1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Coupe
There's something timeless and thrilling about a piece of pre-war custom coachwork, especially when it courses with a pulse of sporting blood. That's the beat that lies at the heart of the 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Coupe from the famed Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Coupe was a French-made six-cylinder car. See more classic car pictures. |
Delahaye had been making cars in France since 1894; with a few exceptions, they were fairly conventional. But in 1935, the company launched a pair of six-cylinder cars that were a genuine tonic.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The sporty dash featured large gauges. |
The larger of the two was the 120-horsepower 3.5-liter that went into the new Type 135, producing a car that scored wins in the Monte Carlo Rallye and at LeMans in the late 1930s.
The short Competition featured here stoned by a Parisian industrialist who was fond of the flowing style of coach-builders Figoni et Falaschi.
Two passengers can ride in style as triple carburetors feed the ohv six, which is driven through a four-speed synchromesh gearbox.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. In the late 1930s, the sporty Delahaye Type 135 scored wins in the Monte Carlo Rallye and at LeMans. |
After World War II, the car began passing through the hands of various American owners. In the 1980s, a Japanese buyer had the car restored. It was shown at Pebble Beach, then taken to Japan.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Two passengers could ride in style. |
The Blackhawk Collection purchased it about three years ago. The restoration still holding up, little work was needed to put it on display.
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