To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Paris event, 6 February
2019.
Estimate:
�250.000 - �325.000
- Classic design that epitomizes French style
- One of only a few survivors
- Exceptional restoration that presents beautifully inside and
out
- Numbers-matching engine
Delahaye launched the ground-breaking 135 model in 1935, which was
met with instant success and remained in production for an
astounding 20 years. It reigned supreme at concours d'elegance in
Paris, Biarritz and Monaco, fitted with luxurious, racy and
stunning coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi, Saoutchik, Franay and of
course Guillor�.
But times had changed after WWII, and when chassis 800863 rolled
out of the Carrosserie Guillor� works in 1949, it represented a way
of life that was already over. Clad in a classically elegant
cabriolet body by one of the foremost coachbuilders in France, it
was a costly exercise that few could afford: an elegant
manifestation of hand-built exclusivity that would disappear in
just a few years as technologically superior, mass-produced,
unit-body automobiles quashed the once-proud French coachbuilding
industry.
Chassis no. 800863 was first registered in 1949 in the D�partement
de la Seine where it received no. 837 RQ 8. The car's early history
is not known, but in 1985, it was sold by dealer Henri Lalanne to a
Fr�d�ric Buch. In 1998, it was given over to the well-known French
restorer Carrosserie Lecoq and was comprehensively restored. It
presents beautifully today, with excellent paint, chrome, top and a
luxurious light blue interior that features an exceptional steering
wheel in clear plexiglass that looks like crystal. In 2017, the car
was comprehensively serviced by the Graber Sport Garage in Toffen,
Switzerland. The engine and brakes received attention, and the bill
amounted to more than CHF 11,000.
Chassis 800863 is a scarce matching-numbers example that retains
its original body and is well known to the French Delahaye Club. As
such, this classically beautiful Delahaye cabriolet represents a
rare and desirable survivor from a time when the customer truly was
king.To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/pa19.
