The Delahaye years
1945-'46: After five years of war
Author
- André Vaucourt
Date
- March 4, 2014
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Who?George Grignard What?Delahaye 135S Where?Bois de Boulogne When?1945 Coupe des Prisonniers |
Why?
After the end of the war production started again at Delahaye despite immense difficulties, shortage of materials, lack of machine tools, and numerous strikes due to political and social unrest.
In 1945, Delahaye managed to build 1300 trucks and 150 cars, including a handful of the first post-war 135Ms.
Emile Cornet driving 46084, "Daniell"'s old car, at the Coupe des Prisonniers in September 1945.
"Michel Paris"'s old 138, now very much modernised and owned by George Grignard, was raced at the Coupe des Prisonniers in 1945 (with the registration number of his town car, 1187RN7, top photo) and at the 1946 Nice GP (bottom).
The ex-"Helde" and Chaboud car changed hands to Robert Tielens of Holland, presumably sometime in 1945/'46.
Of the original 40 racing/sports/rally cars, 16 emerged from their hide-outs and raced post-war; they are identified in the following table:
type/no. | 1939 owner | licence no. | date | 1945/'46 owner | licence no. | date |
138C/45513 | Pastoriano, Algeria | ? | End 36 | Henri Rigodon | 5568AN5 | 03/47 |
138C/45497 | “Michel Paris” | 9782RJ6 | 04/35 | George Grignard | 5318RN7 | 09/45 |
135cc/46078 | “Helde” | 777RK | 11/35 | Robert Tielens, on-going research |
P6121 (Holland) | ? |
135S/46094 | Ecurie Francia, Joseph Paul |
4400YB5 | 03/39 | Ecurie France, Paul Valee |
4400YB5 | 09/45 |
135S/46084 | “Danniell” | 7102RK1 | 02/36 | Baron Marcel Cornet, Brussels |
16097B (Belgium) | 1945 |
135S/46835 | Joseph Chotard | ? | End 1938 | Serge Pozzoli | ? | 1947 |
135S/46626 | Louis Villeneuve | 6885RK3 | 05/36 | Louis Villeneuve | 6885RK3 | 05/36 |
135S/????? | John Snow, Australia | 6047RK4 | 05/36 | John Crouch, Australia | ? | 1940 |
135S/47188 | Rob Walker, England | DUV870 | End 1938 | Rob Walker, England | DUV 870 (England) | End 1938 |
135S/47189 | Schell ELORS | MC2115 (Monaco) | 01/38 | Roger Wormser | ? | 1945 |
135S/47192 | Germaine Rouault | 6880RL8 | 03/38 | Eugène Chaboud | 6880RL8 | 03/38 |
135S/47193 | Ecurie Francia, Marcel Contet |
190YC2 | 03/39 | Marcel Trillaud | ? | 09/41 |
135S/47186 | E.Dinoire | 5249RL4 | 01/38 | Maurice Borie | 9658U75 | 03/51 |
145/48775 | Schell ELORS | Never licensed | - | Charles Pozzi | 1003RN4 | 07/43 |
155/48774 | Schell, ELORS | Never licensed | - | Ecurie Blanche et Noire, Ernest Friderich |
Never licensed | Early 1946 |
Pozzi drove his 46084 at the Saint Cloud GP in June 1946, and lent his 48775 V12 to Chaboud in the same race.
An impressive photo of Chaboud and his 47192, ex-Germaine Rouault with the Figoni coupé, at the Bois de Boulogne GP in May 1946.
Same car, same driver at the Marseille GP in 1946.
The Schell team had disappeared from the racing scene and new racing stables emerged, notability Ecurie France, owned by Paul Vallée, a business man in need of publicity… Eugène Chaboud, Charles Pozzi, Marcel Trillaud and Yves Giraud-Cabantous were the pilots using their own cars, which all four were rebodied in exactly the same style by Chappé Frères.
There was only one race in 1945, and 13 in 1946. Most of the original racing cars, now ten years old, were modernised and 'racefied' as can be seen from the photos.
Trillaud in his 'racefied' 47193, an ex-Schell car, at the GP du Forez in May 1946.
