Lafitte was a French automobile manufactured in Paris from 1923–1928. The 'SA de Construction de Voiturettes Th. Lafitte', owned by Theodore Laffitte, manufactured a light

cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. A key c ...

which was renowned for its innovative engineering. It incorporated a three-cylinder radial engine mounted in a hinged cage, which was tilted by the driver to engage and vary the ratio of the friction drive to the rear wheels. Uniquely, the 'variable ratio' friction drive consisted of a convex steel flywheel and a concave 'clutch plate' that was faced by wound strips of paper or sometimes leather. The Complete Encyclopedia of the Motorcars - 1885 to the present. Edited by G.N.Georgano, Published 1973 by Ebury Press, LondonUSA Patent Application, 1914, Theodore Lafitte
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History

Lafitte began constructing automobiles in Paris in 1923 on The Quai. In 1926 they started using the manufacturing facility in

Courbevoie Courbevoie () is a commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is in the suburbs of the city of Paris, from the center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the city limits of Par ...

, of the defunct

Doriot, Flandrin & Parant Doriot, Flandrin & Parant (D.F.P.) was a French car maker based in Courbevoie, Seine between 1906 and 1926. Auguste Doriot and Ludovic Flandrin had both worked for Peugeot and then Clément-Bayard before setting up their own car making company ...

. In 1928 it ceased production.

Models

The Lafitte was an unconventional car. It was powered by 22 hp 3 cylinder radial engine of 736cc capacity, which was enlarged to 895cc in 1928, its final year. The engine was mounted in a hinged cage, which was tilted by the driver to engage and vary the ratio of the friction drive to the rear wheels. Uniquely, the 'variable ratio' friction drive consisted of a convex steel flywheel and a concave 'clutch plate' that was faced by wound strips of paper or sometimes leather. The new price in England was 100 pounds sterling.George Nick Georgano : The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 2: G–O. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1. In 1928, a sports version with a 25 hp, 895cc engine topped the range. The maximum speed was quoted as .

Review

It was described by

Bill Boddy William Boddy, (22 February 1913 – 7 July 2011) was a British journalist who was the editor of ''Motor Sport'' from 1936 to 1991. After 1991 he still contributed regularly to ''Motor Sport'' magazine, continuing a career that lasted eighty- ...

, editor of

Motor Sport ''Motor Sport'' is a monthly motor racing magazine, founded in the United Kingdom in 1924 as the ''Brooklands Gazette''. The name was changed to ''Motor Sport'' for the August 1925 issue. The magazine covers motor sport in general, although from ...

as :Motor Sport Magazine, Page 58, May 1989, Veteran to classic - Lightweights in Wales
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"The kind of thing that only an inebriated person staggering along the
Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline *Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa *Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street, ...
clutching £100 in his hand, would have bought new.

Literature

* Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 . * George Nick Georgano (Chefredakteur): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 2: G–O. 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)

References

{{reflist

External links

* Motor Sport Magazine, May 1989, Veteran to classic - Lightweights in Wales. Page 48

* WSCC (Westfield Sports Car Club), Newsletter, September 26, 2016. CVT from 1928 at Kop Hill, by 'Man On The Clapham Omnibu

Cyclecars Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France