Lot 339

London 2024

1936 Delahaye 135 S Works

The Rob Walker Collection

United Kingdom | London, United Kingdom

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Chassis No.
47188
Documents
UK V5
To be offered on Saturday, 2 November 2024
  • One of two Delahaye 135 S Works competition cars
  • Fascinating ownership history, including names such as Prince Chula and Rob Walker; raced by legendary French driver Albert Divo, Arthur Dobson, Prince Bira, Tony Rolt, and Stirling Moss
  • Boasts an enthralling competition record, with 51 known entries for famous circuits including Antwerp, Brooklands, Cork, Crystal Palace, Donington, Goodwood, Isle of Man, Le Mans, Montlhéry, and Pau
  • Competed in the 1939 and 1949 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 8th in 1939
  • Raced by Prince Bira four times including victory at the 1937 12 Hours of Donington, and BRDC 500 Kilometres of Brooklands as a White Mouse Stable entry
  • Present at the first ever Goodwood Members’ Meeting—multiple Goodwood entrant
  • Offered from the family of esteemed entrant Rob Walker, having owned the car from 1939 to 1953, and then from 1970 to present day
  • Starring role in the short film A Gentleman’s Wager II, piloted by Jude Law
  • Eligible for some of the greatest car collector events around the world including a potential return to Le Mans
Please note this vehicle is titled as 1937.

Of all the pre-war French racers, few are as well regarded as the Delahaye 135 S. Just 20 of these lightened and shortened speed machines were ever built, each doing battle at the very pinnacle of Grand Prix and sportscar racing. Of that small cohort, the penultimate example—chassis 47188—is arguably the most special, being one of two built at the end of production specifically for the Works team, and for going on to become an icon while in the ownership of racing impresario and whisky heir, Rob Walker.

Chassis 47188’s brief yet bright Works career began on 24 May 1936, when legendary French driver Albert Divo narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Trois Heures de Marseille. A month later he finished 12th at the Grand Prix de l’A.C.F., then 6th at the Grand Prix de la Marne in Reims.

Following Reims, the Delahaye crossed the Channel via London importer Count Heyden, and was assigned the registration number it wears today, “DUV 870”. Still at the cutting edge of race technology, the car was quickly snapped up by Tommy Clarke, who raced it in the 1936 RAC Tourist Trophy and the Donington Grand Prix before selling to the Siamese Prince Chula for his White Mouse Stable, to be driven by his famous cousin, Prince Bira.

Bira took the car to Pau in 1937, where it ran well until retirement, and again proved its pace with a win alongside Hector Dobbs at the 12 Hours of Donington. The prince’s final outing with the Delahaye was at Brooklands for the BRDC 500 Kilometre race, arguably the last great Outer Circuit race and the final competitive appearance of the victorious Napier-Railton. Bira took 7th overall, posting a remarkable fastest lap at 126.09 mph.

After its duel with the Napier-Railton at Brooklands, chassis 47188 was reacquired by Count Heyden, who loaned it throughout the 1938 season for appearances at Cork, Brooklands, Antwerp, and Crystal Palace. With its work done, the Delahaye was put up for sale, taking pride of place in Heyden’s Park Lane showroom. There, it caught the eye of a young Cambridge student and heir to the Johnnie Walker whisky fortune, Rob Walker. At £400, the asking price far exceeded Walker’s £30-per-month allowance, but a deal was done when Hayden ‘made him a friendly introduction to hire purchase’.

Walker put the Delahaye to work immediately, coming 3rd at Brooklands’ Second Easter Mountain Handicap before loaning it to Price Bira in May for a victorious run at Crystal Palace. On 29 May 1939, Walker took the 135 S to Brooklands for a race to decide who owned the fastest road car in Britain. Uncertain of his own abilities, he trusted the Delahaye to talented ERA driver, Arthur Dobson. Dobson was narrowly beaten by Hugh Hunter’s Mille Miglia-winning Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 in the first leg, but in the second the Delahaye came from the back of the field to take victory after gearbox trouble struck the Alfa. With that, Walker was awarded £50 and a Gordon Crosby painting commemorating the race, and the Delahaye was declared 'Britain’s Fastest Road Car'. However, the crowning moment of the racer’s early career would come the following year, when it was entered for 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans—but not before modifications were made.