A recently discovered photo of the ill-fated V12 single-seater at the GP des Trois Villes in August 1946, then owned by Jean Achard and already in trouble.
date | event | car no. | chassis no. | driver | result |
09/09/45 | Coupe des Prisonniers | 8 | 46094 | Chaboud | 3rd |
11 | 47193 | Trillaud | 4th | ||
12 | 46835 | Chotard | 6th | ||
9 | 46626 | Villeneuve | 7th | ||
10 | 46084 | Cornet | DNF | ||
14 | 45497 | Grignard | DNF | ||
17 | 47189 | Wormser | DNF | ||
22/04/46 | GP de Nice | 18 | 47192 | Chaboud | 3rd |
32 | 45497 | Grignard | 4th | ||
34 | 46084 | Pozzi | 8th | ||
12 | 47193 | Trillaud | DNF | ||
44 | 48774V12 | Friderich | DNA | ||
12/05/46 | GP de Marseille | 38 | 45497 | Grignard | 3rd |
40 | 46084 | Hillier | 6th | ||
4 | 47192 | Chaboud | 7th | ||
36 | 48774V12 | Friderich | DNF | ||
60 | 47189 | Wormser | DNA | ||
42 | 60116 | Larrue | DNQ | ||
19/05/46 | GP du Forez | 4 | 47192 | Chaboud | 3rd |
12 | 47193 | Trillaud | 6th. | ||
16 | 46084 | Pozzi | 7th | ||
6 | 45497 | Grignard | DNF | ||
20 | 46835 | Chotard | DNA | ||
30/05/46 | Coupe de la Resistance | 12 | 47192 | Chaboud | 6th |
32 | 47193 | Trillaud | 9th | ||
34 | 46626 | Villeneuve | DNQ | ||
14 | 45497 | Grignard | DNA | ||
09/06/46 | GP de Saint Cloud | 24 | 47192 | Cabantous/Chaboud | 6th |
8 | 45497 | Grignard | 7th | ||
9 | 47193 | Trillaud | 9th | ||
23 | 46084 | Pozzi | 11th | ||
7 | 48775V12 | Chaboud | DNF | ||
10 | 48774V12 | Friderich | DNF | ||
16/06/46 | GP de Belgique | 68 | 47192 | Chaboud | 1st |
66 | 45497 | Grignard | 4th | ||
58 | 47193 | Trillaud | 5th | ||
65 | 46626 | Villeneuve | DNF | ||
67 | 46084 | Pozzi | DNF | ||
70 | 46835 | Chotard | DNF | ||
57 | ? | Lacour | ? | ||
61 | ? | De Wit | ? | ||
30/06/46 | GP du Rousillon | 8 | 45497 | Grignard | 4th |
6 | 47192 | Chaboud | 7th | ||
10 | 46626 | Villeneuve | 8th | ||
07/07/46 | GP de Bourgogne | 8 | 45497 | Grignard | 2nd |
10 | 46084 | Pozzi | 4th | ||
6 | 47192 | Chaboud | DNF | ||
16 | 48774V12 | Friderich | DNA | ||
28/07/46 | Circuit de Nantes, “Prix des 24 Heures du Mans” |
6 | 45497 | Grignard | 4th |
22 | 46084 | Pozzi | 5th | ||
32 | 46835 | Serraud | 6th | ||
12 | 47193 | Trillaud | 7th | ||
4 | 47192 | Chaboud | ACC | ||
25/08/46 | Circuit des Trois Villes | 4 | 47192 | Chaboud | 3rd |
6 | 45497 | Grignard | 4th | ||
12 | 47193 | Trillaud | 5th | ||
22 | 46084 | Pozzi | 7th | ||
10 | 48774V12 | Achard | DSQ | ||
01/09/46 | Gran Premio del Valentino | 10 | 47192 | Chaboud | 4th |
12 | 45497 | Grignard | DNQ | ||
29/09/46 | Circuito di Milano (final) | 10 | 45497 | Grignard | DNQ |
30 | 47192 | Chaboud | DNQ | ||
44 | 47193 | Trillaud | DNA | ||
06/10/46 | Coupe du Salon | 36 | 47193 | Trillaud | 5th |