(un)Solved Mysteries

The Staff Car Mystery (UPDATE IV: Italian Scat ?)

Alain Gallego from France asked us to publish this picture that came from his sister in law’s family album. One of the soldiers is her great-grandfather. The photo is dated 1917, but doesn’t mention the location, so that could be anything from Marne or Verdun to the Somme. When trying to identify the car, Alain already looked at Alphonse XIII, Delage CO, Vauxhall D type and Peugeot 153, but doesn’t think it’s one of these. French officers usually preferred their staff cars to be strong and comfortable, but this one looks lighter. Can we help Alain to solve this problem? Maybe a close-up of the radiator could help? Write us!

Update IV comes from Barry Stalker: "The car looks Italian, the wheels and flutes in the bonnet is Italian. Enzo Ferrari and his brother bought a Diatto and went to war in it! Enzo became a transport controller whilst his brother drove the injured to hospital in the Diatto till he was injured."
Update III from Ivan Saxton: “Of course, a French staff car did not have to be a French car. They would have used anything that was available and useful. Size is about for W5 or W6 Benz, but the radiator is totally the wrong shape. The Radiator is typically Italian immediately prior to WW1. Trunnion mounting is common for that, but you would not be able to differentiate unless you had clear image of the badge. Size of the car and radiator shape could fit Tipo Zero FIAT, but the bonnet louvres are all wrong, and so are the wheels. I believe there were few radiator makers in Italy, but they made different styles from what we loosely call "pear-shaped" to sharp V-core through hill- shaped top of varying steepness above parallel sides. And they were made in different sizes. So with different makes sometimes using very similar radiators it was very difficult to identify with certainty. The wheels are what are really unusual. The only car I can recall with something similar was a SCAT in Jack Brewer's estate sale at Elmore, Vic, around 1970. That was a slightly larger car than this; and I do not know their range of models. So my guess it is Italian, but it is very difficult to identify the make.”

Update II by Malcolm Jeal: "Today's picture of a staff car is a real puzzle. If you look closely at the radiator mounting (just visible through the front wheel) it seems as if it fitted by means of a trunnion bearing (presumably one each side) - very unusual for any pre-Great War car, and yet I still cannot identify it."

Update I by editor: Could it be a Benz (click)? (SwedishBrassCar.com)

Monday, 14 December 2009

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