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SEFAC-Dommartin/CTA-Arsenal


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#1 Graham Clayton

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Posted 05 November 2002 - 01:59

Fellow NFers,
Does anyone know if either the SEFAC/Dommartin and/or the two CTA-Arsenals are
still in one piece?

They were two of the all-time "dud" Grand Prix cars. They were both from France,
with the SEFAC being in the 1930's (and reappearing as the Dommartin post WW2),
while the CTA-Arsenal was a purely post WW2 effort.

If they exist, they should be brought out onto the track. Motor racing is as much
about the tragic failures as well as the brilliant successes :lol:

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#2 dretceterini

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Posted 05 November 2002 - 03:30

According to the 8W site, the Dommartin is in the Musee de Chatellerault and is undegoing restoration. The CTA was last seen when Tony Lago owned it, as far as I'm aware. I don't know if it still exists or not

#3 Jimmy Piget

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Posted 05 November 2002 - 05:33

The Dommartin.
According to an article by Pierre Abeillon in the French magazine "Rétroviseur" (June 1996), it was displayed in the Chatellerault museum until 1980, when its owner (the Dommartin family) sold it. In 1995 it was owned in Great Britain. Who knows subsequent history ?

CTA Arsenal (chassis 2)
From another Pierre Abeillon article ("Rétroviseur", 1998), it was bought in the Summer of 1998 by Herr Eckart Berg who intended to restore it.
No news on chassis 1 & 3.

#4 Leif Snellman

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Posted 05 November 2002 - 08:09

Posted Image

The SEFAC is undergoing rebuilding by Richard Line, UK. (Or it was as year ago. I guess it should be reassembled by now)
Included is a picture I received from him called "old and new"

#5 Adam F

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Posted 05 November 2002 - 20:25

I am fairly certain that I remember seeing the Dommartin for sale at one of the Beaulieu International Autojumbles in the late 1990s. The body was, as far as I recall, in bare metal.

This would mean it is most probably still in the U.K.

ADAM

#6 Graham Clayton

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Posted 18 January 2012 - 09:19

Found this clip which claims to be a recent bench test of the CTA-Arsenal engine:



Can any members confirm that this is a CTA-Arsenal engine?

#7 Alan Cox

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Posted 18 January 2012 - 12:18

Found this clip which claims to be a recent bench test of the CTA-Arsenal engine:
Can any members confirm that this is a CTA-Arsenal engine?

Indeed it is. The CTA-Arsenal did, of course, appear at the 2010 Monaco Historics. http://www.ultimatec...TA-Arsenal.html

#8 john medley

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Posted 18 January 2012 - 21:18

Graham
You will be interested to know that SEFAC owner Richard Line moved to Australia several years ago ( by which time he had sold his SEFAC), raced an MGA in HSRCA events, and then , as far as I know, returned to the UK

#9 arttidesco

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 00:24

Found this clip which claims to be a recent bench test of the CTA-Arsenal engine:



Can any members confirm that this is a CTA-Arsenal engine?


Strange serendipity just been reading about this vehicle in Doug Nye's Motor Racing Mavericks, thanks for posting a link to the clip sounds good even on the bench :-)

#10 Ralf Pickel

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 09:59

Some detail shots from Monaco paddock 2010 :

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Posted Image

Posted Image

Posted Image

Posted Image

#11 D-Type

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 10:12

Some detail shots from Monaco paddock 2010 :

Posted Image

Posted Image

Posted Image

Posted Image

Posted Image

I'm confused. The first two pictures appear to show a car with a blue body while the rest show bare metal. Were two of them there? Or was the one car partly painted?

#12 Alan Cox

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 10:27

Only the one car, Duncan. The underpinnings were blue-painted while all the body components were bare metal.

#13 Tim Murray

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 10:27

I'm sure it's the same car - they'd only painted odd bits of it blue. More photos here:

http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

Edit: Snap!

Edited by Tim Murray, 19 January 2012 - 10:28.


#14 Ralf Pickel

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 10:27

As can be seen here :

Posted Image

#15 arttidesco

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 10:46

Some detail shots from Monaco paddock 2010 :


Great photo's Ralf thank you :up:

#16 Ralf Pickel

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 11:55

My pleasure ! :wave:

#17 D-Type

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 12:01

I'm confused. The first two pictures appear to show a car with a blue body while the rest show bare metal. Were two of them there? Or was the one car partly painted?

Thanks for the responses - I'm now no longer confused.

#18 Graham Clayton

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Posted 19 January 2012 - 22:45

The link in post #7 shows a slightly different seat for the car. The restored car has a smaller seat, which shows the drilled holes that were covered by the larger original seat.
Was this done due to modern Historic safety regulations?