1935 Delahaye 135 Competition

After developing a reputation for producing reliable cars and commercial trucks, Delahaye switched gears with the Type 135. They were bought out by Delage the new shareholder’s desire to produce a more prestigious model was fulfilled.

Since the competition variants of the Type 138 produced in 1934 were begining to perform well on circuits of Europe, even placing fifth at Le Mans, it was decided to release a more sporting and elegant version.

First released at the 1935 Paris Motor Show, the 135 was lower, more rigid and more powerful version of the Type 138 it replaced. Different versions were offered such as, Sport, Coupe des Alpes, Competition, and a short wheel base Competition Court.

A long wheel base version called the 148 was produced from 1936 to 1939 with a long wheel base. This was replaced by the 148L. These were meant for longer luxury cars such as limosines and included hydraulic disc brakes. Very few of these were made and they featured the standard 135 engine.

In 1938, one of the 16 Sport models produced won the prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans and secured a highlight victory for Delahaye.

After two years of production, the 3,557cc engine found in the competition models were included for the entire range. In 1937, the 135M and 135MS replaced all the models. These would be built after the war before the 165 finally replaced the entire line.

Bibliography

Adatto, Richard and Diana Meredith. Delahaye Styling and Design. Dalton Watson Fine books. 2005.
Dorizon, Peigney and JP Dauliac. Delahaye-Le Grande Livre. Paris Editions EPA. 1995.
Renou, Michel. Delahaye-Tout l’historie. Paris Editions EPA. 1994.