A ‘million-franc’ Delahaye?

Peter Mullin, founder of the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, beside his 1937 Delahaye 145 race car.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Nov. 1, 2015 5:35 PM PT

A 1937 Delahaye 145 race car won a 1 million franc prize from the French government and Automobile Club of France for setting a world speed record.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The interior of the 1937 Delahaye 145.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Leather straps secure the hood on Peter Mullin’s 1937 Delahaye 145.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Rivets hold the body of the 1937 Delahaye 145 together.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A Delahaye 145 driven by Rick Eberst navigates the back roads of Monterey, Calif. Los Angeles Times staff writer Charles Fleming is his passenger.

(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)

The grill of the Delahaye 145.

(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)

Only four of the 1937 Delahaye 145s were built.

(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)