29 replies to this topic

[humphries]

In the middle inter-war period the Frenchman Chevallier campaigned his Ruby-engined special quite successfully, winning the Bol d'Or. Does anybody know more about the man or the machine that looked as if it might also be used for tunnelling?

[Graham Gauld]

I saw the Chevallier in a farm yard near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport about 25 years ago. The farmer was mad about cars and military vehicles - he even had a German one-man submarine in three parts in his garden. He proudly showed me his cars and said he was going to get round to restoring them but even then he was in his sixties and had about 50 wrecks in all the barns. However the Chevallier was in pretty reasonable condition but was not a runner. As you say it looked like it could bore the Channel Tunnel. Where it is now I do not know.

[alessandro silva]

A photo of the Chevallier for those interested



Around 1970 the Chevallier - in a modified 2-seat body - was in the hands of Messers Leroux Father and Son. I have no later trace.

John, if you need more information bout this car, e-mail me.

[humphries]

Alec

Lovely photo. The steering wheel is at a height more appropriate for a helmsman! Do you know Chevallier's first name?

John

[starlet]

At the 2003 Avignon (south of France) classic car show, there was the unique Chevallier winner of the 1934 Bol d'Or.

[Marc Ceulemans]

No mention of his first name in my various sources...

Starting numbers of the Chevallier in the Bol d'Or
1931: 101
1932: 54
1933: 43
1934: 45
1935: 11

No trace of Chevallier in hillclimb events...

Apart from the Bol d'Or, Chevallier was also seen

1)- at Dieppe, GP de Dieppe 1931 (26 July), 12th and last...,
2)- at Montlhéry, GP de France du MCF 1933 (17 September). He finished 7th in the 1100 cc s/c or 1500 cc us/c race.

He was entered in the 1931 Monza GP (6 September) and Les 6 Heures des Routes Pavées 1931 (13 September). DNA in Italy, ? in France...

A man and a car of almost just one event ????

[humphries]

Marc

Thanks for the info. Food for thought, so few events over the years. As for first name I have seen the initial P. but no other evidence.

John

[GIGLEUX]

Marc, GP des voiturettes, Monza 1931, Chevallier and his car were there with n°30.

[Marc Ceulemans]

About Monza, I must admit my source is A Record of GP and Voiturette Racing Vol 2 which indicates DNA... (and #24 for Chevallier). So do you know if he finished the race ?

[humphries]

Jean-Maurice

An excellent and revealing photo. Now step forward all those cyclecar experts. It seems that numbers 2-20 may be correct in the Black Book Vol 2 but thereafter they are obviously wrong. Can anyone identify the others.

John

[humphries]

Sorry Nos 2-18 could be correct! No 20 looks like an Amilcar to me but...

[GIGLEUX]

From my notes:
-2 Scaron Amilcar
-4 Dourel Amilcar
-6 Arco-Zinneberg Amilcar
-8 Gerardi Amilcar
-10 Decaroli Salmson
-12
-14 Marret Salmson
-16 Premoli Salmson
-18 Klinger Maserati
-20 Macher DKW
-24
-26 Paschetta Amilcar
-28-G.Cabantous Caban
-30 Chevallier Chevallier
-32 Platé Lombard
-34
-36 ? Amilcar
-38 ? seems to be a Maserati
-40 ?

I have somewhere a sheet from Auto-Italiana, I have to find it, but not yet classified in the right place!

[humphries]

For those without Vol 2, other starters included Francesco Matrullo in a Talbot, reputedly one of the ex-type 700 1500cc GP cars, probably an ex-Materassi scuderia car now owned by Geralamo Ferrari, and Albino Pratesi had a Salmson.

The non-starters were supposedly Filippo Ardizzone in a Delage (15S8 or 2LCV or a special???) and Emilio Romano in a Bugatti T36,.... mmm.

Out of picture on the front row is almost certainly #12 the Salmson of Marcel Boucly that finished 9th.

Pretesi's Salmson could be the white car on the back row which would mean the other car on the back row is the Talbot?

Alternative opinions please.

John

[Vitesse2]

I think you're right on the Talbot, John. Admittedly it bears a resemblance to an early 4CM-1100, but I think only the 4CTR was racing then.

Ardizzone's Delage: I thought the story was that it was a 2LCV with six of the cylinders disabled?

[GIGLEUX]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Ardizzone's Delage: I thought the story was that it was a 2LCV with six of the cylinders disabled?

You are right Richard. In 1931 there was no 1500-15-S-8 Delage in Italy. One was in US, two in GB and the fourth in France. It is strongly thought it was the car with which Masetti met his death during the 1926 Targa Florio or at least its engine which is still on show at the Biscaretti museum in Torino.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Marc Ceulemans

2)- at Montlhéry, GP de France du MCF 1933 (17 September). He finished 7th in the 1100 cc s/c or 1500 cc us/c race.

1933? Never come across this one - I was under the impression that the 1934 meeting was the first time the MCF featured cars, other than maybe three-wheelers?

[Marc Ceulemans]

I have the results of 3 races in this Montlhéry meeting.

1)- Race for Racing cars + 1500 cc: the winner was Raymond Sommer (Alfa Romeo 8C Monza)

2)- This race: Cars and Cyclecars 1100 cc s/c or Cars 1500 cc us/c, 73.322 km
1- Armand Girod, Salmson, 38' 25" 4/5, 114.442 km/h
2- A. Chambost, Salmson 38' 40"
3- F. Lebled (or Lebiet), Salmson, + 1 lap
4- Pierre Duval, BNC 1100 cc, + 2 laps
5- F. Venot, La Pintade, + 2 laps
6- Bernard Chaudé, Argo, + 2 laps
7- Chevallier, Chevallier, + 3 laps
8- James, Derby, + 3 laps

DNF (Lead the race in the 16 first laps)- Mestivier, Amilcar 1100 cc
DNF- Moysan, Morano-Marguerite 1100 cc
DNF- Foultier, A.V. 1100 cc

Also entered (don't know if they were NA, NS or NF)
Pierre Félix, Lombard 1100 cc s/c
Malivoir, BNC 1100 cc
Desvaux, Salmson 1500 cc
Birth, X 1500 cc us/c

3)- Race for cars and Cyclecars 750 s/c or 1100 cc us/c, 20 laps, won by Dhome (Darmont-Morgan).

