Delahaye

Delahaye Price Guide

Delahaye is a name that commands immediate recognition among serious collectors of pre-war French cars. The combination of a powerful, well-engineered chassis and the collaboration with the great Paris coachbuilders of the 1930s produced some of the most visually spectacular cars in history. If you own a Delahaye, you own a car that has been coveted since the day it was built, and the international collector market reflects that status.

What Affects Delahaye Values

Coachwork is everything. A Delahaye chassis clothed by Figoni et Falaschi, particularly in the teardrop or torpedo styles of the late 1930s, is among the most valuable pre-war French cars in existence. Other distinguished coachbuilders – Pourtout, Guillore, and Chapron among them – also add significant value relative to more standard bodies. The 135 and 135M models are the most commonly encountered Delahayes on the market; the 135S and competition-derived variants carry a premium. The rarer 175 and 235 are the last and most sophisticated of the range. Mechanical completeness and the quality of restoration work matter as always, and the Delahaye-Delage Club is an authoritative source of marque expertise.

The 135 Series

The Type 135 in its various forms is the heart of the Delahaye market. These are the cars that established the marque’s reputation in the late 1930s – elegant, powerful, and available in a remarkable variety of coachbuilt bodies from the purely sporting to the fully formal. Values span a very wide range depending on the body: an outstanding Figoni et Falaschi competition roadster and a modest saloon body on the same chassis will trade worlds apart. Well-documented, well-presented 135s are always in demand at the major French and international pre-war auction events.

Other Models and Commercial Heritage

Delahaye produced commercial vehicles and military equipment alongside its glamorous road cars, and the working-vehicle heritage is part of the company’s identity rather than a distraction from it. Early Delahayes from the 1900s to 1920s trade through the veteran and Edwardian car specialist circuit at more modest values. The post-war 175 and 235 are handsome cars produced in small numbers and are undervalued relative to the pre-war cars – clean, well-restored examples represent good value within the context of the French luxury car market.