On a Rhode Island coastal road, the top down, a red Delahaye shoots toward the Atlantic. Aboard, in the passenger seat, a certain Jay Leno savors the moment. In front of him, Fritz Burkard grips the large steering wheel of a Delahaye 165 Cabriolet 1938 that has come a long way. Crowned in 2026 at Pebble Beach and again at the Audrain Newport Concours, this French classic has just completed five years of restoration.
Its story reads like a novel, straddling a Paris salon, an Atlantic crossing in an open carrier, and the grafting of an American V8. The video made with the Audrain Museum network now shows the car reconciled with the sea, wearing its original red. For this Delahaye 165, which Fritz Burkard had entrusted to RM Auto Restoration in Canada, the ocean literally swallowed it. And it is precisely this contrast that invites you to climb aboard to follow the thread.
A 1938 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet: From the Paris Salon to a Sea Storm
Originally, the 1938 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet was built to shine at the Paris Salon of 1938. On a chassis adapted from the Type 145 Grand Prix, the coachwork was penned by Figoni et Falaschi. The car wears teardrop lines and a taut profile typical of French Art Deco. Only two examples were built with this particular Cabriolet body.
Under the long hood hides a 4.5-liter aluminium V12 at 60 degrees, rated at 245 hp. Power passes to the rear wheels via a Cotal electro‑magnetic pre‑selector gearbox, a transmission far ahead of its time. The driver pre‑selects the next ratio with a small lever. To engage the new speed, you simply lift off the accelerator, without touching the clutch.
In the immediate postwar period, the Delahaye travels and even races in Europe, before being bought by an American importer. It was during a crossing to the United States, in 1953, that everything changed. The open container meant to protect it on the deck of the freighter filled with saltwater during an Atlantic storm. The salt ate away at the V12 and the internal mechanics to the point that the car became entirely inoperative.
The original engine was separated from the chassis and sold in Germany. The rolling chassis ends up with a dealer in Fresno, California. To bring it back in line with American tastes, a Cadillac V8 with an automatic transmission was grafted in. The car turned dark green and received heavy chrome bumpers that ruined the distinctive Figoni silhouette.
Five Years of Restoration and a Ride with Jay Leno
For decades, Anne Lee and Robert Lee poured significant resources into beginning to erase these scars. Their Delahaye was later sold to collector Chip Patterson, who sold it again in 2021 to Fritz Burkard. He sent it straight to RM Auto Restoration in Canada for a full frame-off restoration. For five years, the car was taken apart down to the frame, carefully tended to in every detail, and returned to its original red. It was enough to recapture the look and spirit of 1938, which American alterations had nearly erased.
Fritz Burkard discovered his Delahaye fully finished at six o’clock in the morning, August 13. It was just ahead of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, which precedes the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A few weeks later, the car won its class and became a Best of Show finalist at Pebble Beach 2026. At the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance, held at Fort Adams State Park, it even earned the Best of Show award.
Its twin was sent in 1939 to the New York World’s Fair, then spent a long time stuck in customs. After a stop at the Mullin Automotive Museum, it now enjoys a calmer life at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Fritz Burkard’s Delahaye, meanwhile, continues to rack up trophies as it cruises. Along Rhode Island roads with the top down, the Swiss and Jay Leno ride the Atlantic together. “The sea is something special,” Leno says at the wheel, in remarks cited by Autoevolution.
