<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Designed with front wheel drive in mind, the steel platform chassis was very low. Both at the front and rear, it featured underslung suspension, which meant that the chassis members ran under the axles. The relatively simple rear suspension featured a live axle and quarter elliptic leaf springs. The four cylinder engine was provided by Scap. Displacing just under 1.1 litre and equipped with a Cozette Supercharger, it produced 40 bhp. It was bolted in the chassis 'the wrong way around' with the four speed gearbox pointing forward. To accommodate the relatively long drivetrain, the Tracta had a very large engine bay, especially considering the size of the engine.
With Gregoire behind the wheel the Tracta Gephi finished seventh and last in the 1927 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was a testament of the car's reliability, but its position did not prove its proposed superiority. While continuing to race the four cylinder engined Tracta, Gregoire and Fenaille developed a production car. Dubbed the Type A, it debuted in 1928. It was the first front-wheel driven production car. Fitted with attractive convertible or coupe bodies, these very low Tractas were among the most unusual and attractive machines on the market. Despite a class win at Le Mans in 1929, customers remained sceptical.
In 1930 the range of four cylinder engined machines was joined by the six cylinder 'Type E.' It used a Continental straight six engine with a displacement of nearly 2.7 litre. With 58 bhp, the Type E was the most powerful Tracta offered to date. It still was not enough to attract a large number of customers. It is believed that only 50, some say as few as 10, Type Es were produced between 1930 and 1934. Only two are known to have survived. In 1934 the curtain fell for Tracta. Gregoire went on to work for many other companies and even ended up building cars under his name after the War. Thanks in part to the pioneering of Gregoire and Fenaille, there is little unconventional about front-wheel drive today. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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E Henri Le Moine Coupe
Designed with front wheel drive in mind, the steel platform chassis was very low. Both at the front and rear, it featured underslung suspension, which meant that the chassis members ran under the axles. The relatively simple rear suspension featured a live axle and quarter elliptic leaf springs. The four cylinder engine was provided by Scap. Displacing just under 1.1 litre and equipped with a Cozette Supercharger, it produced 40 bhp. It was bolted in the chassis 'the wrong way around' with the four speed gearbox pointing forward. To accommodate the relatively long drivetrain, the Tracta had a very large engine bay, especially considering the size of the engine.