This Letourneur et Marchand-bodied example was built in 1950 and spent most of its life in France. We understand that the first French owner retained it for nearly 30 years, until he sold it on 24 October 1979 to Mr. Andre Acoulon from St. Maur de Fosse, Val de Marne, just outside of Paris. As per the plaque still mounted on the sill of 801348, it was restored in France by Atelier de Restoration Automobile, in Sorigny. The present owner, from Holland, acquired the car in 2003 and ever since, it has remained within his collection, still on its old French number plates. Very well-known by the Delahaye Club in France, the car has participated in many classic rallies and concours events, where it was very well received. A wonderful and well-maintained example of Delahaye’s signature model, it is accompanied by a large file of documents, including invoices, and is ready to be shown or enjoyed on tours and rallies.

This Delahaye 135 M DHC was built in his workshops in 1948 and was one of the first examples of this “transition” model combining the pre-war style and the integral pontoon line. Named “Malmaison” it was exhibited on the Pourtout stand at the 1948 Paris Motor Show. The vertical and narrow grille was a variant of the new front styling by Philippe Charbonneaux for Delahaye in 1946. This car participated in numerous concours d’élégance events in 1949. We know that in 1952, under the registration number 1548 C 75 (Paris), it was the property of the Marquis de Cuevas who owned and managed a famous ballet company. It then went through the hands of several French owners among them the Comte de Ribot in 1954 (n° 461 BW 06), Mr. Louis de Poitevin de Fontignac in 1957 (n° 851 CM 16), Mr. Beauvais in 1970 (n° 613 LC 86), Mr. Vernhes in 1982 (n° 3429 KM 32) and M. Ramos (n° 1943 JP 33) in 1983. In 1988-1989 the body, paintwork and upholstery of the car was restored by the Atelier Automobiles Anciennes in Chambray-lès-Tours. A letter written by Claude Pourtout (son of Marcel) who supervised the restoration work testifies that this car was built by his father’s company. Sold at an auction in New York in October 1989 it has since been part of various American collections. The power unit is a Type 103 6S engine with three carburettors delivering 115bhp at the time and it drives a 4-speed Cotal electro-magnetic gearbox and we are told that the car works perfectly.

Our 135 M, a classic four-seater cabriolet with bodywork by Henri Chapron (order n°5785), belonged for many years to the well-known collector Jacques Dumontant, who inherited it from his father and often used it on his travels in search of vintage cars. Although the 135 M usually came with openwork sheet-metal wheels, this one has more elegant wire wheels, always available as an option at the time (and vice-versa). The current owner acquired the car in 2003, and the engine received a major overhaul in 2004 – details can be seen in the accompanying folder, along with the original service booklet.

art of the O’Quinn Collection since 2005, its restoration was completed some years ago and comes complete with copies of over 50 pages of invoices and correspondence. A recent inspection confirms that the 135M maintains its post-restoration splendour with the exterior panel fit and deep maroon finish remaining very good, while the bright trim is generally very nice with very slight pitting. The interior continues to present well with the leather upholstery showing slight evidence of use, while the dash, instruments and door panels remain very nice. Overall, this automobile represents both the proven quality and performance for which Delahayes are renowned.

1948 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet by Pennock – sold for $220,000