SUPER-SPORTS MOTORCYCLES IN FAR-OFF LANDS

Vintage motorcycles might seem fragile to our modern eyes, and most owners would be horrified to ride them off-road or on a poorly-paved surface, so it's good to be reminded just how rough was the young life of our beloved mount. Macadam paved roads were a rare exception in the 1920s; cobblestones (which help horses find purchase while hauling loads) were common in town centers, but the rest of the world was paved with what the world had to offer - dirt.


Even if you were a rich young man in 1930, the scion of a good family of merchants or cattle ranchers, and had the wherewithal to buy the most exotic and up-to-date machine (plus some natty kit to peacock for the ladies), you were still limited to riding on the infrastructure available, and your 100mph hotrod had to avoid children, cows, horses, chickens, automobiles, and unexpected hazards.

This pair of fine young gentlemen hailed from Brazil, and chose as their mounts two superb machines, a pair of 'four-valves' in fact; a 500cc Rudge Ulster and a Moto Guzzi 500S - that's a Corsa Quattro Valvole, a four-valve overhead camshaft racing machine, extremely rare then as now, and just about the most technically interesting motorcycle available in the late 1920s. Hand-built in Mandello del Lario, in far-away Italy, the Guzzi a remarkable choice of motorcycle for the dirt roads of Brazil. There are few people on the planet who would ride a C4V down rutted dirt roads today, yet this was the home of one such remarkable beast.


The Story; (Top photo) We've stopped for gas with our heroes before a ride to the countryside, in a clean and new town center, as a well-dressed population kibbitzes - what a variety of hats on display! Also note the rider's kit - leather coat with 'pop' collar, flying cap, aviator's goggles. Tres chic. (Second photo) Charming barefoot children at an impromptu cantina stop. All children love motorcycles - they simply Understand. (Third photo) A trap for the unwary! The Mighty Rut! (Last photo) Banging the plot back into shape after a nasty landing, post-flight; the local Brazilian army regiment watches. In a world without television, or even radio out in the countryside, a pair of super-sports motorcycles racketing noisily through the village were THE entertainment for the day.
And would still be, in truth, even here in cosmopolitan San Francisco. The question is, of course, where is that C4V today?

All photos copyright 2010 The Vintagent.

DETROIT CYCLE CLUB, JULY 4TH 1942

While the rest of the world was at war, in 1940 the US began period of economic recovery from the Depression, as war production began to ramp up. All kinds of sporting events which had disappeared across the seas were yet in full bloom Stateside, even deep into 1942, as these photos attest.

The Detroit Cycle Club, like so many such clubs across the country, had a cadre of dedicated racers who traveled fairly long distances to the best tracks. In the case of the D.C.C., that meant long drives with the old racer hitched to the back of the '39 Chevrolet on a home-made 3-rail trailer, to venues like Cedar Rapids Iowa (shown in these photos), Rochester City Michigan, Cedarburg Wisconsin, or Devonshire, Canada. The machines they raced were generally older models which had been purchased used, then tuned and continuously developed for years, as money was always an issue for the majority of amateur racers.

The D.C.C. mostly raced Harley WR 750cc sidevalve machines (above, brand new!), although one member, Jack Kulan, raced a Rudge Ulster 500cc four-valver (third photo, below). The rules of the A.M.A. by the late 1920s outlawed exotic factory racers which had generated so much exciting technology in the 'Teens and 'Twenties. Gone were the '8-Valves', the 'Overhead Cams', and even the 'Overhead Valve Twins'...the dominant factories (Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior) twisted the arm of sanctioning bodies of US racing, as development costs for technologically advanced racing machinery was simply too high for them, so Production machines had to be raced. The capacity limit was 750cc for Sidevalves and 500cc for Overhead Valves; thus the Harley WR and Indian Scout (below - looking very lithe) raced against Rudge Ulsters, Triumph Tiger 100s, Norton Internationals, BMW R5s, etc.


