The 1937 Delahaye Roadster: A Rolling Sculpture of French Elegance
- dthholland
- May 16
- 4 min read
In the golden era of French coachbuilding, when cars were as much objets d’art as they were machines, one creation stood above the rest in sheer audacity and beauty: the 1937 Delahaye Roadster. Unveiled at the Paris Salon, this one-of-a-kind vehicle stunned Europe’s automotive elite and remains today a touchstone of Art Deco design. A product of collaboration between the Parisian automaker Delahaye and the visionary coachbuilders Figoni & Falaschi, it is widely regarded as one of the most exquisite automobiles ever built.
But it didn’t arrive out of nowhere. Its story begins with a nudge from a rival, and a little friendly competition that changed the course of automotive history.
From Modesty to Magnificence: Delahaye’s Reinvention
Founded in 1894, Delahaye had built its reputation on solid, unremarkable engineering. By the early 1930s, their lineup of conservative sedans appealed to practical buyers, but failed to ignite desire. That changed when none other than Ettore Bugatti reportedly encouraged Delahaye to aim higher—toward the luxury and performance markets that marques like his own dominated. Ironically, it was advice he may have come to regret. Delahaye took the suggestion and ran with it, quickly rising as a formidable presence among Europe’s top-tier automakers.
This transformation coincided with France’s flowering of design and craftsmanship. To reach the top, Delahaye knew they would need help—not just from engineers, but from artists. Enter Joseph Figoni, a Parisian coachbuilder of Italian descent with a radical sense of style, and Ovidio Falaschi, a wealthy businessman who shared Figoni’s taste for the flamboyant and sensational. Together, they formed the legendary Figoni & Falaschi, whose designs would redefine what a luxury automobile could look like.
Geo Ham and the Rise of Streamline Glamour
In the mid-1930s, as aerodynamic theory filtered into automotive design, Figoni was joined by another kindred spirit: Geo Ham (short for Georges Hamel), a famed illustrator of racing cars and aviation who brought a stylist’s eye and sense of movement to metalwork. With input from Ham, Figoni & Falaschi developed a new design language that placed sweeping, wheel-enveloping fenders at the heart of the visual composition. These voluptuous curves gave the illusion of speed even at a standstill and enveloped the car in a fluid, almost aquatic form.
While aerodynamic efficiency was the stated goal, the real genius lay in the car’s sensuality—its ability to seduce with shape and proportion. In an age when Europe’s upper classes were captivated by beauty and novelty, this was a car designed not for the everyman but for the collector, the connoisseur, and the showman.
The 1937 Paris Salon Showstopper
The first hint of this new style appeared at the 1936 Paris Salon, where a Delahaye roadster styled by Figoni & Falaschi was bought immediately off the showroom floor by Prince Aly Khan, one of the most flamboyant playboys of the age. But it was the 1937 Delahaye 135MS Roadster, built on the marque’s short competition chassis, that marked the full maturity of this design philosophy.
Finished in gleaming aluminium with a leather interior crafted by Hermès, the roadster incorporated several patented features:
The enveloping front fender design, which flowed uninterrupted into the bodywork and visually extended the car’s proportions.
An ultra-light tubular seat, revolutionary for its time and designed to reduce weight without compromising comfort.
A disappearing soft top, which retracted into the body in a way that maintained the car’s sleek silhouette.
A windscreen mechanism based on a funicular railway, enabling the glass to retract completely into the dashboard—a sophisticated, elegant solution that delighted onlookers.
The design was as much a showcase of technical ingenuity as it was an aesthetic marvel. No detail was overlooked in the pursuit of perfection.
The Brazilian Ambassador and Later Modifications
After dazzling attendees during the 1937 Paris Salon, the Delahaye 135MS Roadster was purchased by none other than the Brazilian ambassador to France. Though his name is not widely publicised, his diplomatic status was well known at the time, and his acquisition of the car added an extra layer of prestige to its already storied debut.
The ambassador reportedly used the car while stationed in Paris and, with the onset of World War II, took steps to hide the vehicle to protect it from wartime requisition. Thanks to these efforts, the car survived the conflict intact—no small feat for a unique luxury automobile in occupied Europe.
In 1938, the car returned to the Figoni & Falaschi workshop for some practical refinements. Bumpers were added at the front and rear to better suit urban driving, and a revised radiator grille replaced the earlier design, which had incorporated a polarising “cyclops” central headlamp. This modification likely improved the car’s functionality while maintaining its iconic silhouette.
Today this beautiful machine is housed within the esteemed Revs Institute in Naples, Florida. This institution, renowned for its dedication to the preservation and study of historically significant automobiles, acquired the vehicle in October 2001 from Jean-François Charton. . Following the war, and the ownership of the Brazilian Ambassador, it changed hands several times before being meticulously conserved by the Revs Institute
Sources
Loubet, Jean-Louis. L'industrie automobile en France. Editions du Seuil, 1995.
“Figoni & Falaschi and the Art of Coachbuilding.” The Mullin Automotive Museum. www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com
“Delahaye: Styling and Elegance.” Coachbuild.com. www.coachbuild.com
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. “The Delahaye 135MS Roadster.” www.simeonemuseum.org
A.L. Dunlop, Art Deco and the Automobile: Streamlining the Future, 2012.
Bugatti Trust Archive. “Ettore Bugatti and His Contemporaries.” www.bugatti-trust.co.uk
