In the 1890s Léon Turcat and his brother-in-law Simon Méry were
among the many pioneers who helped France to forge its way to
first place in the infant world of the automobile. They began
work on their first car in 1896 and soon proved that they would
not be content with mere simplicity in their designs. Their 1899
model, with 4-cylinder engine of 2.6-litres, boasted a gearbox
giving five forward speeds and two reverse. A couple of years
alter, short of capital for their own company, they entered into
an agreement to design cars for De Dietrich.
Many racing successes followed, among them in 1904 a third place
for one of their 12.8-litre cars in the prestigious Gordon Bennettt
race, bringing a sales boom for De Dietrich. In 1905 De Dietrich,
based in Lunéville in Lorraine, changed their name to Lorraine-Dietrich.
In the same year their design partners developed an innovative
6-wheeler car with interconnected springing and shock-absorber
system which endowed it with an extremely smooth ride for its
day. To have taken drive to both the centre- and rear axles would
undoubtedly have invited problems with transmission wind-up and
tyre-scrub on cornering, so chain drive took power to the centre
axle only. One source, however, notes that wheels on the rear
axle as well as the front steered.
After testing at the Marseilles works of its designers, the 6-wheeler
appeared in the 1907 Lorraine-Dietrich catalogue, being suggested
as the foundation for car, bus or commercial. It is probable that
very few were built an this example, a photograph of which appears
in Michael Ware’s book ‘A Roadside Camera’ published in 1974,
was perhaps the only one to be registered in England. Described
as a luxurious Pullman car, it was fitted with a 4-cylinder 40HP
engine. Seats in the passenger compartment folded flat to form
two beds, while built in behind the rear seats was a small washroom
which could be reached both from inside the car and from outside
via a back door.
‘This was not a complete motorhome but more what today we might
call a ‘day van’ and a sleeping-car. The master and mistress of
the house could rest or sleep on their beds in the comfort of
the rear whilst the chauffeur drove protected in a rudimentary
way by the roof over his head from whatever the elements might
throw at him. Up front, too, there was room for another travelling
member of the household staff, who could wait upon the employer
and his companions at picnics in the countryside, a race meeting
or an overnight halt at hotel or inn. |
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