The benefits of Racing Department research and development into new technologies was focused on the dead end of extracting horsepower from sidevalve combustion chambers...and over the next 40 years H-D and Indian, and eventually only Harley, created the most remarkable Flathead racing machines ever created, ultimately capable of over 150mph from a 750cc engine with valves stuck on the side of the cylinder.

And with the reprinting of the A.M.A. rule book, the American motorcycle industry gave up its position as a world leader in motorcycle technology - a remarkable capitulation. As no other nation by the late 1920s developed sidevalve machines for racing, OHV and OHC English and European motorcycles -at a 50% capacity disadvantage - shared the dirt tracks with their big, tough Yankee cousins. The mix made for amazing races, as the better horsepower and lighter weight of the Foreign machines were well balanced against the 'home team' durability and speed on the rough dirt tracks.

These photographs were taken at a race meeting near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 4th 1942. It was likely a hot and dry day, as the spectators are massed under a central awning - few venture into the sunny benches nearer the pits. Mostly Harleys, a few Indians, and a smattering of Inters, Ulsters, and Tigers dot the landscape, and the track. The primitive conditions for maintaining a racer certainly gave an advantage to a simple engine which could handle a little grit in the works!

Photographs copyright 2010 The Vintagent.

THE LADY AND THE VELOCETTE

It's quite rare to find a photograph of a woman rider from the 1920s, let alone one of such clarity and charm as this one. Our heroine kneels in supplication to her sulking mount, with tool roll out, and a look of sheer misery which every motorcyclist understands! Oh, the joys and pains of life on two wheels.

The bike looks to be a ca.1923 Velocette 'GS3', in sparkling new condition, with an optional Cowie speedometer driven by the front wheel. The GS3 was a 249cc two-stroke of impeccable quality, typical of Veloce Ltd, a luxury lightweight with a dash of TT thrown in the mix, for the engine was upgraded to the spec of the factory's 1922 Isle of Man entry, with a new duplex tube frame and longer-stroke engine with twin exhaust ports. With a 3-speed close-ratio gearbox, adjustable footpegs, semi-TT handlebars, and 'performance efficient silencer' (vide Dave Masters), it was a sporting mount, capable of 55mph. The Brampton 'Biflex' forks may not have helped handling with their three-dimensional range of movement, but they certainly provided more comfort than the hard racing Druid forks used on the TT bikes (below, Rex Judd on the 1921 TT Velo).

Titch Allen in his book 'The Velocette Saga' (Amulree,1994) has this to say about the Model G:
"The production Model Gs...were pretty accurate replicas of the TT mounts, apart from the detachable head, and soon established an enviable reputation. It would be no exaggeration to say that they were the 'Rolls Royce' of small two-strokes, and their excellence and discreet black and gold finish gained them a following of connoisseurs. An exclusive kind of customer unimpressed by glitter and flamboyance who was to remain loyal to the marque for 60 years."

PEUGEOT RACERS: THE BOL D'OR

By Bernard Salvat (avec Paul d'Orléans):

Post-WW2, the Peugeot factory focused, like so many other war-ravaged manufacturers, on motorcycles for the masses in a world hungry for basic transport - the days of extravagant engineering and stylish Art Deco Grand Tourisme were over. There was simply no market for luxury machines and exotic racers in France at the time, yet the old fire still burned in the hearts of many factory men for competition and racing success. The factory was primarily concerned with rebuilding its automotive capacity, while maintaining a range of lightweight motorcycles to fill the immediate needs of the population, which were, as always, well-designed, reliable, and chic. Of course, with such a grand history of brilliant motorcycle engineering, competition success, and drop-dead-gorgeous styling, Peugeot retained a legion of fans who Remembered.

