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The Million Franc Challenge

In 1937 Lucy Schell, founder of the ÉcurieBleue racing team, ordered four DelahayeType 145s to compete in the Frenchgovernment’s automotive engineeringchallenge, the Million Franc Prize.After months of tuning, legendary driverRené Dreyfus drove 200 kilometers in oneof Lucy Schell’s Type 145s for a record onehour, twenty-one minutes, 49 1/2 secondsat an average speed of 91.3 miles perhour. The Million had been won. The story of the Million Franc Prize beginswith the charged atmosphere of

pre–World War II Europe. In the yearsleading up to the war, when Germanyand Italy were ramping up their militaryforces, sporting events were seen asmetaphorical struggles betweendemocracy and the totalitarian powers.When the Automobile Club of Francechanged its formula for the 1937 racingseason—dictating that engines could beas large as 4.5 liters, unsupercharged—theFrench government saw its chance to pullahead in the technology race. Achallenge was organized: one millionFrench francs would be awarded to the

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first car to break the 200 kilometerdistance record set in 1934 by Louis Chironin an Alfa Romeo. Delahaye’s finished car was exotic andstrictly utilitarian, fitted with all-metal-alloycoachwork that tightly sheathed thechassis. The engineers at the factory nevertested it in a wind tunnel and reliedinstead on their experience and intuition,the power of the Type 145’sunsupercharged 4.5-liter, V-12 magnesiumengine, and the aerodynamic propertiesof the low-slung and well-balancedchassis. The car was returned to the factory beforeWorld War II. It was hidden during the warto protect its precious magnesium engine,which was eventually sold, separate fromthe chassis, to a mechanical school as ademonstration model. The chassis wasrebodied, and its grand history forgotten,until Peter Mullin recognized andpurchased it in 1987. With the aid ofautomotive historians and restorers, Mullinlocated the car’s original magnesiumengine and restored the complete car to

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its original condition.

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This is one of four racecars built for theÉcurie Bleue racing team founded by theAmericans Laury and Lucy Schell. Just before World War II hostilities began,Lucy Schell sent all her Delahaye racecarsback to the factory. Delahaye carefullykept this car hidden to protect itsmagnesium engine from destruction. In1947, after the war was over, the engineand transmission were donated to AndréSt. Blancard, the director of the LycéePilote de Montgeron. a mechanical tradeschool. In 1948 the car, without its magnesiumengine, was acquired by Charles Pozzi,entrepreneur and French driver of theÉcurie Lutétia. Since the chassis had noengine, Delahaye lent Pozzi its new Type175S engine. In 1950 Pozzi returned theengine to the factory, added a FordComète body to the racing chassis, andreplaced the V12 engine with a 3.5-liter,six-cylinder Type 135S engine. After the1951 season Pozzi asked Delahaye salesmanager Jean-Pierre Bernard (who laterfounded the Delahaye Club) to sell thecar. Bernard eventually sold it to the

collector Serge Pozzoli, who discarded theFord Comète body and Type 135S engineand replaced the latter with the Type 155V12 magnesium engine and transmissionthat had been given to St. Blancard.However, Pozzoli and Bernard wereunaware that this was the originalmagnesium engine, believing it to be aType 145. Pozzoli stored the Delahayeunder the stands at the Montlhéryracetrack until moving it to his château duGérier near Evreux, France. Peter Mullin purchased the car in 1987 andsent it to England for restoration byCrosthwaite and Gardiner, where theengine was rebuilt and the original racingbody re-created. In 2006 Jim Stranberg ofHigh Mountain Classics reviewed thedrawings for the Type 145, 155, and 165engines and determined that Chassis48771’s engine was the originalmagnesium engine, not a Type 145, aspreviously believed. The complete, andoriginal, Chassis 48771 is now owned bythe Mullin Automotive Museum.

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PROFILE

Coachbuilder Factory

Chassis number 48771

Profile type Grand Prix

Number made 1 of 4

Acceleration 0

Top Speed 165

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BODY | CHASSIS

Front brakes type Hydraulic; ventilated

Rear brakes type Hydraulic; ventilated

Front suspension type Independent transverse leaf springswith upper control arms andlever-action shock absorbers

Rear suspension type Live axle with semielliptical leafsprings and lever-action shockabsorbers

Length 14' 9"

Width 5' 7"

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ENGINE

Engine number 155

Number of cylinders 12

Engine construction Magnesium

Displacement 4496

BHP at 5500 RPM 225

Gearbox Manual

Number of gears 4

Overdrive 0

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© Mullin Automotive MuseumAll photographs courtesy of Michael Furman