Tracfort

Tracfort was a French automobile manufacturing venture established during the winter of 1933–1934 by Louis Carle in Courbevoie, then an industrial district near Paris. The project aimed to produce small front-wheel-drive cars at a time when this configuration was still technically unusual in the European mass market. Engineering work was undertaken by André Bournhonet, who had previously worked for Derby, another small automobile manufacturer based in Courbevoie. Assembly was carried out at a workshop on Rue de Normandie in nearby Gennevilliers. The Tracfort design used a Ford Model Y power unit: a 933 cc side-valve four-cylinder engine rated at approximately 8 horsepower. To make the front-wheel-drive layout possible, the engine was rotated through 180 degrees, placing the gearbox at the front of the car. The design retained Ford-derived transverse leaf springs but added independent front suspension, reflecting the venture’s effort to adapt familiar low-cost mechanical components to a more innovative drivetrain arrangement. The use of Ford components was also visually apparent in the grille, which was taken from the Model Y. Two two-door body styles were offered or planned. The four-seat fastback coach was called the Mouette, while the open two-seat roadster was known as the Irlande. These bodies positioned Tracfort between a conventional small family car and a sporting cycle-inspired or light roadster concept. The cars were intended to be compact and relatively economical, while their front-wheel-drive arrangement gave the project a technically distinctive character. The concept appeared shortly before Citroën introduced its highly influential Traction Avant in 1934, although Tracfort was a separate venture and did not become a comparable commercial success. The manufacturer exhibited at the 27th Paris Motor Show in October 1933. Its commercial prospects were undermined soon afterward by the bankruptcy of SABAB, or Société anonyme des Brevets André Bournhonet. SABAB held patents and provided technical support regarded as necessary for continued production. With that support structure collapsing, the Tracfort project disappeared within weeks of its motor-show presentation and lasted only into late 1934 at most. The name has generated continuing confusion. Because the cars used a Ford engine and Ford-derived grille, some observers assumed that the marque was called Tracford, combining the apparent traction reference with Ford. That spelling was repeated in English-language automobile reference works and became more widely known internationally. Period publicity and French-language sources, however, identify the marque as Tracfort. The canonical name is therefore Tracfort, while Tracford is best treated as a recurring variant or misreading. Tracfort remains a minor but technically notable entry in the history of French automobile experimentation, particularly for its early attempt to combine inexpensive Ford mechanicals with front-wheel drive.

Tracfort emerged in the Paris-region automobile industry during the winter of 1933–1934. Louis Carle founded Automobiles Tracfort in Courbevoie, while André Bournhonet was responsible for developing the car. Bournhonet had earlier been associated with Derby, a small manufacturer also located in Courbevoie. Production and assembly were arranged at a workshop at 71 Rue de Normandie in Gennevilliers, a short distance from the venture’s base. The project was notable because it pursued front-wheel drive in a small, relatively inexpensive automobile. Its power unit was the 933 cc, 8 hp side-valve engine used in the Ford Model Y. Rather than designing a wholly new engine and transmission package, the Tracfort engineers turned the engine through 180 degrees so that the gearbox was positioned at the front and could drive the front wheels. The car retained Ford-style transverse leaf springs, but its front suspension was made independent. This combination of familiar Ford components and an unconventional drivetrain was intended to make an advanced layout feasible for a small manufacturer. Tracfort associated the mechanical design with two lightweight two-door bodies. The Mouette was a four-seat coach with a fastback-style rear profile. The Irlande was an open two-seat roadster. Both reflected the period’s interest in compact cars that could serve either as practical small family vehicles or as inexpensive sporting transport. The Ford connection was also visible in the grille, which came from the Model Y and later contributed to confusion about the marque’s name. The manufacturer secured a display stand at the 27th Paris Motor Show in October 1933. The appearance gave the new venture public visibility, but it did not lead to sustained production. A firm called SABAB, formally Société anonyme des Brevets André Bournhonet, held patents and supplied support that was important to the project. When SABAB became bankrupt, the basis for continuing Tracfort manufacture was weakened. The marque disappeared only a few weeks after the motor-show presentation and survived, at most, until late 1934. Later reference works sometimes called the car Tracford. The variant appears to have been encouraged by the presence of Ford mechanical parts and the Model Y grille, as well as by assumptions that the name combined a reference to traction with the Ford brand. English-language automotive encyclopedias repeated the spelling, giving it a wider afterlife than the original venture achieved. Contemporary publicity, French-language sources, and later corrected reference material support Tracfort as the proper spelling. Tracford is consequently recorded as an alias or mistaken form rather than as the canonical marque. Although it never became an established manufacturer, Tracfort occupies a small place in the history of French front-wheel-drive experimentation. Its development preceded the 1934 arrival of Citroën’s much more successful Traction Avant, but there is no indication that Tracfort was connected with Citroën. The venture’s importance lies primarily in its brief attempt to apply front-wheel drive, independent front suspension, and inexpensive Ford-derived components to a compact French automobile.

• 1934

  Tracfort ceases activity

  [1]Tracforten.wikipedia.org

  The marque disappeared after a very short production history, lasting no later than late 1934.

• 1933

  Automobiles Tracfort founded

  [1]Tracforten.wikipedia.org

  Louis Carle founded the venture in Courbevoie, with André Bournhonet developing the vehicle and assembly arranged in Gennevilliers.

• 1933

  Debut at the 27th Paris Motor Show

  [1]Tracforten.wikipedia.org

  Tracfort displayed its front-wheel-drive cars at the Paris Motor Show in October.

• 1933

  SABAB bankruptcy disrupts production

  [1]Tracforten.wikipedia.org

  The bankruptcy of the patent-holding and supporting company SABAB contributed to the venture’s rapid disappearance.

An experimental French small-car marque focused on compact, relatively economical automobiles using Ford-derived mechanical components and an advanced front-wheel-drive layout.

• Four-seat compact coach · 1933

  Mouette

  The Mouette was Tracfort’s four-seat, two-door coach. It used the venture’s front-wheel-drive layout, a Ford Model Y-derived 933 cc side-valve engine, and a fastback-style rear body. Its compact format suggests a practical small-car role, while the streamlined tail gave it a more fashionable appearance than a purely utilitarian light car.

• Two-seat roadster · 1933

  Irlande

  The Irlande was an open-top two-seat roadster offered within the Tracfort program. Like the Mouette, it was based on a compact front-wheel-drive chassis using Ford-derived mechanical components. Its open body targeted a more recreational and sporting use than the four-seat coach, although the venture ended before the model could establish a lasting market presence.

• 1933

  Adopt Ford-derived components for a front-wheel-drive carStrategy

  Background

  Tracfort was a small new manufacturer seeking to develop an advanced drivetrain without creating an entirely new engine and suspension system.

  Action taken

  The engineers used the Ford Model Y’s 933 cc engine and related components, rotated the engine to place the gearbox at the front, and added independent front suspension to support front-wheel drive.

  Aftermath

  The approach produced a technically distinctive car and enabled a motor-show presentation, but the venture did not achieve sustained production after the collapse of its supporting patent company.

  Source

• 1933

  Present the Mouette and Irlande at the Paris Motor ShowProduct launch

  Background

  The company needed public exposure for its new front-wheel-drive automobile and its two proposed body styles.

  Action taken

  Tracfort took a stand at the 27th Paris Motor Show in October 1933 and displayed the compact Mouette coach and Irlande roadster.

  Aftermath

  The presentation was followed within weeks by the disappearance of the venture after SABAB entered bankruptcy.

  Source

1. 1Tracforten.wikipedia.org