One such was a stalwart private entrant in 'production' racing, Georges Lacour (below), who had finished 5th in the 1950 Bol d'Or on his mildly tuned Model 176 T4, 175cc roadster (see catalog photo, above). Three important men at the Peugeot factory took note of his success, shared his passion, and dreamed of seeing Peugeot wear, once again, the victory laurels: Antoine Peugeot, always passionate about speed, Mr. Rheinhardt, the business director, who knew that racing success would boost sales, and Louis Mialon, a factory engineer who had designed a special 4-speed engine for a Peugeot 175cc, and wanted to test his creation against its natural rivals.

The three agreed to go racing, with Mialon building a motor based on their Model 176 TC4. This engine was to have no serial numbers, for the Peugeot factory could not be suspected of being behind this special racer... it was against the rules of the Bol d'Or, and the individuals involved stood a good chance of an upbraiding, or sudden loss of job, should their project become known.
The engine was unique, with a cylinder created from a mass of copper, a downdraught inlet manifold, and specially cast crankcases with cooling fins on the front of the engine. It was placed in a TC4 chassis, also without a serial number.

Mr. Rheinhardt then placed an order for a new 'TC4' for himself through the Swiss Peugeot importer, Mr. Périat, and of course it was this Racer which was packed up and trucked to Switzerland. Périat was unknown in the world of the lightweight motorcycle racing in France, and thus a good 'cover' for this Works machine; he sponsored the racing team for the 1951 Bol d'Or. History books record that a '175cc Peugeot' was ridden by George Lacour to seventh place in his class... even though this machine was not officially created at the Peugeot factory, and did not exist in the factory records! The origins of this mystery machine did not become known until decades later, when George Lacour himself told the tale to Bernard Salvat, in 1998.

Journalists present in 1951 at Saint-Germain en Laye (site of the Bol d'Or that year) noted that Georges Lacour's Peugeot showed various modifications (see drawings above) from the catalog: engine side covers with an air scoop to cool the clutch, cylinder fins with 'soldered' (sic) copper fins, and that inclined intake tract. During the race, the bike was very fast, 130 kph, which allowed him to remain at the front, covering up to 88 km in an hour. At the 18th hour, Lacour was headed only by a DS-Malterre [Dibladis-Sigrand-Malterre; there is a connection here with my old supercharged Zenith!].

Alas, Périat, the Swiss importer/race boss, who knew nothing of the harsh realities of an endurance race, had prepared a healthy and nourishing dinner to sustain Lacour during his grueling 24 hours or racing - solo! Georges Monneret, ever the professional racer, had warned Périat that a strong coffee followed by a glass of champagne (!), without getting off the motorcycle, would be much better than a meal. But it was too late; at the 21st hour Lacour pulled in with nausea, and never left the pits. And yet, Lacour finished seventh in the 175cc Class, without having ridden for the last three hours! This performance did not go unnoticed, and reports by the press about Lacour were glowing, which ultimately paved the way for Peugeot's victory in the Bol d'Or the following year.

Inspired by the success of Lacour in the 1951, and by the excellent results obtained early in the '52 season by rider André Bouin (on Lacour's machine), the executives at Cycles Peugeot gave the green light to formal participation of five motorcycles at the 1952 Bol d'Or. All were to receive specially tuned Peugeot 175 engines, prepared by André Mialon. This time with some financial means, the head of the Research Department cast special cylinders whose bore was hard chromed (above, compared to the standard cylinder) machined new 'full disc' crankshafts to better fill the volume inside the crankcases (which increases the precompression on a two-stroke engine), and lightened the gearbox cogs. However Mialon regretted not being able to cast new crankcases for larger bearings on the new, stronger crank mainshafts. As these new engines delivered power at 7,000 rpm, he was concerned that the crankcases and gearbox weren't strengthened further. Originally designed for the 7.5 hp '175' series, the engine suddenly needed to cope with more than double the power; plus, they would be running their newfound 16 horsepower for 24 hours!

