1953 Delahaye 135 MS - CL Spéciale

This car is a unique prototype built by Faget-Varnet and intended to be shown at the 1953 Salon de l’Automobile de Paris car show.

The mecanics used are a 1949 Delahaye 135MS running frame and engine with some unusual specifications such as Delahaye 235 carburetors and steering column, as well as Delage hydraulic brakes.

The style of the coachwork is showing similarities with Farina designed Ford Comète, Bentley Cresta II and early Facel-Vega. It was designed and built by Faget-Varnet.

Among other things they patented a unitary all steel structure construction which was meant to make the cars lighter and more rigid, and should also reduce time and money to me built by eliminating the wooden structure used in the past.

Faget-Varnet bodied about eleven Delahaye 135 and only one Delahaye 235 , six cabriolets and six coupés. The car on sale is the last one of those.

After Delahaye closed its doors the never used car was entrusted by Mr Faget to the Charbonneaux car museum in Reims. In 1981 the car was bought by Mr Claverie ex President of the Delahaye Club of France. He did all the little details to have the car running that same year. It was road registered as a prototype with serial number 688127, which can be explained as follows: It is the 68th prototype road registered that year 1981 in the département d’Eur et Loire (27).

The third and last owner bought the car in 2017. Though it had been scarcely used before it was decided to entrust the car to famous French restorer Dominique Tessier made a fantastic restoration ( about 2000 hours work ).

The car is in perfect condition of a complete and documented restoration made in 2018-2019:

Since the car was only driven 1000 Km and the restoration does not show any sign of aging.

With the car are coming : -Special brochure made for the car. - Large file of invoices and pictures concerning the restoration. -Reports written by Jean-Paul Tissot, Président of the Delahaye Club in 2023