#1938 Delahaye 135M Figoni et Falaschi Roadster

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10 Most Elegant Delahayes We Loved At Pebble Beach

10 Most Elegant Delahayes We Loved At Pebble Beach #cars #Pebbleconcours

As one of the earliest automakers, Delahaye became one of the most admired of all French cars. Today we look back on the amazing Delahaye cars from the 30s and 40s as some of the best and most iconic of the French luxury cars of the era. At the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d”Elegance we were delighted to see 10 of the most elegant Delahayes still in existence, on the esteemed lawn. 1. 1937 Delahaye…

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I bought my ultra-rare dream car from a museum! via /r/cars

I bought my ultra-rare dream car from a museum!

It's also been featured on Car & Driver, Hooniverse, Top Gear (Philippines but still) and a few others. Even living in SoCal, I've only bumped into one or two others at car shows.

That's right, it's a Takayanagi Miluira!

Or not.

Here's some pics for you. It's better than you'd expect.

Now, you may have checked my flair and wondered how I could see so few at car shows. Is it an off-year Shelby? Is it that 2009 Iacocca? Both of those were in the same exhibit, but no. On the bright side, it's a Mustang too. On the not so bright side, it's a Mustang II.

Specs:

88hp 2.3L 4 cylinder, 4spd, 6.75" rear end

Base model notchback.

Only year that didn't come with a V8 at all

Can't physically fit a V8 due to core support

Options: Ghia Interior (mostly), AM Radio, dealer installed whitewalls, bumper overriders and side molding, and of course California Emissions

Little backstory, my school had field trips all the way through High School and when we went to the Petersen (both times) it was always between exhibits when everything was being moved around. Fantastic experience. A new exhibit called Mustangs Forever: 50 Years of a Legend was going to open the next day, so I peeked my head in and started laughing. Of all the cars to put in view of the entrance, they chose this��� So of course, my friends and I all laugh at it.

Cut to about a year ago, and I'm screwing around on eBay for a car to supplement my barnfind CJ-5 and what do I see but... Well, long story short I won after the other bidder backed out. Went out to get it and boom, it's LA Fashion Week that night so the whole parking lot is full of decorations and curtains and stuff. I head around back and talk to the man in charge of the cars, who was overseeing the transport of the original Green Hornet Black Beauty and a 1938 Delahaye Type 135M Competition Roadster by Figoni et Falaschi. He disappears inside and comes out with my car on an ultra-rad $20,000? car transporter. We get it loaded up on the U-Haul trailer and drag it home.

Since then, I've gotten it running again (sitting for 4 years) and replaced the brand new looking tires that were from 2007 and made it shake at 60 MPH. Seriously, the tires were in better shape than the year-old tires on my truck. I've washed it with soap twice and both times something has broken. First the valvestem extenders got caught on the track at the car wash and popped out of the wheel, and then the D in F O R D fell off in my hand the next time I tried washing it by hand. I now understand why the hardcore Mustang guys use baby wipes to clean their cars. They'd disintegrate otherwise. Before I inevitably take heat from the detail guys for running it through an automated car wash, nothing has changed on the car since the '70s and the washes have only gotten more advanced. If it could take it then it can take it now.

My favorite part of the car has been going to shows with it. One time, at the Supercar Sunday Christmas show, I rolled in behind a bright orange G-Wagen 4x42 and a matching Aventador. As I was waiting in line, some guy shouted over at me, "HEY! Lee Iacocca got fired for that!" which made my day. A little later, some guys my dad's age walked by and mentioned how they would have ignored it a few years ago but now it's really cool. At another show I got a "what the hell is that?" from the peanut gallery as i pulled in.

The best upside is being immune to roasts. What are they gonna tell me, it's a Mustang II?