On June 14, 1952, at the Circuit de Linas-Montlhéry, five Peugeots were on the starting line (see pic above), with Antoine Peugeot in the director's chair. The #43 (orange) falls to Clermont Valeyre Jean, 18; the #44, (painted dark blue), Georges Lacour, 27 years; the #45, (yellow) is assigned to Michael Goll, 19 years and #46, (white and blue) is that of André Bouin 30 years and finally #47 (red) will be conducted by Andre Verchere (see photo below, and the header ), 21 years. It is interesting to note that the bikes aren't in 'team' colors, but reflect the color options available on the Road models - truly, a mobile showroom on the track!

While fast at 130 kph, the Peugeots were far from winning the race: they faced three Puch Works dual-ignition engines, a CMA prepared by the factory for DS-Malterre, Automoto Guiller, and the Ydral Semi-Works models; all formidable opponents. Indeed, in mid-race, the Kellenberger Puch was in the lead, with a lap ahead of the DS-Malterre (Camus), and two laps ahead of the Bouin's Peugeot. But the head gasket of the Puch gave trouble, the bike lost power, and Bouin headed Camus with a commanding lead for the final 6 hours. At the end of the race, Bouin led with a race average of 89.559km/h; Camus on the DS-Malterre was second. The Peugeot team finished with Kellenberger 4th, Goll 8th, Lacour 12th (he had trouble with his points), and Verchere finished 15th, after his tire burst. He fell so hard he had to replace the forks, which cost around two hours. Valeyre Jean dropped out of the race after his crankshaft gave problems. Three hours later he left the pits again, but before long his magneto failed, "machined" by a loose crankshaft nut.

Peugeot was back in the limelight after a long absence, and capitalized on their victory by producing a true 'Cafe Racer' in 1953. The 'GS 176', a detuned replica of the endurance racer, retained the special cylinder barrel created by André Mialon. For road use, the carburetor size was reduced to 22 mm (the racer had used 27mm), the wheels were of conventional dimensions (2.75 and 3.00 x 19, instead of the narrow 2.00 and 2.50 x 21 on the racers). The horsepower was boosted from the 'standard' model by 50%, giving 10 hp @ 6000rpm and a genuine 110 km/h, which was very fast for a 175cc roadster in 1953. Also sporting was the overall presentation; red enamel and abundant chrome with a megaphone exhaust, elegant dropped handlebars, chromed petrol tank sides, black two-seater saddle with red piping, alloy wheel rims, and full-width 170 mm brakes. All arguments in its favor!

The GS 176 was priced at a very realistic FF190,000: 16% more than 176 TC4, but also 12% less than the rival DS-175 Malterre AMC Motor Sport, a little slower perhaps but more comfortable. At this price, the sale of the 176 GS rose sharply to sell 3500 units, but dropped just as quickly, for Peugeot did not participate in the 1953 Bol d'Or.

Many thanks to:
Bernard Salvat (above, in the middle!) for his words which I have translated/adapted, and photos from his amazing book 'Motos Peugeot, 1898-1998'.
Yves J Hayat for being my eyes&ears&camera in Paris (and providing the pix of Salvat, Lacour and Verchére).
George Lacour (right) for the photo of the 1952 Peugeot Team, and for the great story!

HOW BIG IS YOUR 'PLANET'?

A friend on the Veteran Motorcycles Forum suggested a look at this fascinating home-built 'Planet' motorcycle; fully a 1500cc OHV from 1916! It is claimed the machine would do 85mph, which sound tremendous, given the poor state of the roads at that early date. Here is what the Melbourne Museum says about it's most interesting exhibit:


"This hand-made motor cycle was built by John Oliver who ran a motor car and motor cycle repair business in Melbourne. Oliver was born at Talbot in central Victoria in 1872 and served an apprenticeship to a wheelwright before becoming involved in the cycle business initially in New Zealand and then in Melbourne. In the early 1900s he established the Planet Cycle Works in High Street Kew. where he built bicycles using frames he brazed together himself. By 1909 the business had transformed into a motor car repair shop situated on the corner of High and Peel Streets, Kew. Oliver had previously built a number of motor cycles under the 'Planet' and 'Planet Aero' brand-names. John Oliver often referred to this one-off machine as 'The Big Bike'. It was built between 1913 and 1916.

