Delahaye 171
Encyclopedia
The Delahaye 171 was a “colonial” style vehicle developed by Delahaye
for use in French Equatorial Africa
and French West Africa
.
The thinking behind the car was similar to that of Renault
chairman Pierre Lefaucheux
at this time: the 171 was intended to satisfy similar marketplace objectives to those addressed by the Renault Colorale
.
It first appeared formally at the Paris Motor Show in 1949, but sales started only in 1950 of two different “Pick-up” versions, designed to take a ton of load. The “normal pick-up” version, with an advertised starting price of 991,500 Francs, had its load area behind the vehicle's cabin but between the two rear wheels, giving a load area that was unencumbered by wheel arches but relatively narrow. With the “wide pick-up” version the load area extended to the full width of the cabin, but with the intrusion of the wheel arches. The bodywork of the load area did not extend beyond the cabin width on either version.
By the end of 1950 the “Break” (station wagon) had also appeared and the vehicle gained greatly in credibility with its target market by competing with distinction in the 14394 km (8,944 mi) Mediterranean-Cape Town Rally that was run along the length of Africa between 31 December 1950 and 21 February 1951.
The “Break” (station wagon) version of the 171 was also offered, from 1952, as a nine seater “familiale” which makes this one of several vehicles that could claim to have inspired the multi-purpose vehicles that became mainstream only in the 1980s with the arrival of the Chrysler Voyager in North America and of the Renault Espace
in Europe. Even in this form the vehicle had only two doors, but with a width of 1930 mm (more than six feet) access was not a problem since on the passenger side the front bench seat did not extend to the full cabin width, so it was possible to access the middle two seats without much difficulty and possible to access the rear bench seat by passing between the two single seats of the middle row. The “Break” bodied cars had their bodies built by a car body firm called “Carrosserie de Levallois” which appears to have been one of a number of such firms concentrated in the car making quarter of Paris.
The most prominently promoted of the other special bodied versions was a strikingly robust looking ambulance.
The six cylinder 3557 cc water cooled engine was shared with the company’s prestigious 135
and 235
models. However, on the 171 the engine came with only one carburetter and a compression ratio of 6.9 : 1 (or for some situations 6.5 : 1) which was very significantly lower than that of the luxury cars. The 171’s claimed maximum power output of 80 hp or 100 hp at 3,500 rpm was correspondingly very much lower than the 152 hp at 4,200 rpm listed for the 235.
Large tires and 280 mm (11 inches) of ground clearance hinted at the variable road quality in some of the vehicle's target markets.
The company’s bread and butter model during its final years was the Jeep inspired VLR
which gained a large contract with the French army. The sales of the colonial 171 were far lower than those of the VLR but nevertheless very much higher than those achieved by the company’s famous luxury cars, and by 1952 the 171 was being produced at a rate of approximately 30 per month, sold in the French colonies and also achieving significant export success, especially in Brazil. Unfortunately the 171 never sold in sufficient numbers to compensate for the commercial failure visited on the company’s luxury car sales by post war austerity and government taxation policy, and once the army contract for the VLR
’s was lost the company quickly fell into the arms of Hotchkiss
and production of the 171 came to an abrupt end.
________________________
Delahaye
Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...
for use in French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
and French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
.
The thinking behind the car was similar to that of Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
chairman Pierre Lefaucheux
Pierre Lefaucheux
Pierre Lefaucheux was a leading French industrialist and a Compagnon de la Libération. -Early years:Born at Triel-sur-Seine, and descended from the French inventor Casimir Lefaucheux, Pierre was second of the four children of Pierre André Lefaucheux and Madeleine Dulac.He volunteered for military...
at this time: the 171 was intended to satisfy similar marketplace objectives to those addressed by the Renault Colorale
Renault Colorale
The Renault Colorale is a mid-size car produced by Renault between 1950 and 1957. Unusually, it had the profile of a small estate car, which adumbrated successful Renault designs of the 1960s...
.
