolet Suburban, the Lancia Augusta. Nearby in the Delahaye catalogue sit the Delahaye 103 and the Delahaye 12CV.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Delahaye 134 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.