Oliver's plans for this motor cycle were drawn up on brown paper after "arriving home one evening a little the worse for an afternoon at the local hostelery" according to his son Monty. John Oliver made the wooden pattern for the engine mouldings and castings were obtained from Chas Ruwolt's foundry in Victoria Street, Richmond and then machined on Oliver's own workshop lathe, including turning the cooling fins. The motor cycle has a large 1497 c.c. capacity V-twin cylinder engine and a single-speed transmission with a lever operated clutch. Originally it was capable of a top speed of 85 m.p.h (140 km/h). The original carburettor was a Zenith later replaced by a Schebler. The original wheels were replaced around 1938 with a pair of conventional second-hand motorcycle wheels. John Oliver died in 1949 and the Planet was left dismantled in storage. John Oliver's sons, Allen and John (Monty) Oliver decided to reassemble the machine around 1980. One replacement magneto was purchased and a non-original S.U carburettor was fitted at this time. After Allen's death, Monty Oliver donated the Planet to the Museum in 1987.

PEUGEOT RACERS (PART 1)

Photos by Yves J. Hayat, Bernard Salvat and the Southsiders:



The 'story within a story' at the Grande Peugeot Display at Rétromobile was the assembly of rare, historic racing machines, and a few of their equally rare riders! Bernard Salvat (where is your Wikipedia entry, monsieur?) did not bring together a typical 'old bike' hodgepodge show of Club machines from the local collectors; he curated a museum-worthy Exhibition which told the story of Peugeot from the dawn of the 20th Century to the present day, and yes, for our Yank readers, Peugeot has been in continuous production since 1898, which I believe makes it the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in the World? No?



Unfortunately for us English speakers, there is very little published information extant about the marque in our tongue; Salvat's magnum opus 'Motos Peugeot' ('1898-1998, 100 ans d'histoire', written with Didier Ganneau, EBS, 1998), remains untranslated, and the prospects are grim as Peugeot hasn't sold a car or motorbike in the US for decades. So, I muddle through with my horrible French (sad, given my surname; my Gallic pals chide me no end), but like the readers of this website, I enjoy the photos thoroughly!


These top images depict a 1914 racer with the oversize 'Peugeot' logo in white, as mentioned in my previous post; this is a rare survivor of a one-year production race machine. Whether a test example or prototype or blind alley, the little 500cc Sidevalve v-twin represented the current thinking of the world's racing fraternity; the reliability and efficiency of a Sidevalve motor was a way to win races, and 'F-head' or troublesome 'OHV' machines had technical problems in 1914 which the SV did not.

This machine was saved from oblivion by a canny collector, who recognized the very large engine pulley, special cylinders, and twin-barrel Claudel carburetor as a clues to a very rare racer. It shares the cycle gear with the famous 'Paris-Nice' model, which include the clever leading-link front forks. While this 500cc twin may have represented 'state of the art' racing technology of 1914, as compared with the rest of the world, Peugeot had far greater ambitions, and dropped this racer after only a few events, in favor of their truly astounding Double Overhead Cam, 8-Valve parallel twins! (below)


The facts on the ground in 1914. In the race for the most technically advanced motorcycle on the planet, Indian led the pack, first away with their '8-Valve' racing twin in 1912, which by 1914 had become a well-established world beater. In 1914, the Cyclone appeared with their astounding Overhead Camshaft v-twin engine, truly the stuff of legends, as was the Indian. But of course, it was Peugeot in 1914 who trumped them both, by creating the first twin-cylinder Double Overhead Camshaft engine, the '500 M' parallel twin of 500cc, a technical tour de force which placed Peugeot as creators of the Most Advanced Motorcycle in the World for many years, until the Italians doubled the formula in 1928 with their O.P.R.A. 4-cylinder DOHC design (which became the infamous Gilera 4 cyl. racers). And even this amazing machine of '28 had only two valves per cylinder!

