1951 DELAHAYE 235 Cabriolet by H. Chapron
Serial no : 818003
Carte grise collection
Ex Willy Breitling
Original condition
1951 Paris Show and 1952 Geneva Show car
130 000 - 170 000 €

The Delahaye type 235 is a luxury automobile model produced by the French manufacturer Delahaye from October 1951 to May 1954. A total of 84 examples of the type 235 were produced, many of them bodied by Henri Chapron, making it a rare and singular automobile.
In July 1954, it disappeared at the same time as the Delahaye brand, becoming its very last luxury model. Derived from the type 135, the 235 uses the same 6-cylinder engine, boosted from 130 to 152 hp for a top speed of 180 km/h. Driving is still right-hand drive, brakes are still cable-actuated, and the transmission is still provided by the Cotal gearbox.
In fact, the Delahaye 235 is a very conservative car.
The example we are offering for sale was shipped from Henri Chapron's workshops in July 1951. It was the third chassis produced by the Delahaye factories, and the first cabriolet built by Henri Chapron on a 235 chassis.
Presented at the "Salon de Paris" in autumn 1951, this Delahaye was later exhibited at the Geneva Salon by the Montchoisy garage, where its first owner, Willy Breitling, acquired it. In 1957, Willy Breitling sold the car to his company "G. Léon Breitling SA Cie". We don't know how long the cabriolet retained its status as a company car, but evidence suggests that no new owner came forward until the late 1960s.
We have a more or less precise record of the various hands through which this car has passed, until it landed in the hands of the current owner on February 22, 2010. Since then, it has been regularly driven and maintained.
It has never been restored. As a result, it presents itself in beautiful original condition. On the road, the car proves comfortable, you're really at ease, the rear seats are roomy and you appreciate the supple suspension and smoothness of the Cotal gearbox.