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The Delahaye years
1945-'46: After five years of war

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Who?

George Grignard

What?

Delahaye 135S

Where?

Bois de Boulogne

When?

1945 Coupe des Prisonniers

 George Grignard, Delahaye 135S, 1945 Coupe des Prissoniers
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.

George Grignard, Delahaye 135S, 1945 Coupe des Prissoniers

Emile Cornet driving 46084, "Daniell"'s old car, at the Coupe des Prisonniers in September 1945.

George Grignard, Delahaye 135S, 1945 Coupe des Prissoniers
George Grignard, Delahaye 135S, 1946 Nice GP

"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).

Robert Tielens, Delahaye 135

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

Charles Pozzi, Delahaye 145, 1946 St Cloud GP

Pozzi drove his 46084 at the Saint Cloud GP in June 1946, and lent his 48775 V12 to Chaboud in the same race.

Eugène Chaboud, Delahaye 135S, 1946 Bois de Boulogne GP

An impressive photo of Chaboud and his 47192, ex-Germaine Rouault with the Figoni coupé, at the Bois de Boulogne GP in May 1946.

Eugène Chaboud, Delahaye 135S, 1946 Marseille GP

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.

Marcel Trillaud, Delahaye 135S, 1946 Forez GP

Trillaud in his 'racefied' 47193, an ex-Schell car, at the GP du Forez in May 1946.

Jean Achard, Delahaye 155 V12, 1946 Trois Villes GP

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