After my last two posts presenting the Ferraris in the 60's and 70's during this sale RM Sotheby's which takes place on the famous Monaco Formula 1 track next weekend, we are going to finish with this stunning 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Sport Coupe with a very elegant coachwork penned by Henri Chapron.

I really like the pictures with this beautiful car and in background the yachts moored in front of the city center of Monaco.

Here's a follow-up of my previous post about this RM Sotheby's Monaco sale with estimated prices. As you can see, many Ferrari :

1968 Cisitalia-Abarth 850	1958 BMW 507 Roadster	1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 I
70,000 €	2,100,000 €	300,000 €
1965 Ferrari 275 GTB	1965 Ferrari 275 GTS	1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 II
1,700,000 €	1,400,000 €	190,000 €
1968 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2	1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4	1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4
120,000 €	2,000,000 €	525,000 €
1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS	1976 Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2
350,000 €	80,000 €

History of Delahaye 135

The Delahaye 135 was first presented in 1934 at the 1934 Paris Auto Salon. The production began in 1935 until 1954. 20 years of production is pretty rare for a car. The 135 MS is the sportier version, seen in competition mostly during the Alpine Rally hence its nickname Coupe des Alpes.

Delahaye is a French automative company founded in 1894 by Émile Delahaye. But the company didn't produce coachwork, all its chassis were bodied by other companies. So many different designs for the same model :

• Coachwork by Carrosserie Ghia-Aigle with spat wheels,
• Cabriolet version by Alphonse Guilloré,
• but there are also other French coachbuilders like Joseph Figoni, Marius Franay and Jaques Saoutchik...

And the cabriolet version by Guilloré (source : RM Sotheby's)

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This model was owned by the famous racing driver Louis Chiron. With Bugatti, he participated to many races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed in the early years of Formula 1. I'm sure his name ring a bell, with his record for the most podium with Bugatti, the Chiron was a tribute in order to highlight his carreer (I didn't know that, always cool to learn something).

Chiron bought this example (chassis 800390) for 550,000 francs (around 50,000 €) in 1946 and approved the Chapron's design as a two-door Sport Coupé with torpedo wings. Just for info, Henri Chapron (1889-1978) was a famous French automobile coachbuilder especially known especially for the Citroën DS.

Specification

The Delahaye 135, in first version, was equipped with a 3.2 litre strraight six engine mated with twin-Solex carburettors producing 95 hp. The Modifiée Spéciale (MS) was the sportier version with triple carburettars and producing until 160 hp.

The body was designed by Chapron :

*"Chapron continued to respect the shape of the traditional radiator grille and his drawings remain faithful to the spirit of the original sports chassis." - Richard Adatto, Delahaye expert (source : RM Sotheby's)

Originally this example was finished in two-tone bleu ciel over blue Miami over a red leather interior. But during its complete restoration in 2012, the car was painted in a dark metallic blue with silver lines. I love the dashboard all in wood, you don't feel like you're in a car.

Sale

Model :	1947 Delahaye 135 MS Sport Coupé by Chapron
Where :	RM Sotheby's Monaco
When :	14 May 2022
Price :	325,000 €

Sources

RM Sotheby's Monaco
Lot : Delahaye 135 MS Sport Coupe

Wikipedia :
Delahaye 135
Louis Chiron
Henri Chapron

Previous Post

From Ferrari 1961 250 GTE to 1976 365 GT4 (2) >
From Ferrari 1961 250 GTE to 1976 365 GT4 (1)
BMW 507 Roadster Series II
Cisitalia-Abarth 850 Scorpione Coupé
Result Bonhams Amelia Island 2022
Fangio Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
Porsche 914
Allard J2X Two Seater Sports

Have a great sunday...Happy Mother's Day.

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Bonus Video

And to be complete on this sale, the star will be this 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider with a coachwork by Vignale... Estimated price : 6,000,000 € Ouch 🤑