Photo: BringATrailer.com / Petersen6060
Call this a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity and you wouldn’t be wrong: a very rare, absolutely gorgeous 1949 Delahaye 175 has hit the auction block. It has incredible celebrity pedigree, too, if nothing else does it for you.
This Delahaye 175 was once owned by the Maharaja of Mysore in India and, for some three years, by singer Sir Elton John. It was originally built for the Maharaja as a left-hand model, as a sunroof coupe in silver, and it is one of the 50 Delahaye 175s built between 1948 and 1951.
The car remained in India until the early ‘70s, when it was bought by an American businessman and shipped to the U.S., according to the description on Bring A Trailer, where it’s currently being sold. From there, it was sent to Europe and auctioned in 1979, and would enter Sir Elton John’s garage in 1980.
The singer only kept it for some three years, until 1983. In the late ‘80s, the car was converted to its current form, as a cabriolet and painted in red, with gray interior and a beige top. In 2001, it was made part of the Petersen Automotive Museum collection and was back in the U.S., in Los Angeles. The Museum is now offloading it, along with a clean California title, the UK registration plate and a full history, including letters from the original owner, speaking of the experience of driving it back in the day.
Current bidding is at $233,000, with some 13 hours to go into the auction. Interest in the car has been impressive, but that’s not entirely surprising given how rare such a model is and the good condition this one is in. The highest bidder has also expressed interest in converting it back to a sunroof coupe and bringing it to Pebble Beach concours standards, and as of the time of press, is still waiting for a response from the Museum.
The Type 175 platform was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1946 and went into production in 1948. This particular item, Chassis 815036, has only 2,700 km (1,677 miles) on the clock and packs a 4.45-liter inline-six engine with three Solex downdraft carburetors, with four-speed transmission with electromagnetic clutches.
The car remained in India until the early ‘70s, when it was bought by an American businessman and shipped to the U.S., according to the description on Bring A Trailer, where it’s currently being sold. From there, it was sent to Europe and auctioned in 1979, and would enter Sir Elton John’s garage in 1980.
The singer only kept it for some three years, until 1983. In the late ‘80s, the car was converted to its current form, as a cabriolet and painted in red, with gray interior and a beige top. In 2001, it was made part of the Petersen Automotive Museum collection and was back in the U.S., in Los Angeles. The Museum is now offloading it, along with a clean California title, the UK registration plate and a full history, including letters from the original owner, speaking of the experience of driving it back in the day.
Current bidding is at $233,000, with some 13 hours to go into the auction. Interest in the car has been impressive, but that’s not entirely surprising given how rare such a model is and the good condition this one is in. The highest bidder has also expressed interest in converting it back to a sunroof coupe and bringing it to Pebble Beach concours standards, and as of the time of press, is still waiting for a response from the Museum.
The Type 175 platform was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1946 and went into production in 1948. This particular item, Chassis 815036, has only 2,700 km (1,677 miles) on the clock and packs a 4.45-liter inline-six engine with three Solex downdraft carburetors, with four-speed transmission with electromagnetic clutches.
Google News