ME TOO!

Peter:

Did you see the interior picture I posted? It doesn't give me the impression of a tube frame, or even an all aluminum car (although the body might have been all aluminum), especially with the stock rubber floor mats. I think it is a standard 1953 Packard Clipper with an aluminum body by Motto.

The dash looks like standard 1953 Packard Clipper, but with a tach and other instruments added, and the bench seat replaced with bucket seats. The steering column appears to be chromed?!! The door sills also look pretty thick and heavy.

Really hard to say exactly what was done, as the car ran in the big engined sports car class and not in the sedan class, so it COULD have been a tube chassis car. From photos of the standard 1953 Packard Clipper, it doesn't really seem all that much smaller; maybe 7/8 scale.

I would love some more detail shots, especially ones in color, so I could make an accurate miniature of the car...anyone know what color the car was in 1953 and 1954? The paint schemes are different from year to year; a solid dark color in 1953 (dark blue?) and a light color (Cream?) with a dark color roof (dark blue?) in 1954. Anyone know where the car is now???


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1135/tr...packard3za2.jpg


I would like to see a picture of the Tatra too....

Sebastian Dominguez told me that it was in a private collection in Mexico City.
Anton

Hi Guys,
there are a few things I could add.
Doufglas Ehlinger-Arrioja /remember we use both our parent's names) was Mexican, from Puebla actually, and Solano is actually Solana, Jose Antonio aka Viejo, the father of Moises who was a F1 driver in the sixties and made his debut in the Panamericana at 18 in 1954.
The restaurant was La Cucaracha and it was originally by Jean, but he sold it to Don pedro N. Rodríguez, the father of Pedro and Ricardo, who was a good customer and wanted to introduce his kids into racing, since they were already motorcycle champs in Mexico (or about to become). Don pedro sponsored Jean and also Viejo Solana in several years and Jean was a formative influence to the brothers.
Jean kept racing into the late 50s, maybe even the 60s, and was a member in two clubs, the RODA /some latin wordw which meant "it rolls") and ACM (Auto Club México) and rallied also in several events.
He got into a society with Enrique Martín-Moreno (the Panamericana organizer) to open Autos Francia which handled Renault (EMM was the head of the distributors association) and he did Peugeots too, but briefly since a national content law forced all brands which didn't have 60% of materials built in Mexico to leave the country in 1964. He kept in the racing circles until he died and was a presence in the Mexican GPs, I think he even helped in the scrutineering area but it might have been informally since that was headed by Fred Van Beuren III (US driver who came to Mexico after the war, had great SCCA contacts and his son and grandson became drivers here).
The death date is OK.
The 1957 race was on april 7th (sad day for me much later) and he ran the first race of the program in Avándaro, Class G (850 to 1100 cc) and the result was:
Place # Pilot Country Car Laps Time
1 Maurice Michy Francia Renault-Dauphine 10 26'42.3"
2 Jean Trevoux Francia Renault-Dauphine
3 Manuel Solórzano México FIAT Topolino
I have seen other results, but I didn't write them down since I was doing research for the Rodríguez biography, which has been so successful it will come out in English in March and the Spanish edition is already sold out. There are other things in the bio about his relationship with Don Pedro, not remember which ones, but hope this helps.
Carlos Jalife

So, Jean Trevoux is actually a link between Moises Solana, the Rodríguez brothers and Freddy van Beuren? Phantastic, add to that his time in the USofA and contacts there, and we have a real motorsport who's who!

Carlos:

The only source I had did not show Douglas Ehlinger-(Arrioja's) last name, and said he was American.

Do you have any way to get ahold of Sebastian Dominguez and see if he has any more period photos of the Trevoux Motto bodied Packard? Ciolor photos would be especially helpful, as would a photo of the rear and the engine hood of the car, showing the writing on them. I would like to make a small series of hand made models in 1/43rd scale of the car, but do not have enough detail as yet.

Of course I will want a copy of the Rodríguez bio in English, as my Spanish isn't very good. Please let us know when it is available...

Thanks,
Stu

Stu-
Sebastian is a panel beater here in LA(he did the B.A.T.7) and he doesn't have any photos of the Packard.
Anton

Tony:

I knew that I knew the name, but didn't remember from where (damn, I'm getting old)

Now that you mention it, I remember giving Tillack a bunch of photos of the BAT 7 so he could recreate the fins some 25 or so years ago!

Thanks, and Happy Holidays..

Stru

*BUMP*

Does anybody know if Trévoux actually turned any practice laps at Indy in 1941? Phil Harms' data mentions Le Bègue as a non-qualifier in Talbot #21, but Trévoux is nowhere to be seen. Might this mean he failed the rookie test?

And I presume there's an interesting story about how they got there from occupied France .....

Vitesse 2: in reference to Trevoux coming to America

In the Dreyfus/KImes book "My Two Lives", Dreyfus says that after the 1940 Indianapolis 500 "Rene Le Begue and his wife lingered, then returned to Europe. He had the crazy idea of coming back to America the next year to enter the Indy 500 again.*

*(footnote below on page 107) Actually he almost pulled it off - by half. He did manage, with Jean Trevoux, to smuggle two Talbots from occupied France through unoccupied France and into Spain where he had them put on a cargo ship bound for New York. But at Indy the cars failed to qualify for the field."

In 1941 Lebegue is listed as second alternate in a Talbot, but I find no reference to Trevoux.

Woody

Hello Vitesse2,

I find this in the TALBOT french book from Pierre ABEILLON

David - that much I knew ;) (I have the book!) Although your reply raises another question: if Le Bègue was second alternate, presumably he would have been eligible to start if - as actually happened! - there were two non-starters. Harms shows the other possibles as Durant, Robson and Lipscomb - Durant, like Le Bègue, is down as "DNQ, too slow", the other two just as "DNQ".

Haine: merci! If I read that correctly, I think Abeillon is indeed saying that Trévoux failed the rookie test. Would you agree? And is there any more detail of how the cars and drivers got to America?

This is from the same book the story about the adventure of LE BEGUE and TREVOUX.



and the following page

Superbe! Merci mille fois, Haine!!

It seems so funny to see the photo of the Talbot on Firestones, and to see the Indy roadsters at Monterey in 2007...on Engleberts and Dunlops!

Vince H.

If he'd failed, that would mean he actually practised, wouldn't it?

I'm sure he did, however. Without much digging, I find my notes say both cars arrived May 13 in New York, and both drivers were out practising on the IMS by Sunday, May 25. Another note says Trévoux didn't complete the drivers test.

Le Bègue qualified Wednesday, May 28, two days before the race. His time was 5'11.41", about two seconds too slow. EDIT I have a question mark against that time, and an alternative time of 5'10.34" - still almost a second too slow.

Picky, picky, picky .....

Seriously - thank you Michael. Very helpful.