Delahaye Type 135

The Delahaye Type 135 is a car from Delahaye, built from 1935 to 1954, when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. Under the bonnet: 3,227 cc straight-6, 95 -. Jean François drew it.

Where it came from

The Delahaye 135 is a luxury car manufactured by French automaker Delahaye. Designed by engineer Jean François, it was produced from 1935 until 1954 in many different body styles. A sporting tourer, it was also popular for racing.

Under the skin

Power comes from 3,227 cc straight-6, 95 -; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 935 kg. It shifts through a 4-speed manual / 4-speed 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. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

In context

Its family tree is legible: its successor was the Delahaye 235; assembly was at 13th arrondissement of Paris. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Bugatti Type 57, the Chevrolet Suburban, the Volkswagen Beetle — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Delahaye catalogue sit the Delahaye 103 and the Delahaye 12CV.

What it costs now

MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Delahaye Type 135 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.