Delahaye needed a boost, as combined production of the Types 135 and 175 (and the long wheelbase 178/180) had dropped to an abysmal 77 by 1951.

The 235 was originally sold only in chassis form and received bodywork from various coachbuilders, mainly Henri Chapron, but also from Figoni, Saoutchik, Antem, and others.

The company's own business premises at the rue de Banquier in Paris were never tooled up to build car bodies for the 235,[4] but in 1953, as a response to sluggish sales, a standardised "factory" bodywork ("coach d'usine") from Chapron became available.

The brakes received a lot of criticism, as did fuel consumption; both issues arose largely due to the very heavy bodywork produced by the French coachbuilders who weren't as technologically advanced as their transalpine cousins.

[5] 235s last appeared at the Paris Salon in 1954, to sell off the remaining stock, and another grande marque met its end.