1947 DELAHAYE 135 MS Cabriolet "Vedette" Chapron

Serial number: 800486
French registration
Two-seater convertible by H. Chapron
- Car shown at the 1947 Paris Motor Show
- Only 4 survivors
- The most accomplished of Henri Chapron's creations
- The only one with recessed handles
- One of two with rear spats.
- Restored in the Touraine workshops
- Same owner for 56 years

After the war, the 135 was still the raison d'être of Delahaye. Although the war interrupted production of the "normal" 135, the Delahaye 135M soon resumed production, still bodied by the same French masters.
Henri Chapon, who had already bodied the 135 before the war, launched a new design for the first post-war salon, which was to become his new spearhead: the Vedette.
This is undoubtedly one of the most envied and accomplished models by coachbuilder Henri Chapron, the undisputed master and repository of Grand Classicisme Français.
In the course of our research, we found only four surviving examples of the Vedette model, all in the USA in major collections (Sam Mann, Peter Mullin, Jim Hull and Arturo Keller).
The example we are offering for sale is the 1947 Paris Salon car. In fact, its Chapron build sheet indicates delivery for the Paris Salon.
At the show, it was acquired by the Dandelot couple. We have been able to recover correspondence between the Dandelot family and the Delahaye and Chapron factories, which details the entire purchase process after the car was exhibited at the 1947 Salon.
At the Salon, it was acquired by the Dandelot family. We have been able to recover correspondence between the Dandelot family and the Delahaye and Chapron factories, which details the entire purchase process after the car was exhibited at the 1947 Salon, from obtaining the purchase license to the final personalization of the car. Chassis 800486 was delivered on January 24, 1948 and registered 7088 DU 5.
The Dandelot couple kept the car for almost 5 years, after which it was registered in December 1952 in the Alpes Maritimes in the name of the Moustiez company, who kept it for a few months before selling it to another enthusiast.
The car then returned to Paris, where it obtained its current registration number. It had three successive owners in the capital before being acquired on April 24, 1962 by Mr Sabrié, who kept the car until 2018.
Since then, a high-quality restoration has been undertaken in the Touraine workshops.
For more information, please consult our Ebook on pages 134 ff.