Just a week before leaving for France, Walker was involved in an accident in another of his Delahayes while attempting to test the theory that his Cotal electromagnetic gearbox-equipped Drophead could go as quickly in reverse as it could forwards; it could, he discovered, but in the process he lost control and crashed into a ditch, requiring stitches in his left thumb. As a result, chassis 47188 was spirited away to the Delahaye works in Paris, where its manual crash ‘box—which would have been a challenge to use with an injured hand—was replaced by a similar Cotal unit to his road car.

Walker called upon Ian Connell to share driving duties at La Sarthe, but the plan began to unravel early in the race. After just eight hours a damaged exhaust burned Connell’s feet so badly that he was forced to abandon, leaving Walker to take sole driving duties for the remaining 16. Despite becoming the stuff of legend for Walker changing into a pin-stripe suit in the early evening, the event was a gruelling test that gave a measure of the man; every time he drew into the pits he had to plunge his rope-soled shoes into a bucket of cold water. Walker would go on to finish 8th overall, following a final flourish as he stopped in the morning to change his pin stripe to a more hour-appropriate Prince of Wales check—and for a reviving glass of champagne, Heyden having realised that their stock had become perilously low. After driving directly to Paris for a post-race celebration, the Delahaye was put into storage and Walker went off to war, where he served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and survived the torpedoing of the HMS Cleopatra.

THE POST-WAR YEARS

In 1940 Walker married on the understanding that he was never to race again. He made the promise and continued in competition as an entrant, with Guy Jason-Henry, who rented one of his garages in Chelsea, taking driving duties. In 1949 the Delahaye made a return to the Circuit de la Sarthe for that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Jason-Henry paired with Tony Rolt. The duoperformed well and were running in 5th place at lap 126, when the engine bearings failed. It turned out the 3.6-litre straight-six mill hadn’t been touched since 1939.

In 1950, chassis 47188 was fielded in a variety of Goodwood events, claiming two podiums, after which it was entered in the Montlhéry 12 Hours. The car showed up at the event before being quickly withdrawn citing mechanical maladies, but all wasn’t as it seemed. Having fallen in with the wrong sort, Jason-Henry allowed the car to be taken away and one of its 15-gallon fuel tanks replaced with a fake stuffed with thousands of Swiss wristwatches. On his return to Newhaven via Dieppe, Jason-Henry was detained and the car impounded. Having turned Queen’s Evidence he was later acquitted but, to Walker’s dismay, he was charged £300 for the release of the car. Indignant, Walker wrote a letter to The Times asking if Cunard Line had to buy back the Queen Mary every time a passenger was caught smuggling a pair of nylon stockings.

The Delahaye was entered into the British Empire Trophy for the final time in 1951, and at the end of the 1952 season Walker sold the car, then modified to reduce drag, to Dan Margulies. Walker continued as an entrant, running one of the most famous teams of the 1950s and 1960s, while his partnership with Stirling Moss yielded so many famous wins, including the RAC Tourist Trophy, the Daily Express International where in the wet he lapped the field twice (though Jack Brabham only once), the Monaco Grand Prix on two occasions, and the 1958 Argentinian Grand Prix that heralded the start of the mid-engine era—not to mention the Nürburgring, which he considered his finest victory alongside Monaco in 1961.

Margulies attended several events at Goodwood and Silverstone before selling the Delahaye, and after a brief spell with another owner, in 1954 it was acquired by shipping magnate Major Edward Thomson, Ecurie Ecosse’s major backer. When the Thomson collection was finally auctioned by Sotheby’s in 1970 in aid of the RNLI, Walker placed a winning bid of £5,000. Bought unseen, the Delahaye arrived in a sorry state, so Walker commissioned John Chisman to fabricate a new body copying the exquisite scale model of the car that had been created for Walker by Henri Baigent. Eight months later DUV 870 emerged in charming French racing blue and in its factory-style configuration. In 1973 the Delahaye returned to the Circuit de La Sarthe for a 50th Anniversary historic sportscar support race for the 24 Hours race. Tony Rolt and Stirling Moss were due to drive but Rolt struggled to fit so Moss did the race singlehandedly.