The meeting was organised by Org: MCF, ACIF and Le Journal.

My infos are taken from Le Journal.

[RAP]

Thanks you Marc. Are you able to give fuller results for the other two races?
Richard

[robert dick]

Noteworthy :
Chevallier's spéciale had front wheel drive and independent suspension all around.

[GIGLEUX]

Details of the CHEVALLIER, as it was at the 1934 Bol d'Or where it finished first ex-aequo.

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
I think you're right on the Talbot, John. Admittedly it bears a resemblance to an early 4CM-1100, but I think only the 4CTR was racing then.

Surely the Maserati concerned is an 8C 1100? One of them later became the Appleton Special.
I'm sure the car depicted is a Maserati and not a Talbot.

[humphries]

The Ferrari (not Enzo) Talbot apparently had a Bugatti chassis; so states Paul Sheldon, which may be the reason the usually low-slung 700 is a little higher in aspect. Paul also ponders on the engine which could have been a 1500cc job with two of the eight cylinders decommissioned.

Along with the Chevallier another interesting car.

[GIGLEUX]

Originally posted by humphries
The Ferrari (not Enzo) Talbot apparently had a Bugatti chassis; so states Paul Sheldon, which may be the reason the usually low-slung 700 is a little higher in aspect. Paul also ponders on the engine which could have been a 1500cc job with two of the eight cylinders decommissioned.

Along with the Chevallier another interesting car.

I never agreed with Paul about this. A 1500cc-4 cyl. Talbot went in Italy with the 8 cyls for the scuderia of Materassi. It received a body similar to the 8-cyl ones.

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by GIGLEUX


I never agreed with Paul about this. A 1500cc-4 cyl. Talbot went in Italy with the 8 cyls for the scuderia of Materassi. It received a body similar to the 8-cyl ones.

Probably two, in fact, driven by Brivio and Comotti at Monza 1928.
Ardizzone's was one of these cars.

[paulhooft]

what a nice, interesting car this CHEVALLIER,
why don't we have these kind of cars anymore,
now that we have those high tech days???
Paul Hooft

[humphries]

Jean-Maurice can probably explain this, but how did Chevallier and the chocolate millionaire, Philippe Maillard-Brune in his MG Midget end up with being joint winners of the 1934 Bol d'Or with exactly the same distance covered and, of course, the same speed!?

Did they cross the line side by side after 24 hours or was there some jiggery-pokery of the results?

[Marc Ceulemans]

Race for Racing cars + 1500 cc, 24 laps = 79.922 km

1- Raymond Sommer, Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza, 37' 41" 2/5, 127.342 km/h
2- M. Jacob, Bugatti 2 L s/c, + 1 lap
3- Sim Devil, Bugatti 2 L s/c, + 1 lap
4- Cattaneo, Bugatti 2300 cc, + 1 lap
5- G. Leoz, Bugatti 2 L s/c, + 2 laps
6- L. Aturin, X 1500 cc s/c, + 3 laps
7- M. Roumani, Bugatti 2 L s/c, + 4 laps

Also entered
Pierre Félix, Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
Cochin, Bugatti 2 L s/c
Torry, X 1500 cc s/c
de Croy, X 2300 cc us/c
Bernard Falchetto, Bugatti 2300 cc


Race for cars and Cyclecars 750 s/c or 1100 cc us/c, 20 laps
1- Dhome, Darmont-Morgan 1100 cc, 40' 18", 99.254 km/h
2- André Jahan, Salmson 1100 cc, 40' 36"
3- Chambost, Salmson 1100 cc, 41' 37"
4- Bodoignet, Amilcar 1100 cc, 41' 38"
5- Gauthier, Rosengart 750 cc, + 1 lap
6- Manuel, BNC 1100 cc, + 1 lap
7- Poire, Amilcar 1100 cc, + 1 lap

Also entered
G. Lascaut, Elfe 1100 cc us/c
Lagrolière, Salmson
Girod, Salmson
Albert, Trebla tricyclecars
Quinault, X

[Marc Ceulemans]

No, they didn't cross the line side by side...

It was a compromise ! I can't explain it now because I don't know where are my notes about this race.

I don't remember who felt cheated.

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by humphries
Jean-Maurice can probably explain this, but how did Chevallier and the chocolate millionaire, Philippe Maillard-Brune in his MG Midget end up with being joint winners of the 1934 Bol d'Or with exactly the same distance covered and, of course, the same speed!?

Did they cross the line side by side after 24 hours or was there some jiggery-pokery of the results?

Maillard-Brune and Chevallier had covered the same number of laps. [I have a report stating that in fact Chevailler had covered this number of laps a few minutes before the 24th hour, but did not come around while Maillard-Brune did that number of laps right on the 24th hour]. In any case regulations could be interpreted that in such a case the cars that had accomplished the same number of laps were to be classified in a tie.

There was unfortunately a contraddictory appendix to this rule: that cars in a tie were to be classified in ascending order of engine capacity. Hence some records give a tie for first whereas others give Maillard-Brune as the winner.

[RAP]

Marc
Thank you very much, again
Richard