One of France's most exclusive marques, only the very wealthy could afford the indulgence of purchasing a Type 135 Delahaye at £3,500.
European car design was heavily influenced by Detroit and the move towards mass production, but the Dutch coachbuilder Pennock of The Hague resisted the temptation to lose the definition between the bonnet and wing design of his flamboyant cars.
Using minimal timber framing his coachwork was welded to the chassis, providing a rigid structure which was taut and rattle free to drive in comparison with many other coachbuilt examples. The Motor roadtesters gave the steering full marks for its lightness and accuracy and for the efficiency of the Bendix brakes.
They also felt that some sensitive souls might find the sporty exhaust note 'too fruity'... Not only was the Delahaye 135 a very stylish motor car, it was a very potent performer too. The torquey 3,557cc triple carburettor straight six engine was matched to a fine chassis, providing excellent road manners via its independent transverse leaf front suspension and semi-elliptically sprung live rear axle.
The Type 135 was offered with a choice of manual or Cotal electric gearbox until 1952, with single or triple carburrettors, giving a range of output from 95bhp to 130bhp. In competition form, a 135 engine would give 160bhp and 125mph (201.2kph).