Description
This car is Lot 448 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Beaulieu Sale on 6 September, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Friday 5 September from 10:00 until 17:00 and Saturday 6 September from 08:30 until 17:00 at The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.
Lot 448
1928 Lafitte Cyclecar
Registration no. UH 5143
Chassis no. 128
The sole survivor of only three right-hand drive examples
Formerly the property of Ronald 'Steady' Barker
Engine rebuilt by Crossthwaite & Gardiner
An older restoration
Many cyclecars are eccentric and the Lafitte was one of the most extreme, which is what makes it so attractive today. Theodore Lafitte was an engineer and inventor working in the Gennevilliers area of Paris in the early 20th century. In 1923, eschewing all established practice, he developed a car with an air-cooled, three-cylinder, radial engine and friction drive. The engine has a domed flywheel that engages in a convex dish lined with nine layers of paper. Apart from the use of paper as a lining, that is not so different from the cone clutches in use at the time. The difference is that the entire engine tilts so that different parts of the flywheel engage on the dish to give different gear ratios. In theory, this gives an infinitely variable transmission. In practice, the lever that tilts the engine has holes that engage in a peg to give four forward and one reverse gear. A consequence of this is that there is no neutral position, so the car has to be started in top gear with the clutch locked open. Unlike most cars, there is no differential in the Lafitte's 'solid' rear axle.
In 1927, Theodore Lafitte decided to enter the UK market and built three right-hand drive cars as demonstrators. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the technologies used, he failed to find a distributor and so they were sold. 'UH 5143' is believed to be the sole survivor of those three cars, and hence the only RHD Lafitte Voiturette in existence. Because the interaction between clutch and handbrake means the clutch has to be the pedal nearest the centre of the car, RHD is a distinct advantage!
In 1984, the Lafitte was bought by well-known motoring journalist Ronald 'Steady' Barker (see his article in Supercar Classics, August 1989 edition, copy on file). There are other articles about the Lafitte on file. In 1987 'Steady' had the engine rebuilt by Crossthwaite & Gardiner, while further restoration was carried out by John Wise in the first decade of this century. Events attended include the Festival of Slowth, Cotswold Cyclecar Weekends, and VSCC Madresfield.
In addition to the aforementioned articles, the history file contains receipts for the engine rebuild and other works; the original buff logbook and other registration documents; various letters; maintenance information; and photographs. A spare rear axle, flywheel, piston, wheel and other parts are included in the sale together with a Dynastart and instructions (wiring and mounting in place).
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
