From 1936 through about 1951, Figoni et Falaschi's stand at the Paris Salon was a 'must see'. This particular example of Figoni coachwork was built on Delahaye's Type 135 chassis, a model that was introduced in 1935 at the Paris Salon and was enthusiastically received. The heart of the car was a 3.5 litre, three-carburettor, hemi-head, six-cylinder, counterbalanced engine. It produced 160 hp in its most-powerful MS configuration and could power the car to 120 mph. The Delahaye 135 MS Coupe in this gallery, chassis 60112, was built for the 1938 Paris Salon, where it shared the Figoni stand with a fabulous Delahaye V-12 model 165 roadster.
Mr. Claude Figoni, son of Joseph Figoni and curator of the family Figoni Archives supervised the car's nut-and-bolt, body-off restoration, which was very recently completed by the marque experts Atelier Automobiles Anciennes Dominique Tessier in France. Mr. Tessier worked very closely with Mr. Figoni, who was instrumental in completing the restoration based on personal memories and information in his own records. Mr. Tessier was able to determine that chassis 60112 was originally finished and displayed in a light ivory colour, which according to Mr. Figoni was complemented by a deep red leather interior. Of particular interest is the grille, which was finished in the French colours of blue, white and red.
It seems likely that 60112 was hidden from occupying forces during World War II, as it was not discovered until 1964, hidden behind a hedge of reeds in La Seyne Sur Mer, a few miles from the Mediterranean port of Toulon in Southern France, and carrying an old Alps-Maritimes Department license plate, 308 M6. According to historian Andre Vaucourt, a dogged 21-year pursuit followed the discovery. Finder Antoine Rafaelli finally managed to buy 60112 in 1985 from Madame Michele Gautier.
Rafaelli registered it again in Alps-Maritimes as 3506 VJ 06. Then he delivered the coupe to the Conforti brothers in Nice for a restoration, which took place between 1986-87. In 1998, the car joined the Rosso Bianco Collection in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The car then resided with two known owners in the U.S. before 2006, when John O'Quinn bought 60112 at Quail Lodge. Since the car's full concours-level restoration, it has never been shown or enjoyed in any events. As it has been restored to perfection, precisely the way it was shown at Paris in 1938.
