dkCambridgeshire Posted May 23, 2018 Share #10961 Posted May 23, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) The coachbuilder could be Gaston Grümmer and the car maybe Avions Voisin dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 23, 2018 Posted May 23, 2018 Hi dkCambridgeshire, Take a look here Name this car..... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wlaidlaw Posted May 23, 2018 Share #10962 Posted May 23, 2018 (edited) Dunk, Not a Voisin. I have even driven a V12 Voisin, which was interesting with its three gear levers (main gearbox, overdrive and two speed rear axle for town and country - in reality so that it could run very slowly at the head of a procession, with a head of state waving from the back of the Art Deco Roi des Belges body). The bodywork of the mystery is all made by a past owner, hand-wheeled from aluminium sheet, the design of course being inspired by Jean Bugatti's 57SC Altantic. I would guess the body of that car was actually made by Gangloff in Mulhouse, who were Bugatti's main "in house" coachbuilder. The inside of the mystery car is to an equally good standard with huge Jaeger dials. The only let down is the pressed steel artillery type wheels. If they could even have a solid spun aluminium cover, it would look better than the slightly pedestrian ones currently mounted. It was quite common to cover even spoked wheels with a spun disc. The 57SC Gangloff Coupé we used to have, had covers to its Rudge Whitworth wheels. The chassis of the mystery car must be very rare, as I would guess not much more than 100-150 made and maybe only 3 or 4 left. Interestingly, the pictures of the other one I found with a very conventional body, did have Rudge Whitworth type spoked wheels. The make of the car is better known for other types of transport and was going until just a few years ago. Wilson Edited May 23, 2018 by wlaidlaw 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10963 Posted May 29, 2018 Wilson - It looks like we're thoroughly stuck. How about identifying this one and posting another? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10964 Posted May 29, 2018 I will give folks one last lot of hints. Which make of vehicle saved Paris in the 1914 Battle of the Marne? That was my only previous knowledge of this make, although they continued making specialised commercial vehicles up into the 1990's but latterly as a sub brand of a much larger maker from another country. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10965 Posted May 29, 2018 Renault. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10966 Posted May 29, 2018 You're clearly not referring to the Renault taxis. I can think of no other specific vehicles on the Allied side at this point in the war.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10967 Posted May 29, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Wilson, I think this one is "outside" the square. It there were rules I would suggest the mystery car is a production vehicle, even if of comparitively limited numbers. One offs is not on! Hektor 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10968 Posted May 29, 2018 Forgive me if I have posted this before, although I can't remember doing so. Bonnet: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3527563'>More sharing options...
stuny Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10969 Posted May 29, 2018 Yes, you did post it before. A most impressive "one-off." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10970 Posted May 29, 2018 Most of the taxis in Paris in 1914 were not Renault. At the time, Renault was a more upmarket make, with their 40 and 45HP cars. As soon as I saw this car, I said to myself, I thought they only made taxis and fire engines. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanellus Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10971 Posted May 29, 2018 Delahaye? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10972 Posted May 29, 2018 Delahaye? Much shorter name Not a make at all known for upmarket straight eight cars. I had no idea they had made them until I looked up their history. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10973 Posted May 29, 2018 Most of the taxis in Paris in 1914 were not Renault. At the time, Renault was a more upmarket make, with their 40 and 45HP cars. As soon as I saw this car, I said to myself, I thought they only made taxis and fire engines. Wilson I take it this ia what the others were referring to: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Taxi_de_la_Marne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted May 29, 2018 Share #10974 Posted May 29, 2018 Yes, you did post it before. A most impressive "one-off." Not a "one-off". According to Bird and Hallows 6173 were produced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 30, 2018 Share #10975 Posted May 30, 2018 I take it this ia what the others were referring to: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Taxi_de_la_Marne There may have been some Renault taxis in Paris but the great majority were another make, the same make as the mystery car. This make was so known for its taxis that a substantial proportion of London taxis in 1914 were also this make. Wilson 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted May 30, 2018 Share #10976 Posted May 30, 2018 (edited) Last try: Unic 12CV Edited May 30, 2018 by hektor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 30, 2018 Share #10977 Posted May 30, 2018 It is indeed a UNIC H1 chassis but with the larger H3 straight eight engine, still quite small at 2.6L and I am not sure what the French CV rating would have been. Like most of these late 1920's, early 30's car with small non-supercharged straight eight engines, I imagine its performance is woeful. My grandfather had a similarly engined Hillman Straight Eight 20HP, also 2.6L in the late 1920's, with a large saloon body on it. My father said would just about reach 50 mph down a steep hill with the wind behind it but only briefly, before its bearings failed. It was fairly quickly replaced with a Humber Pullman. UNIC carried on into the 1990's making fire engines and re-badging Fiat small trucks and vans as UNIC-FIAT. Below is the undoctored picture of the front. The home made body is a quite stunning achievement, albeit I think the builder was a retired coachbuilder, from overhearing the current owner's conversation with other folk. Sadly for me, the effect was rather spoilt by totally horrible pressed steel artillery type wheels, which I have not quite managed to hide. I gave him the address of people in England (Motor Wheel Services) who will make up any wire wheel you like with either steel or alloy rims and can supply new Rudge Whitworth knock off type hubs, that either replace or bolt on to the original hubs or bolt on wire wheels with fake spinners on them, that actually look pretty good, with the original nuts concealed behind a cover. I just bought a brass 46mm spanner from MWS, for removing the wire wheels on my Morgan 3 wheeler. Your turn Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3528209'>More sharing options...
hektor Posted May 30, 2018 Share #10978 Posted May 30, 2018 What about some simple Ace wheel discs? A lot less money that conversion to wire wheels. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 30, 2018 Share #10979 Posted May 30, 2018 The period fashion in France on sports coupés, would have been to have wire wheels all round but to have them with disc covers like you see on the 57SC, we used to have. We took the front disc covers off soon after this photo, as the Bugatti brakes, never very good at the best of times, overheated horribly with the covers on and you were driving around with that ghastly smell of frying brake linings in the cabin. The back brakes don't seem do a lot anyway, as they have a primitive (1938 vintage) pressure limiting valve on the rear hydraulics, so it did not make any difference covers on or off. So yes spun alloy covers would be a cheap alternative to wires. Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3528280'>More sharing options...
stuny Posted May 30, 2018 Share #10980 Posted May 30, 2018 Quite lovely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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