It first appeared formally at the Paris Motor Show in 1949, but sales started only in 1950 of two different “Pick-up” versions, designed to take a ton of load. The “normal pick-up” version, with an advertised starting price of 991,500 Francs, had its load area behind the vehicle's cabin but between the two rear wheels, giving a load area that was unencumbered by wheel arches but relatively narrow. With the “wide pick-up” version the load area extended to the full width of the cabin, but with the intrusion of the wheel arches. The bodywork of the load area did not extend beyond the cabin width on either version.
By the end of 1950 the “Break” (station wagon) had also appeared and the vehicle gained greatly in credibility with its target market by competing with distinction in the 14394 km (8,944 mi) Mediterranean-Cape Town Rally that was run along the length of Africa between 31 December 1950 and 21 February 1951.
The “Break” (station wagon) version of the 171 was also offered, from 1952, as a nine seater “familiale” which makes this one of several vehicles that could claim to have inspired the multi-purpose vehicles that became mainstream only in the 1980s with the arrival of the Chrysler Voyager in North America and of the Renault Espace
Renault Espace
The Renault Espace is a large MPV from French car-maker Renault. Generations 1-3 were sold under the Renault brand but manufactured by Matra. The current fourth generation model, which seats seven passengers, is an all-Renault product; the Renault Grand Espace is a long-wheelbase version with...
in Europe. Even in this form the vehicle had only two doors, but with a width of 1930 mm (more than six feet) access was not a problem since on the passenger side the front bench seat did not extend to the full cabin width, so it was possible to access the middle two seats without much difficulty and possible to access the rear bench seat by passing between the two single seats of the middle row. The “Break” bodied cars had their bodies built by a car body firm called “Carrosserie de Levallois” which appears to have been one of a number of such firms concentrated in the car making quarter of Paris.
The most prominently promoted of the other special bodied versions was a strikingly robust looking ambulance.
The six cylinder 3557 cc water cooled engine was shared with the company’s prestigious 135
Delahaye 135
Delahaye 135 was an automobile manufactured by Delahaye. Designed by young engineer Jean François, it was produced from 1935 until 1954 in many different body styles...
and 235
Delahaye 235
Delahaye 235 is a luxury car built by French manufacturer Delahaye from 1951 until 1954.Presented at the 1951 Paris Auto Salon, the 235 was an attempt at updating the pre-war Type 135 for the 1950s. Delahaye did need a boost, as combined production of the Types 135 and 175 had dropped to an...
models. However, on the 171 the engine came with only one carburetter and a compression ratio of 6.9 : 1 (or for some situations 6.5 : 1) which was very significantly lower than that of the luxury cars. The 171’s claimed maximum power output of 80 hp or 100 hp at 3,500 rpm was correspondingly very much lower than the 152 hp at 4,200 rpm listed for the 235.
Large tires and 280 mm (11 inches) of ground clearance hinted at the variable road quality in some of the vehicle's target markets.
The company’s bread and butter model during its final years was the Jeep inspired VLR
Delahaye VLR
The Delahaye VLR was a four wheel drive passenger vehicle clearly inspired by the Jeep and first presented, after an unusually long gestation, by Delahaye during the Summer of 1950...
which gained a large contract with the French army. The sales of the colonial 171 were far lower than those of the VLR but nevertheless very much higher than those achieved by the company’s famous luxury cars, and by 1952 the 171 was being produced at a rate of approximately 30 per month, sold in the French colonies and also achieving significant export success, especially in Brazil. Unfortunately the 171 never sold in sufficient numbers to compensate for the commercial failure visited on the company’s luxury car sales by post war austerity and government taxation policy, and once the army contract for the VLR
Delahaye VLR
The Delahaye VLR was a four wheel drive passenger vehicle clearly inspired by the Jeep and first presented, after an unusually long gestation, by Delahaye during the Summer of 1950...
’s was lost the company quickly fell into the arms of Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss et Cie
Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and car company established by United States engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, who was born in Watertown, Connecticut. He moved to France and set up a factory, first at Viviez near Rodez in 1867, then at Saint-Denis near...
and production of the 171 came to an abrupt end.
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