The vehicles for Delahaye’s new strategic direction were the Superluxe and its sports sibling, the Delahaye Type 135. The Superluxe’s and Type 103’s engine, a long-stroke, pushrod-operated, overhead-valve, four-main-bearing, F-head inline-six, was designed by Jean François, under the direction of Delahaye’s technical director, Amédée Varlet, and it would become one of the most versatile, long-lived engine designs in history.
At the same time, Delahaye engineer Jean François was hard at work on a new chassis, the Type 135, which would complement the more powerful engine. The chassis was a particularly advanced assembly for its time, with boxed rectangular rails, a central cross-member, and a welded-in floor, which contributed to additional stiffness and rigidity. The front suspension was independent and used its transverse leaf spring as the lower control arm.
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