Some history, as this machine didn't appear out of thin air. Ernest Henry studied engineering at the Technion in Geneva, and by 1906 was developing marine engines. Moving to Paris in 1901, he worked on both marine and aviation engines until 1911, when he joined Peugeot, to create their four-cylinder car engines 'L3' (3 liters) and 'L76' (7.6 liters), used in their successful racing cars from 1912, which totally dominated GP racing that year (winning the GP de France, Mont Ventoux, GP de l'ACF - Automobile Club de France, etc). The engines Henry designed weren't the first '4-Valves per Cylinder' design, nor were they the first 'Double Overhead Camshaft' engine, but they were the first engine in the world to have all the above. To cap it all, the 'L76' had Desmodromic valve operation! Decades ahead of the competition.

In 1913, Henry changed his camshaft drive from 'Shaft and Bevel' to 'Train of Gears', and these cars continued their winning streak at the Indianapolis 500, the GPs of France, and at Brooklands. Our M 500 racing machine is a miniature version of this type of engine, halved to produce a parallel twin, using a train of gears between the cylinders, with a mechanical oil pump driven by the camshaft. Transmission was 'chain cum belt'; chain primary drive with clutch, but a single-speed gearbox with belt drive to the rear wheel.

The M 500 was first raced at the Circuit de Rambouillet on April 5th 1914, on muddy roads, which factory rider Desvaux won, the only 500cc rider to finish the race! On June 14th, Paul Pean, a factory mechanic who raced their cars since 1907, entered the machine for a 'Records Day' organized by the A.C.F., in the forest of Fontainebleau, which had a long straightaway along the county line. Pean broke two World Records in the 500cc class that day, 122.449km/h (73.47mph) for the Kilo, and 121.205km/h for the Mile. Then, the War...and Ernest Henry left Peugeot in 1915.

Post War, the dohc 500 survived and was raced again by Desvaux, with some success. In 1920, a 3-speed gearbox was added by engineer Marcel Grémillon, but the setup proved troublesome, as did maintenance on the engine, due to the gear train between the cylinders - the engine had to be totally stripped down to do even minor running repairs. So in 1920, Grémillon drew up a revised engine, with new crankcases and the gear train up the side of the engine, keeping the DOHC and 8-Valves. This meant the end of the 'Henry' 500 M, and the original machine disappeared, and has never been seen again.

The machine in these photographs is a faithful reproduction of Henry's machine, which has been eleven years in the making, using the original blueprints.

Keep in mind also, that the very first Isle of Man TT winning Norton used a Peugeot engine! See my previous post on the subject.


Many thanks to Bernard Salvat for his research into these amazing motorcycles!

2010 RETROMOBILE, PARIS

Photos by Yves J. Hayat, info from Bernard Salvat:

While Retromobile is the largest vintage automobile show in France, they have provided increasingly high profile space to a vintage motorcycle display, curated by esteemed French motorcycle historian Bernard Salvat, author of 'Les Motos Français; Cent ans d'histoire' (1999, E/P/A), 'Motos Peugeot' (1998, EBS), 'Side-Cars; Cent ans d'histoire' (1996, E/P/A), etc. For 2010, Salvat has assembled a full barrage of Peugeot motorcycle history, from 1902 - 2010, 'Toutes les Motos Peugeot' from the earliest road and race machines of the 'Noughts, 'Teens and 'Twenties, to their postwar lightweight race and roadsters. Many unique and historic machines rubbed shoulders for the first time ever in one location - quite an historic achievement, and yes, I wish I was there!

