Description

1956 P. Vallee Chantecler

This individualistic designer in the Loire valley was ex-director of a French auto racing team (hence the rooster emblem).

He introduced a sporty single seater called Chantecler at the 1952 Salon, having previously introduced an open frame scooter with a big splash at Montlhery in 1949. Well received, the scooter evolved into a "Lastenroller", a three-wheeled transporter with front-mounted platform.

This chassis was used for his Chantecler (rooster) small car, with its amusing bulbous body in fiberglass. The first version shown had a single central headlight, steel tube windshield frame, moulded-in front bumper, and sharply cut-off tail. Interestingly, this was identical to another car also on show at the 1955 Paris Salon: the very short-lived P.B.

The P.Vallee version grew another headlight, and the production version Chantecler had a similar bulbous body, but with aluminum bumpers, fiberglass windshield frame and rounded tail. Colours offered were ivory, red, two-tone and later blue.

The car was equipped with the Westinghouse Gyrostarter, which on pulling a lever wound up a flywheel with a whining sound. At maximum revs, the lever was dropped, suddenly engaging a clutch coupled to the motor and causing it to turn over, exactly like an aircraft starter. The Inter also used it.

The little car was well suited to the limited parameters for which it was designed, and enjoyed a happy but brief life, cut short by the death by heart attack of M.Vallee on April 3, 1957.

Manufacturer: S.I.C.R.A.F., Ste Colas, France

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This vehicle was one of the many vehicles sold at the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum Auction in February 2013

Click here to review the auction results in the Market Watch Section of Harry Kraemer's Wheels & Wings site