
Delahaye 235 - Roadster, 1951
Delahaye 235
A Modern Delahaye>
“The best of the coach-built era, with a modern twist.” —Peter Mullin The Delahaye 235 was an exclusive sports car that exuded the luxury of prewar handcraftsmanship combined with postwar technological innovation.
Following WWII, economic power shifted to the U.S., where mass production became the new model to serve a growing American market. Only a handful of coachbuilders survived the postwar depression. Those that did designed for American clients that preferred large, “enveloped” bodies. The 235’s fully enveloped fenders and large steering wheel with its chrome rim and central crown insignia were quintessentially American, mimicking styling that could have been found on any Cadillac of the era.
While the Delahaye 235 was marketed as a new model, designed and styled for the postwar market, it was built on a modernized prewar Type 135 MS chassis. It sported a new grille, but retained the old 3.5-liter motor, with minor modifications to the camshaft and carburetors that boosted the horsepower to 150. The Saoutchik styled body was constructed from a unique combination of aluminum (applied to the body from the doors forward) and steel (applied to the rear), providing balance while reducing the car’s weight. When the car made its debut at the 1951 Paris Auto Salon, the public deemed it exquisite, but the price tag—nearly double the Jaguar’s—was too high. The 235 was Delahaye’s last luxury car, and none was more elegant than this example.
Chassis 818005 was owned by a French collector for nearly fifty years and was only stored away when it stopped working in 1964. It was rediscovered in France in 2006 by Jacques “Frenchy” Harguindeguy, an American collector from Walnut Creek, California, who displayed it in its original condition at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance. Peter Mullin purchased the car in 2007 and subjected it to a comprehensive restoration.
Coachbuilder | Saoutchik |
Chassis number | 818005 |
Profile type | Touring |
Body type | Roadster cabriolet |
Number made | 5th of 84 |
Production span | 1951-1954 |
Front brakes type | Cable-operated |
Rear brakes type | Cable-operated |
Front suspension type | Independent transverse leaf spring with upper control arms and lever action shock absorbers |
Rear suspension type | Live axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and lever action shock absorbers |
Length | 15' 8" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 4' 8" |
Width | 5' 10" |
Engine number | 818005 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 6 |
Displacement | 3557 |
Distribution | Overhead valves |
BHP at 4200 RPM | 150 |
Gearbox | Cotal pre-selector |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |