The Perfect Car Is a 1936 Delahaye 135, Makes a $9M Bugatti Centodieci Look Dirt Cheap

Built between early 1936 and 1938 in just 453 units, the model was one of Delahaye’s most successful cars (the 1-2 finish at Le Mans in 1938 is the most outstanding achievement). Two chassis were available for the automobile: the standard 2.7-meter (106.3 inches) wheelbase and the 2.95-meter (116 inches) long frame – preferred for racing.

Or, I should say, preferred for racing also because the Delahaye 135 – like many of its contemporaries, the exquisite machine had multiple personalities. When it wasn’t a boulevard cruiser or raiding luxury resorts for the nabobs of the era, it was blasting race courses and other high-speed events.

The central figure of this story is no different – it raced and honored the Delahaye blazon of prize-winning nobility. Notably, this elegant classic we can admire today is one of the few Delahaye 135s to score points in the post-WWII era.

With the motoring society quickly recovering after the torments of war, car racing picked up its old gasoline-infused habits but recalled the veterans to do the heavy fighting. And by veterans, I imply cars built before 1940 (and this example was put together in early 1936, very soon after production for the 135 Competition debuted).

Indeed, by 1949, when this splendid automobile lined up at the Monte Carlo Rallye, it wasn’t at the top of its game anymore, and competition was robust. However, the Delahaye performed well, crossing the finish line (that alone would be a performance in itself) and taking sixth place. For reference, 227 cars honored the first Monte Carlo race held after the war, and only 166 made it to the end of the race.

A photo from the start of the rally shows chassis #46864 bearing race number 49 (no connection to the year of the event), being driven by French team Guy Mairesse and Paul Valle. To score the remarkable result, the 135 Competition used a high-performance overhead-valve engine with a cast iron block and hemispherical heads.

Triple two-barrel carburetors and a compression ratio of 7.5:1 allowed the 3.6-liter straight-six to put out 120 hp (122 PS) at 4,200 RPM. A four-speed gearbox (with synchromesh for the second, third, and fourth) helped the car reach 96 mph (155 kph) – the 3:42:1 rear end was a tremendous dual-purpose gearing.

Notably, it wasn’t just the mechanicals that were manufactured with competition in mind. As it was customary for most European high-end carmakers at the time, the Delahaye 135 Competition was ordered and subsequently put together as a chassis-and-drivetrain assembly. The body would be crafted separately by coachbuilders (and Delahaye used as many as a dozen different shell suppliers).

The variety of body shops and customers’ own preferences make each automobile virtually unique. Chassis 46864, seen here, is fitted with a sleek body that features a very conspicuous disappearing soft top. The oxymoron is not as nonsensical as grammar may imply: while the car is – most obviously – a droptop, the roof is completely concealed within the body.

Back then, that was a significant engineering achievement – the body maker (Figoni et Falaschi) had just received the patent for the mechanical innovation that allowed the scaffolding of the roof to be stowed entirely behind the seats. Issued on January 13, 1936, the patent was put to use the following month when the Delahaye 135 Competition production began.

This was an excellent aid for aerodynamics, and the rounded radiator grille was as streamlined as mechanically and aesthetically possible. Furthermore, the race-inclined Delahaye featured race-style exhaust, suspensions, hand brake, an oil cooler, and dual fuel fillers (in the trunk).

Having ended its racing career, chassis 46864 changed ownership several times – the car’s complete history from day one onward is well documented, according to the selling dealer – and by the end of the century, it received a full restoration. However, due to a lack of complete documentation, the renovation wasn’t true to factory specifications, and a second renovation was set in place.

This time, the car came out in perfect shape – and this is not a metaphor, not this time. It received multiple 100-point awards (over 25 perfect scores at various prestigious car shows), and it is now offered for sale. In true “luxury pre-war classic” fashion, the value is a hefty 12 million dollars. Not the most outrageous asking price for an old and “1-in-13 existing examples” with racing history, but it is more than enough to put any of the present-day hypercars in the back pocket.