Delahaye Príncipe Jacques 1909

The brand manufactures automobiles Delahaye from 1892 to 1954, where it was absorbed by another company (Hotchkiss). Currently maintain approximately 200 cars of the brand worldwide, of which nearly 90% are for the Model 135.

This is the oldest of the entire collection. A French car of 1909 with a small engine with a power 22 HP. It is a Prince Jaques Body Model finished with an intense violet colour. The gearbox is a 4 speed and is very smooth. With the exception of the fenders the car body is constructed entirely of wood. With this car you can recognise the evolution from horse drawn transport to that of automobiles.

The car originally belonged to Eduardo Rios and was stored unused in a warehouse. One day this man asked my father if he had a diesel engine. He replied that he had a diesel tractor an if he was interested would swap this for the Delahaye. With the state of the car this transaction was ridicules but the transaction conditions also imposed that all the accessories and spare parts were also included in the deal.

To move the car from the warehouse he had to use a crane because the car only had 2 wheels.

It was restored using the only information that could be found at the time, which was a 1-10 scale photo. All the timber was completely replaced and the only items that were used were the door mouldings, brass, handles, lamps and a few other accessories that were still impeccable. Mechanically there was not much to do, he stripped the engine to clean it and then rebuilt it. This car is a very fine mechanically, has an excellent finish, mouldings, gearbox and fender, all the work was carried out by a true craftsmen with great dedication.

It's amazing the transformation of this car. From how it began to the Jewel it finally became in about one year of work.