THE FRENCH DEVELOP THE CAMIONNETTE.
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The Popularity in Paris of the Normandy Type of Camionnette Arising from its Usefulness and Handiness.
11" Normandy camionnette or light, open delivery vehicle, has become immensely popular in France during recent years, especially in country districts. It is a general-service vehicle, usually embodying a fairly fast chassis, and one reason for its popularity is, perhaps, the fact that the car can generally be used for private purposes as well as for business.
Many French motor manufacturing firms fit a Normandy body to their ordinary touring chassis, the frame being suitably stiffened to take the extra load. One of the first firms in France to take up the Normandy camionnette seriously, and to build a special chassis for it, was that of °core in Licorne. This firm has turned out a particularly neat type of transformable body, in which a comfortable rear seat can be dropped into the goods-carrying portion when it is desired to use the ear for passenger purposes. The rear panel of the body drops down, and acts as a tailboard for loading purposes, etc., when the oar is put into commercial use.
The standard finish of this Licorne model is in natural wood, polished, and the appearance of the vehicle is very smart indeed, The fact that Ballot engines are employed in Licorne chassis is sufficient guarantee that the power unit is capable of doing all that is required of it. Unit construction is not adopted, the gearbox being carried separately in, a sub-frame.
The 9-12 h.p. La Licorne commercial car is supplied either with a fixed or transformable camionnette body. This type is fitted with a four-cylinder 67 ram. by 120 taro. Ballot engine. The gearbox, which, in this model, provides
three forward speeds and reverse, is circular in form, and has the advantage that the gears and shafts can be withdrawn from the end complete with out disturbing the box itself. The solidly built front axle has a constructional point worth mentioning. The stub axles are fitted separately, having their coned ends inserted in the pivots.
In case of an accident involving a bent stub axle, one of the most common occurrences, it is thus possible to fit a new one without dismounting the axle proper.
The rear axle is a standard type of
bevel drive with Gleason gears. Suspension, both front and rear, is by long,
rather fiat, semi-elliptic springs. All
models are fitted with self-starters. In addition to the 9-12 h.p. Normandy camionnette described above, Messrs. Corre Ia Licorne produce a large range of commercial vehicles carrying loads of 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500 and 3,000
A very neat Normandy camionnette, or light delivery van, is being put on the market by Messrs. Vermorel. This vehicle is intended for the delivery of small, light goods, and also for the use of commercial travellers. The body•which is fitted has the smart general appearance of a small touring car, and the Cape-cart hood when raised pulls right over the goodscarrying portion of the body. Messrs. Vermorel have specialized in the Normandy camionnette, and at the present time they supply five varieties of Normandy body on their standard 10 h.p. (French rating) chassis.
The chassis in question has a fourcylinder monobloc side-valve engine, 70 mm. by 110 mm. It has been designed throughout for commercial purposes. A four-speed gearbox is built Up in one with the engine. The beveldriven rear axle is a particularly substantial affair, and may be said to re semble a lorry axle on a small scale. Long, straight springs are responsible for the suspension, both fore and aft. The straight-sided frame line very deep section side members, sharply upswept over the rear axle.
Central gear change and brake levers are fitted as a standard, but may be placed at the side to special order. Tecalemit greasing is employed throughout the chassis. Two models of the Vermorel commercial chassis will be marketed in 1926, the 10 h.p. side-valve model, as described above, taking loads up to 12 cwt. or 15 cwt., and the 10 h.p. (French rating) special chassis, which is fitted with an overhead-valve engine, having the same cylinder dimensions as the standard model, and is capable of tak . jug loads up to I ton.