Quiz Archive

About Quiz # 174: Société Française des Ponts Moteurs (UPDATE: still around ?)

Without a shade of doubt the outright winner of this very difficult quiz is 'connoisseur par excellence' of obscure French cars, Fons Alkemade. But before proceeding we want to mention Thomas Billicsich and Bas van Genederen who both had the right denomination 'train avant'. back to winner Fons. Although he is not exact on the year of this very special vehicle (it is much 'newer' than most competitors thought, he is very much to the point in every other aspect. Following here is his answer: "This type of 'car' was called 'avant-train' at the time, which means that the engine plus two wheels plus some steering device could be attached to any kind of carriage, as can clearly be seen in the photo. In my list of more than a thousand prewar French car makes I could detect the following makers of avant-trains: Clerget / Amiot-Péneau / Heilmann / Latil or Korn et Latil / Prétot / Brulé or Brulé-Ponsard / De Riancey / Doré / Ponts-Moteurs.
Now, I think this photo is of the last make. ...... > see Read More

UPDATE by Michael Hortig: "This car seemed to have been saved, for it was exibited in the now closed car museum in the suburb of paris "La Défense". " (collection Baron Aldebert La B. de de M.) "......This company is indeed mentioned in Georgano (as Société des Ponts-Moteurs in the 1984 edition) but only as builder of avant-trains around 1913 (....). The museum might be the museum in Cl?res which I visited about twenty years ago (but I can't remember having seen this car)."

Now below you can find the text which came with the photk from the collection of Baron Aldebert La B. de de M. :
"It was built by Société Fran?aise des Ponts Moteurs, in the suburbs of Paris, between 1910 and 1914. Engine was a V-twin of around 1200 cc, 3 speed gear box, and the idea was to convert to motor cars the many horse carriages that were becoming useless....At the end of the fifties, such a car was presented outside the now defunct Cleres motor museum, with a closed body slowly rotting away in the Normandy rainy climate....I hope it has not been scrapped but saved somewhere! "

Friday, 17 February 2006