1946 Delahaye 135M

Elegant and extremely rare coachwork by Dutch Coachbuilder Van Leersum

Strong 3.6 Litre, Triple-Carb Straight Six

Cotal-Preselector Gearbox

Excellent condition throughout

Mile Miglia eligible

Chassis 800311 was built in 1946 as kind of an interim model, utilising pre-war parts and combining it with technical upgrades and a modern design. It is unclear whether the freshly assembled car was sold right away or whether it stood unsold for a while, but by February 1949, the car was registered as "9277 RQ 7" in the Paris, Seine registration region.

Later on in its life it was in the hands of Mr. Ennio Gianaroli, a noted Italian collector domiciled in Belgium, where it would have shared a stable with a number of Ferraris and other significant cars of which I hacve sold two Alfa 6C 2500 SS myself in the past decades. A photo from this period is depicted in the Tissot authored book Delahaye – La Belle Carrosserie Francaise.

Sig. Gianaroli sold the Delahaye around 1980 to the USA. After various ownerships, always in large collections, the car joined the present collection in the mid-2000s.

In recent years the car has been extensively refurbished with a repaint in a single deep burgundy hue, an engine rebuild and engine compartment detailing. It presents in excellent condition throughout and is both a welcome entrant to any Concours event and even the Mille Miglia as well as a fast, luxurious and stunning vehicle from the 40ies.