One of the most remarkable machines on display is this replica of the Peugeot Double Overhead Camshaft 494cc parallel twin racer from 1921. A tantalizing photo of this machine sits nestled in The Best Book in the World, 'The Vintage Years at Brooklands' (Dr. Joe Bayley, Goose, '68). An astounding technical tour de force from an incredibly early date, when a machine like the Duzmo, with overhead valves and an oil pump, was Advanced! What must have the Brooklands clubmen have thought when presented with a machine fully fifteen years ahead of its time, like an echo of the future? More on this machine in a later post!

Earliest of the two-wheelers on display was this 1902 'Motobicyclette', introduced at the Salon de Paris in 1901. This was Peugeot's first powered bicycle, after building Tricars and Quadricycles (see the rear of this photo) since 1898. While this machine is a true 'motorcycle', Werner's trademark on the term, filed in April 1898, had been approved just two months prior to this machine's début. While Peugeot had built all the mechanicals of their previous multi-wheelers, for their first motorcycle they chose a Swiss 'ZL' motor, made by Zürcher and Lüthi in Neuchatel. The capacity was 198cc, and used an automatic inlet valve and 'wick' carburetor. The chassis layout with the engine low and central in the frame is per the Werner patent, although soon every motorcycle maker used this solution to 'where to put the engine'. Very few survive.




Another early machine, this time a Racer, and an extremely rare machine, raced for only one year before WW1 stopped everything for four years. This machine appears in the Peugeot catalog of 1915, distinguished by the oversize white lettering adorning the petrol tank, and has a unique configuration; 500cc sidevalve, with twin Claudel carburetors. This machine may have taken part in only one race, at the Circuit de l'Eure in May 1914. The model was quickly abandoned for racing, as the 'Eight Valve', Double-Overhead Camshaft machines took its place!

This 1914 'Paris-Nice' 350cc V-Twin was the backbone of Peugeot's road trial and production before WW1. The quality of engineering and construction is impeccable - and while this motorcycle looks restored, it is in fact in original condition! How do I know? I was offered this very machine 8 years ago... and turned it down! Do I regret it? No need to answer. Almost 5000 examples of the 'Paris-Nice' were sold. Some technical details; 45 degree v-twin, sidevalve, Bosch magneto, Claudel carb, belt drive with options of a clutch and 3-speed Armstrong epicyclic rear hub, weight 45kg, with a 65km/h top speed.

Skipping ahead in time, we find this 1934 'Model 515' racer, which has a remarkable history. On Friday October 5th, at 8:36am, four riders (Marcel and Robert Pahin, Camille Naarcy, Pedro Verchére) attacked the 500cc 24-Hour World Record, established the year prior by rival Jonghe on a 350cc machine. The machine is a stripped road bike, which had first and third gears removed, and stronger forks fitted to cope with the dreaded bumps of the concrete surface of the Montlhéry speed bowl. The large tank held almost 20 liters, but began to leak after 6 hours of pounding - it was replaced by the tank of Pedro Verchére's personal road bike, also a Model 515! Unfortunately, this meant twice as many fuel stops.

At night, the track was illuminated by hurricane lamps on the banking, and the temperature dropped to 7deg C, followed by a driving rain. The rear wheel had to be replaced after so many hours of hammering, but this was the only mechanical fault of the machine. The attempt went so well, that after establishing their 24-Hour Record at an average of 118.74 km/h (71.4mph), it was decided to carry on for the 3000km record as well! This was achieved at the same speed as the 24Hr record. To put this achievement in perspective, it is the same average speed as the Bol d'Or 24-Hr. race... on a Kawasaki in 1974!


Sharing the 515 engine used for the 24-Hour machine was this lovely 1935 Art Deco-inspired roadster, the flagship model of their line and widely used Clubman's competition machine. Road-racing, Enduros, Trials, were all meat and drink to this machine, the French Gold Star of its day. And oh so elegant; by the 1930s, French motorcycle designers had mastered fluid and graceful lines, and their best machines are simply stunning.

Next: More Racers!