Monotrace (automobile)
Établissements Monotrace S.A. (previously Ateliers du Rond Point) was a French automobile manufacturer, based (from 1926) at Courbevoie, on the edge of Paris, from 1924 till 1930.[1][2][3][4] Although it was presented as a type of automobile, the Monotrace was in some respects more like a motor cycle than a conventional motor car.
The company
[edit]Ateliers du Rond Point of Saint-Étienne began producing automobiles in 1924.[2] The cars carried the name Monotrace. In 1926 production was taken over by Établissements Monotrace S.A. at Courbevoie.[2] That same year Joseph-August Roten, whose background was in engineering, took over the leadership of the business.[2] Production ended in 1930.[2]
The cars
[edit]The company's only model was based on the Mauser Einspurauto of 1923. It used two principal wheels, one behind the other, but with a second set of side-wheels which prevented the vehicle from falling over when stationary, but which folded up when the vehicle was traveling. The water cooled single cylinder motor had a capacity of 510cc and delivered an approximate maximum 12HP,[2] delivered via a three speed transmission, using a chain drive, to the back wheel.[1][3] There was space for two, positioned one behind the other.[1]
The manufacturer took a stand at the 20th Paris Motor Show in October 1925.[5] At this time the price quoted for the vehicle was 8,900 francs.[5]
The range was broadened in 1926 with the introduction of a "delivery van" version of the Monotrace, and in 1929 a single seater sports model was added.[2]
Reading list
[edit]- Harald Linz, Halwart Schrader: Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie. United Soft Media Verlag, München 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8. (German)
- George Nick Georgano (editor): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 3: P–Z. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1. (English)
- George Nick Georgano: Autos. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. Courtille, Paris 1975. (French)
Sources and notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Georgano, Nick (1968). The Complete Encyclopaedia of Motorcars 1885-1968. London: George Rainbird Ltd for Ebury Press Limited. p. 396.
- ^ a b c d e f g Linz, Schrader: Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie.
- ^ a b Georgano: The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.
- ^ Georgano: Autos. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours.
- ^ a b "Automobilia". Toutes les Voitures Françaises 1927 (Salon [Paris, Oct] 1926). Vol. 78s. Paris: Histoire & collections. 2006. p. 73.