1925 Delahaye Type 97 Skiff : Fully Restored : Unique Skiff Body : Matching Numbers

This particular 1925 Type 97 has been restored within the last 10 year by Roda Clássica in Portugal where they finished the chassis, running gear and engine. Previously, the car has been stored in a barn in the south of France for an unknow period. The stunning Skiff coachwork fitted to this Type 97 was built by master craftsman in Cornwall and the front and rear wings were fabricated in aluminium by an aircraft engineer. They took huge inspiration from the original Panhard et Levassor Skiff on display in the Louwman Museum in The Netherlands having travelled there to photograph the car. Chassis 24484 has been finished to a high standard just like the sleek racing boats of the period, with traditional boat building techniques employed. Layers of steamed wooden planks are beautifully fastened to a wooden frame with copper rivets. The sleek aerodynamic body is highly varnished with no door openings, providing the chassis with incredible rigidity for such a lightweight body.

The unique Skiff body was first created by French coachbuilder Henri Labourdette was the epitome of pre-war opulence and design. Jean-Henri Labourdette was a third-generation coachbuilder when he pioneered the radical Skiff body style. Shaped like nothing else from the period, the first car to carry this coachwork was a 1912 Panhard et Levassor commissioned by René de Knyff, the director of Panhard et Levassor and a pioneer racing driver. René later became president of Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI), now known as the FIA. Known as a great sportsman who practiced bicycling and rowing daily, he suggested to Labourdette: “You know that I do rowing. Why don’t you build this body like my skiff, in mahogany with ribbing and all? It’s light and strong.”

With many photographs of the restoration in the history file, this matching number Delahaye has covered no more than 500 miles since its complete restoration. This car is fully UK registered and comes with a letter from the President of the Delahaye Club confirming its authenticity.

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