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The Delahaye 145 is a model of automobile from the prestigious French manufacturer Delahaye. Only ​​a dozen cars were made between 1937 and 1940.

History[]

From February 1937, Delahaye used a 60 ° V12 OHV engine with a displacement of 4.5 litres and a power output of 240 hp in its new car. This was the Delahaye Type 145, which was the successor to the Delahaye 135, which had a 3.5 litre 6-cylinder engine.

On 27 August 1937, the French driver René Dreyfus had his first attempt to beat the speed record at Montlhery circuit, at the wheel of his Delahaye 145 "Grand Prix". He finished with an average speed of 146.654 km/h, but an overall top speed of 200 km. He won a million francs offered by the Popular Front and the Automobile Club de France to help automakers of France finance the development of a successful Grand Prix car for the 1938, 1939 and 1940 seasons..

The 145 had a theoretical top speed of and 230 km/h.

Four additional copies of the Delahaye 145 were then constructed, they won the European Grand Prix at de Pau and Cork.

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