Dubbed the “father” of teardrop styling, no one, not even Jean Bugatti, was able to master the sweeping, streamlined and voluptuous coachwork quite like Giuseppe Figoni could. A celebrated French designer, Figoni would form a partnership with Italian businessman Ovidio Falaschi in 1935, and the rest is history. Birthed with undeniable and incomparable aesthetics, beauty can often overshadow the function in these early Delahayes.
This is true of this rare short-chassis 1936 Delahaye 135 M Competition Court Cabriolet, originally constructed to run laps around its opponents on the track. In total, 95 Figoni et Falaschi Delahayes were built in its 20-plus years of business, and according to Andre Vaucourt, former archivist of the Club Delahaye, just 25 short-chassis Type 135s were built in order to homologate for racing. Of those, a mere six coupes were built in 1936.
As one of those cars, this special Delahaye has a known and rich history that can be traced back to its conception. Chassis 46837 would be delivered in February 1936 for Mr. Bibal of France. He did not hold on to this Delahaye for long, as it is noted that Jean Tremoulet, a known racer at the time, took ownership from Bibal in May of 1936. The only definite participation with him behind the wheel was on September 20, 1936, in the “Grand Prix of Independent, Autumn Cup.”
The car would be sold in the spring of 1938 to Dr. Jean-Marie Lefevre, who was a country doctor in the Vrigne-aux-Bois region. Dr. Lefevre used this Delahaye to do his rounds throughout the country, at a high rate of speed. Because of the war and growing fear that the Nazi regime would confiscate the car, it was hidden by a farmer under hay bales in the center of France. The car stayed there for five years, and Dr. Lefevre and his son would return in 1945 to awaken this sleeping beauty.
Chassis 46837 was then sold to André Bith, who owned multiple Delahayes, a Bugatti Type 44 roadster and 1925 Bugatti Type 35. Bith would race at Montlhéry on April 18, 1948, which was documented in the May issue of L’Action Automobile et Touristique. Before the race, Bith upgraded the car with a 3.8-liter engine, still present in the car today, and De Ram shock absorbers to better his chances at victory. Just a short month later, his girlfriend at the time wanted a cabriolet, so he took the car to a coachbuilder in Levallois, who modified it to its present cabriolet form.
Today, 46837, a genuine masterpiece born of race-bred engineering, still wears its restoration by expert Jean-Luc Bonnefoy. This masterfully built Figoni et Falaschi-bodied 1936 Delahaye 135 M Competition Court is a rare treasure and an important piece of automotive history.