The car has remained in the care of the Walker Family ever since, and in addition to being loaned to a number of museums, was made famous to a new generation of fans in 2015 after being driven by Jude Law in the Johnnie Walker feature advertisement, A Gentleman’s Wager II. Three years later, the car took to the track at Goodwood with son Robbie Walker at the wheel.

Most recently, marque expert Jean-Paul Tissot has compiled a 19-page report on the car complementing an independent inspection by UK specialist I.S. Polson, while a letter from the RAC, a period ACO form, and ‘RAC’ stampings on the block confirm that the current engine was used during the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans—given the retirement that year was due to old engine bearings, it is likely this engine did the 1939 edition as well.

With countless race victories everywhere from Goodwood to Brooklands, period Works history, and a roster of owners and drivers that includes motorsport luminaries such as Prince Bira, Albert Divo, Arthur Dobson, Stirling Moss, and future Le Mans winner Tony Rolt, this Delahaye 135 S ranks among the most significant pre-war racers ever offered at auction. But it’s the car’s long association with one of the most colourful and evocative characters in racing, Rob Walker, that make it truly special.

Owned by the family for 67 years, this magnificent racer boasts impeccable provenance and is highly eligible for the Goodwood Revival and Members’ Meeting, Tour Auto, and the Mille Miglia Storica, subject to FIVA papers and acceptance to the Registro 1000 Miglia. Its lucky next owner may even be tempted to take the car back to Le Mans, continuing a spectacular racing tradition that can be traced back to the very beginnings of the model.

