Quiz Archive

The Majola Monjoie Mystery ... (about # 142 + OHC-Update)

Update: Mark Dawber (NZ) on early OHC cars: "I recall reading a long time ago that the Welch car in the US was an early user of ohc. I see by the Statdard Catalog that they claimed in late 1905 to be the first US manufacturer to have this feature. The Pungs-Finch of 1906 was similarly equipped. In England, the Maudsley car featured an overhead camshaft that could be swung out of the way to allow access to the valves. It was designed by Alex Craig who did design work for some other makers. The Maudsley also had full pressure lubrication but it didn't extend to the ohc - that required oiling with an oil can (according to the article in On Four Wheels). I am not sure when this model was introduced but it could have been as early as 1904."
EARLIER TEXT: Competition # 142 maybe was an overdosis in difficulty. Just one competitor and one jurymember who had the courage to respond! We will not keep up the mystery longer than needed. The car is a Majola. As the overhead cam has not yet the later chaindrive this is the type A, which places the car before 1913. The engineer Doutre Maurice constructed the brilliant 8/10 HP 1,3 Litre 4C. Still many questions should be answered. Like what the meaning is of "Monjoie St. Denis" on the radiator shield. As the car was constructed we think these are heraldic banner words of the city. A small Google search also learns that this was the French warcry form the Middle Ages (Charlemagne). Anybody who knows about the relation Majola / Monjoie? Owner and Salmsoniste Bertrand Lopez would like to hear from you. Also if you know more about this very special Make. The other questions about which car, which boat were the first to have an OHC will have to wait to another occasion maybe. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Despite all this we had one -yes one !- response in of a French visitor who had it right! By lack of a proper translation we print his French answer: "La voiture représentée est une Majola 1ère version, (avant 1914), dotée d’un moteur à arbre à cames en tête dont la rotation est assurée par un ensemble de pignons à renvoi d’angles et à un arbre de transmission vertical. La particularité de ce moteur est d’avoir des ensembles, ( siège de soupapes, ressorts de rappel et soupapes) démontables tant pour l’admission que pour l’échappement."
Congratulations / Félicitations Roselyne !!!
(photos Bertrand Lopez) We asked jurymember Hans Compter who recognised the engine as Majola (!) but not the car (!!!) for his comments:"This is an unheralded and in fact very underrated French make of car because after several other makers of more expensive cars had tried their hand on the OHC-engine concept (e.g. Maudslay, Baudoin, Bugatti, Isotta etc) it was Majola who managed to successfully series-produce a very practical small economy-car with that advanced concept. The initial design was obviously very well thought out because it remained in production virtually unaltered only in three different capacity-versions, until 1928. We quote the self-explanatory comments by E. Massip in the leading magazine "Omnia" on the eve of the 1923 Auto Salon de Paris:

"E. Massip in the leading magazine "Omnia" on the eve of the 1923 Auto Salon de Paris: "Fid?le ? son passé, I' excellent constructeur Majola présente cette année ses deux mod?les bien connus, la 10/20 CV quatre cylindres 65 x 105 et la 7 CV 62 x 90. Il s' en tient ? ces deux types et il fait bien, puisque la qualité en est nettement reconnue. Du reste Majola s 'est toujours trouvé ? l'avant-garde du progr?s et l' aspect de ses ch?ssis, et de ses moteurs en particulier, dénote une ma?trise rare, et une expérience consommée des solutions qui font prime aujourd' hui et qui apparaissaient, lorsqu'il les a lancées, comme des témérités. Le dessin de sa commande de soupapes en t?te des cylindres, avec arbre ? c?mes unique entre les deux rangées de soupapes et culbuteurs, est d'une rare netteté. Ce n' est pas un nouvel adepte de la distribution en t?te qui a pu établir une telle commande, d'une simplicité difficilement égalable: commande par cha?ne silencieuse, arbre unique, un seul axe d' articulation juste au-dessus pour tous les culbuteurs, poussoirs réglables, soupapes démontables individuellement par simple désserrage d'un large écrou ? crans. Cette solution éminemment pratique est bien ce qu'on peut r?ver de mieux, puisqu'on peut avoir dans son coffre la soupape de rechange toute montée et rodée, et que toute réparation au si?ge, au ressort ou ? la soupape peut se faire désormais hors du cylindre. Bielles et pistons sont facilement démontables par le dessus du carter. On voit que tout concourt ? supprimer les longs, co?teux et fastidieux démontages du moteur pour la moindre bagatelle, soupape ? r?der ou segment ? remplacer".

Thursday, 10 February 2005