Delahaye debuted a new model at the 1935 Paris Salon, featuring a lowered chassis and advancing their focus on high-performance luxury vehicles. The Type 135 was later offered in three variations, with renowned coachbuilders such as Henri Chapron, Joseph Figoni, Marius Franay, Marcel Pourtout, and Jacques Saoutchik designing its bodywork.
A competition version, officially known as the Type 135 M, was launched a year after its initial release. It was equipped with an upgraded 3.5-liter straight-six engine that generated 110 horsepower with three carburetors, and offered a choice of a four-speed manual gearbox or a Cotal preselector transmission. With its sport-tuned chassis and potent engine, the 135 M model excelled in racing, earning 2nd and 3rd place at the 1936 24 Hours of Spa, 2nd and 3rd place at the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a 1-2 finish at the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Production of the Type 135 continued until Delahaye’s closure in 1954, with fewer than 3,000 examples built. It’s worth noting that only a fraction of them were completed as the high-performance 135 M variant.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
