Car Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet 1948 for sale

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To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The Monterey Auction event, 13 - 15 August 2026.
$450,000 - $600,000 USD

Faget Varnet’s 1949 Paris Motor Show car, on the high-performance 135 MS chassis
All-metal construction with disappearing top and other amazing details
Believed to have been owned by King Mohammed V of Morocco
Formerly owned by Rémy Greffoz and Cathy and Jerry Gauche
Well-kept, award-winning concours restoration in striking colors
A visual feast for the eyes and a mechanical marvel

That Faget Varnet of Levallois-Perret does not enjoy the same renown as its contemporaries is a genuine disservice, as the coachbuilder was incredibly forward-thinking in construction and as audacious in its sense of design as either. Faget Varnet pioneered virtually all-metal body construction, with beautifully engineered pressed steel monocoque body shells that eliminated the need for heavy inner wood framework, as well as the use of curved side glass, frameless windshields, and disappearing convertible tops.

Among Faget Varnet’s finest creations, exhibiting all of these details, was a particularly handsome cabriolet with full-figured and elaborate body contours on the Delahaye 135 chassis. Historian Jean-Paul Tissot notes that only three examples of this design are known to survive. Chassis number 801077, offered here, was the sole cabriolet with chromed vents built on either side of the radiator shell, a distinctive detail, and was built on a factory 135 MS chassis with the competition-style triple-carbureted engine with high-lift camshaft, unique head design, and larger valves, capable of some 160 horsepower delivered through a Cotal gearbox. It was exhibited on Faget Varnet’s stand at the 1949 Paris Motor Show, accompanied by a model wearing the latest Lanvin couture.

According to his family, coachbuilder Henri Varnet gifted the Delahaye to his daughter to drive on her honeymoon. Afterward it is believed to have come into the ownership of King Mohammed V of Morocco, something further supported by the fact that by the early 1950s, the car had found itself in the care of a family in Constantine, in neighboring Algeria. It eventually returned to France and in 1983 was acquired by Rémy Greffoz, a garage owner in Chamonix, who registered it for the first time ever in its home country and retained the car for many years.

In 1999 the car was sold from the Greffoz stable via Bruno Vendiesse and Jean-Louis duMontant to Austrian collector Horst Brozler, and eight years later purchased by Cathy and Jerry Gauche of Houston, Texas. Soon the Gauches undertook a meticulous concours restoration to its present appearance, less the hood louvers, by the well-known British craftsman Rod Jolley and noted American restorer Alan Taylor. Information and photographs on file show that the car was in very solid and largely complete overall condition, and thus an excellent basis for restoration. Reportedly the bold color scheme chosen was the original, a bright two-tone blue accentuated by cream and pale blue leather interior; bespoke luggage was crafted for the rear seat area and the trunk.

At completion in 2008, the Delahaye was debuted at the renowned Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and was awarded First in Class. It remained in the Gauches’ ownership until 2019, when it joined the present owner’s distinguished collection. In current care the car has been well-preserved, including the undertaking of additional mechanical restoration and minor cosmetic improvements in 2021, in the care of D.L. George Coachworks of Cochranville, Pennsylvania.

Awaiting new concours opportunities, this is a lovely example of both Delahaye performance at its very finest, and French coachbuilding at its best and most technically audacious.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo26/.