The CTA-Arsenal is a French racing car which was developed by the ''Centre for the study of car and cycle technology'' then abbreviated as CTA but today renamed as the UTAC and constructed by

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

at Châtillon. Two cars were eventually built. The car was intended as the French “national single seat racing car” to compete against Alfa Romeo but the project was abandoned because the car proved incapable of finishing the races in which it was scheduled to appear.

Origins

In 1945 Raymond Sommer, who had won the

Le Mans 24 Hour Race The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and

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, informed the engineers at the

CTA CTA may refer to: Legislation *Children's Television Act, American legislation passed in 1990 that enforces a certain degree of educational television *Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 *Criminal Tribes Act, British legislation in India passed in 1871 wh ...

about his project to construct a racing car that could represent France in motor races. He persuaded

Marcel Paul Marcel Paul (12 July 1900, Paris — 11 November 1982) was a French trade unionist and communist politician. He was also a Nazi concentration camp survivor and later served as a member of the French parliament. Biography Marcel Paul was a ...

, the industry minister, to release government funds in order that the CTA might work on the project. Albert Lory, who had built his reputation with

Delage Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953. On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...

in the 1920s, was placed in charge of the project team, but he only took responsibility for the engine, being highly critical of the chassis and suspension design which he, along with independent commentators, regarded as the car’s weak spot. In 1947 the car was entered for the French Grand Prix, and the race, run that year at Lyon, was postponed till 21 September to enable it to compete. Unfortunately the transmission broke on the start line, and the record shows that it was placed last after completing zero laps. Nevertheless, the next year the CTA-Arsenal team returned to the fray, now with two cars built. It was scheduled to feature in the French Grand Prix, run at Rheims in July 1948, but had to withdraw at the last minute. The race was won by an Alfa Romeo. The car made its second and final race appearance in 1949 before the project was abandoned and the project team leader, Albert Lory, joined Renault as the director responsible for research.

Technical

Lory designed a high performance 1 482 cc V8 engine incorporating four overhead camshafts and two Roots compressors. This unit initially provided 215 hp at 6,000 rpm. By 1948 the engine had been modified to produce a maximum of 275 hp at 8,000 rpm. However, it was matched to a transmission system that one commentator described as "delicate". The chassis employed independent suspension with longitudinal torsion bars at the front and lateral torsion bars at the rear, with wheels mounted on “silent blocks” that permitted vertical movement. The road holding provided by this combination was reported to be catastrophic. Stopping power came from hydraulically controlled drum brakes and the car sat on Rudge-Whitworth spoked wheels.

Sources and further reading

{{Reflist

External links

CTA-Arsenal bei 8W (english)

* ttp://www.ultimatecarpage.com/gallery/20529/CTA-Arsenal.html Foto des CTA-Arsenal am GP für historische Fahrzeuge in Monaco 2010 bei ultimatecarpage.com (englisch)
CTA-Arsenal bei diccionario.motorgiga.com (spanisch)

Motor des CT-Arsenal auf dem Prüfstand (youtube)

1962 photo of unrestored CTA-Arsenal
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Car manufacturers of France

Origins

Technical

Sources and further reading

See also

External links