DateEventDriverEntrantRace NumberResult
May 24, 19363 Hours of Marseille @ MiramasAlbert DivoDelahaye Works44th
13-14 June 193624 Hour of Le MansAlbert Divo/Armand GirodDelahaye Works18Cancelled due to national strikes
June 28, 1936French Grand Prix/Grand Prix de l'A.C.F. @ MontlhéryAlbert Divo/Armand GirodDelahaye Works3812th
July 5, 1936Grand Prix de la Marne @ Reims-GueuxAlbert DivoDelahaye Works46th
September 5, 1936RAC Tourist Trophy @ ArdsTom G. ClarkeTom G. Clarke12DNF Lap 16 (Ignition)
October 3, 1936Donington Grand PrixTom G. Clarke/Maurice FalknerCount Heydon1110th (114 laps not classified)
February 21, 1937Grand Prix de PauB. BiraTom G. Clarke24DNF Lap 6
July 24, 193712 Hours of DoningtonB. Bira/Hector DobbsWhite Mouse Stable391st (Top speed of 92.746 Km/h)
September 4, 1937RAC Tourist Trophy @ DoningtonB.BiraWhite Mouse StableN/ADNA
September 18, 1937BRDC 500 Kilometers of BrooklandsB. BiraWhite Mouse Stable177th Overall, 2nd in Class (Fastest Lap 126.09 mph)
May 7, 1938JCC International Trophy @ BrooklandsArthur Dobson/Marcel MonginCount Heyden11 
May 22, 1938Antwerp Grand PrixJay WillingCount Heyden185th
June 1, 1938London Grand Prix - Crystal Palace Ladies CupMrs E. M. ThomasCount Heyden253rd
July 16, 1938Catalogue Sports Car Race - BrooklandsRon Jarvis/Jay WillingCount Heyden151st
September 17, 1938BRDC September Meeting - Brooklands (50 miles)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden225th
September 17, 1938BRDC September Meeting - Brooklands (Handicap)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden228th
September 24, 1938Dunlop Jubilee Meeting - Brooklands - First Dunlop Outer Circuit Handicap)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden147th
September 24, 1938Dunlop Jubilee Meeting - Brooklands (Dunlop Jubilee Cup)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden142nd
September 24, 1938Dunlop Jubilee Meeting - Brooklands (Third Dunlop Outer Circuit)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden146th
October 1, 1938Show Time Brooklands Meeting - Brooklands (Third October Road Handicap)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden?3rd
October 15, 1938BARC Meeting - Brooklands (Third October Handicap)Charlie DodsonCount Heyden13rd
March 18, 1939Inter-Varsity Speed Trials @ SystonR.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker?2nd (2000cc Sports-cars) & 3rd (All-Commers Sports-cars)
April 9, 1939Easter Monday Meeting - Brooklands (First Easter Road Handicap)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker12Retired
April 9, 1939Easter Monday Meeting - Brooklands (Second Easter Mountain Handicap)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker123rd
May 20, 1939Crystal Palace (Sydenham Plate Sportscar Handicap)B.BiraR.R.C. Walker151st
28th May 1939Whitsun Meeting - Brooklands (Invitation Road Car Race)Arthur DobsonR.R.C. Walker11st
28th May 1939Whitsun Meeting - Brooklands (Second Whitsun Mountain Handicap)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker101st
17-18 June 193924 Hour of Le MansR.R.C. Walker/Ian ConnellR.R.C. Walker208th
June 15, 1946Gransden Lodge Races (5000cc Sports Cars)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker84DNA
September 1, 1946Brighton Speed Trials (Unsupercharged Standard Sports Cars over 2000cc)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker104?
July 13, 1947National Gransden LodgeGuy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker25NC
September 1, 1947Brighton Speed Trials (Unsupercharged Standard Sports Cars over 2000cc)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker1301st
May 25, 1948British Empire Trophy @ Douglas CircuitGuy Jason-HenrySelbourne Mayfair (Delahaye Distributor)527th
September 4, 1948Brighton Speed Trials (Unsupercharged Standard Sports Cars over 2000cc)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker?1st
18-19 June 194924 Hour of Le MansTony Rolt/Guy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker10DNF Lap 126 Bearings
August 7, 1949Le Comminges Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.Guy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker1411th, 5th in class
August 13, 1949BARC Member's Meeting Goodwood (The "10 Minute Handicap") Guy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker341st (a perfect time of 10 minutes flat)
May 6, 1950BARC GoodwoodGuy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker115 3rd
May 27, 1950Goodwood Whitsun (Formula Libre Handicap 2)Guy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker105th
June 17, 1950BARC Goodwood scratch & handicapGuy Jason-HenryR.R.C. Walker11st
September 2, 1950Brighton Speed Trials (Unsupercharged Standard Sports Cars over 2000cc)R.R.C. WalkerR.R.C. Walker??
June 14, 1951British Empire Trophy @ Douglas CircuitGuy GaleR.R.C. Walker2513th
June 30, 1951WECC Boreham MeetingUnknownR.R.C. Walker97Unknown
August 11, 1951WECC Boreham MeetingJ. FairamR.R.C. Walker100?
April 14, 1952Goodwood Easter HandicapEric ThompsonR.R.C. Walker54DNS
May 17, 1952WECC Boreham MeetingTony RoltR.R.C. Walker49?
June 4, 1952Goodwood Sussex ThrophyEric ThompsonR.R.C. Walker69th
June 21, 1952WECC Boreham MeetingEric ThompsonR.R.C. Walker48?
April 6, 1953Goodwood Easter (1st Handicap Shorts)Dan MarguilesDan Marguiles82DNF
April 6, 1953Goodwood Easter (4th Handicap Shorts)Dan MarguilesDan Marguiles82DNF
April 18, 1953National IbsleyDan MarguilesDan Marguiles795th
July 11, 1953VSCC Silverstone Race MeetingDan MarguilesDan Marguiles20?
July 7, 1974French Grand Prix (Vintage Car Exhibition)Rob WalkerR.R.C. WalkerN/AN/A