1952 Delahaye 235

VIN: 818022

$227,297

Sold

Seller details

  • Auction

    Bonhams

  • Location

    Paris; FR

  • Event date

    Feb 6, 2020

  • Lot

    263

Vehicle specs

  • Chassis/VIN

    818022

  • Body style

    Cabriolet

  • Generation

    1951-1954 Delahaye 235

Vehicle details

Notes and observations recorded by Hagerty staff.

Equipment

RHD. 3,557cc/152hp inline six, triple carburetors, painted wire wheels, Firestone blackwall tires, dual mirrors, leather boot cover, woodrim steering wheel, pre-selector gearbox.

Condition

Displayed on the Antem stand at the 1952 Paris Motor Show. Was in France its whole life until 2018, mostly with designer Philippe Charbonneaux and his daughter. Fully restored in 2013-14 but done to touring, not show, standards. Dull chrome with two chips in the front bumpers. Good paint with a few chips and cracks at the back of the doors. Very good, lightly worn interior. Tidy underneath. Attractive but not flamboyant coachwork on this postwar Delahaye, which presents quite well but wouldn't make it on a concours field.

Market commentary

Philippe Charbonneaux created the first concept for the Delahaye 235 in 1951 so his choice of this Antem-bodied Cabriolet is a sincere compliment to its style and concept. One of three Delahaye 235s in his collection of over 150 automobiles, Charbonneaux was a prolific designer of everything from toothbrushes to televisions and is, while working at GM design, credited with contributing to the earliest concepts for what became the Corvette. It all contributes to an impressive provenance for this Delahaye, a hidden value that is not reflected in the modest price it brought here.