Minerva & D’Ieteren: Belgian Torpedo Transformables

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Motor manufacturer Minerva and coachbuilder D’Ieteren go together like a horse and carriage. The first was based in Antwerp, the latter in Brussels, but the 50 kilometres separating these two cities did not deter the two companies from establishing a great collaboration and producing an impressive number of chassis-body combinations. In the 1920s there were Cabriolets; Roadsters; Coupé de Villes; Landaulettes; Berlines; Sports Sedans; Tourers; Torpedos; Brougham de Ville’s; Limousines – you name it.

This one, however, is something of an oddity, which made us lift an eyebrow. It is listed as a ‘1930 Minerva 40hp on 6600 chassis with body by D’Ieteren Frères’. Another source tells us it is a 1931 car fitted with an ‘AL Torpedo Transformable’ body, indeed by D’Ieteren. And it is that body which intrigues us most – more specifically, the transformable roof construction.

A Torpedo Transformable is basically a convertible equipped with two windscreens, but most of these do not come with a roof that divides the front from the back. This one does, and it made us wonder what the car would look like when opened up. We could not find a picture of that, but during our search we did come across another Minerva – an AM model of 1930 – which was bodied in a similar fashion as a ‘Dual Windshield Convertible Sedan’ by Darrin. That is the American-French company of Hibbard & Darrin, we reckon.

Have you ever seen any others?

Words: Jeroen Booij
Picture: Felix Archive / Gooding & Company

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