Vintage Revival Montlhéry 2019 - Plateau B - Cyclecars

1921 GN-Salmson, GP de Boulogne

Cyclecars were the stars of Plateau B at the 2019 Vintage Revival Montlhéry, whether originals or recreations.   An intriguing mix of light small capacity sports and racing cars from the twenties and thirties.  Difficult not to full in love with so many of them!

1922 Sénéchal SS

The 1921 GN-Salmson reminded us of the time these cars took the first three places in the 1921 GP de Boulogne powered by 1,100c V2 engines.  Salmson produced the car under licence from the British Company GN (Godfrey & Nash).

The Jappic was a JAP engined cyclecar designed by H.M.Walters.  The beautiful body was orginally made in Wimbledon by Jarvis & Co.  The car held the 350cc record at Brooklands at over 70mph.  It later had a 500cc engine.  A lovely recreation.

Robert Sénéchal was a French WW1 fighter pilot, racing driver and industrialist.  He produced cars from 1921 until he sold the company to Chenard et Walcker in 1925.  The Sénéchal marque remained until 1929.   Sénéchal won the 1922 GP de UMF and the Bol d'Or in 1924 and 1926 in his own cars.

1925 Jappic Brooklands 500cc racing car recreation

1922 Sénéchal SS on the Montlhéry banking.

SIMA-Violet was a French manufacturer of cyclecars in the twenties.  It was a torpedo type two seater powered by a two stroke 2 cylinder 500cc motor.

1924 SIMA-Violet Sport 500cc

1922 Salmson following a Darmont Three Wheeler.

1924 Alcyon RR 500cc cyclecar

1929 Schasche 500cc cyclecar

1934 Darmont V Junior

1924 Senechal TS2 Sport

1937 Georges Irat MDU roadster

1923 Darmont STR Sport

1937 Darmont Etoile de France

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

1914 GN Cyclecar in the wet paddock.

Vintage Revival Montlhéry 2019 - Plateau A - BNCs and others

Unusual 1934 BNC 527 Sirejol on the banking.

Plateau A of the Vintage Revival Montlhéry contained many BNCs as well as other marques such as Salmson, Amilcar and GN.  BNC is not a marque known well outside of vintage car aficionados in France.  It was normally known by its acronym but in full was called Bollack, Netter et Cie after its founders.   Established in 1923 in Paris it lasted until 1931, although afterwards André Sirejol continued producing BNC cars for a number of years.    BNC produced mainly light racing cars competing in events mainly in France and Belgium.  Victories included the 1925 GP de Picardie with the Russian Boris Ivanowski, and the 1927 Bol'Or with the infamous Violette Morris.  Class wins were achieved in the great 24 Hour races at Le Mans in 1928 and at Spa Francorchamps in 1930.

The BNC 527 model was the best known.  The ones called Monza had Ruby engines.

1929 BNC 527 racing car

1927 Amilcar CGSS dwarfed by the banking.

A wet paddock for the BNC brigade.

1928 BNC 527 Monza.

1922 GN OHC 1500cc

1928 Amilcar CGSS

1929 BNC with Saint Hubert bodywok.

1921 Salmson GS

Salmson in the paddock.

1929 BNC 527 Monza

1927 Salmson GS 8

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

1929 Chenard et Walcker Tank Y8

Vintage Revival Montlhéry 2019 - Plateau D & F - The Three Wheelers

1932 Sandford Type S at speed on the Montlhéry banking.

There was a great tradition on banked tracks such as Montlhéry and Brooklands of there being three wheeler races, either on their own or as part of cyclecar races, and record breaking.   Thus very appropriate for Vintage Revival Montlhéry always to honour them with there own plateaux. 

In the UK the most famous three wheeler manufacturer has been Morgan who first started selling them in 1911.  Three wheelers were popular in the UK as they were taxed like motor cycles.  They were raced from very early on and in 1913 a Morgan won the Cyclecar Grand prix in Amiens.

In France Robert Darmont started a business importing Morgans and then building them under licence from 1921.  From 1926 they produced the Darmont Special.

The Sandford Three Wheelers were built in Paris from about 1925 by an Englishman Stuart Sandford, who had previously sold Darmonts.  Sandford was a racer himself on both two and three wheels. All Sandfords had Ruby engines, an engine used by many cyclecars  of the twenties and thirties.

Great to see examples of all these three marques.

1933 Morgan Super Sport.

1932 Morgan Super Sport

JAP engined 1932 Morgan SS Three Wheeler

On the three wheeler grid ready for depart.

1927 Morgan Aero Three Wheeler

Another view showing the steep banking.

There is n o doubt that these enthusiasts really enjoy driving their Three Wheelers such as this Sandford.

1932 Morgan Super Sport.

A Morgan in the paddock.

1930 Darmont Special.

Three Wheelers motoring down the pitlane in the wet conditions of Saturday morning.

1929 Sandford GS

Morgan Three Wheeler on the grid.

1927 Darmont Special Usine

Morgan on the grid.

Another Darmont Special, this one a 1928 supercharged version.

A 1933 Morgan Sports.

The Morgan car park.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

Old motorised trike.