1951 Delahaye "135M Cabriolet"

Specifications

Engine: Inline-6

Displacement: 217.2 cu. in./3.55 L

Horsepower: 115hp

Transmission: Electro-mechanical 4-speed

A Little History

The first Delahaye 135 was actually introduced in Paris in 1935. The 135M “Modifie” was released one year later with similar body styling and a much more powerful engine. The Delahaye became increasingly popular leading up to World War II, due largely in part to its success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in both 1937 and 1938. Though Delahaye production was stopped through the war, they started right back up again as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the company didn’t last long after the war because the French government placed an immense tax on engines with displacements larger than 2 liters. The tax, in combination with the expenses of producing cars with custom-made coachers, upped production costs to an unmanageable level. In fact, after the war, the manufactures that were able to stay afloat financially had to reevaluate their production processes. Almost all of the them began doing 100% of the construction in-house.