Well, many thanks for the promotion gentlemen. My memory of this car derives from the von Metternich book on Rumpler....still stached away in our beloved little French village.
I believe that we have here a significant historical link between the extraordinary mind of Joseph Valentin Laviolette and the invention of the Tracta joint, hence the modern front-drive concept.
My conjecture is based on the fact that from 1918 (possibly earlier), Pierre Fenaille was signing as administrator on Bellanger Freres stock certificates. Laviolette had been a key player in the Spjeker saga and became a ardent promoter of the front-drive system. One of his own "Festina" prototypes appeared in Detroit in 1917. The V8 Bellanger cars were designed by Laviolette, In short, it is likely that Laviolette 'indoctrinated' Fenaille!
Unless I have missed something, J.-A. Gregoire creditted Fenaille with the idea of front-drive for the Tracta cars....but did not expand on the background.
I am anxious to pursue the full story as soon as domestic circumstances allow.
Reverting to the Rumpler, the Spjeker books tell us that Spjeker attracted the wild boys to its doors during the Laviolette period,...such as Edmund Rumpler and Jup Tjaarda.
It took a robust homokinetic joint to release the potential, but poor old Laviolette seems to have been outrageously overlooked as the Father of the modern car. The L29 Cord, Ruxton and Miller efforts owe more to Laviolette than to Christie.
