This morning's mystery

[Mike Costigan]

Steve,

I'm pretty sure this is an Alcyon not a Sima-Violet. This is an Alcyon from 1926, and apparently shows identical undercarriage details which differ from the S-V:


  1926 alcyon.jpg (Size: 253.45 KB / Downloads: 361)

Note the engine is set well behind the front axle line, and does not have the exposed flywheel of the S-V.

[Steve kay]

Mike, a convincing suggestion. The running gear certainly relates to the first photo, although the engine used by Alcyon was either bought from Sima Violet or built to their designs. Whilst the quality of the image is not brilliant, it might be possible to just see the exposed flywheel, The usual authorities suggest that Marcel Violet was still making Sima Violets whilst Alcyon, having given up four cylinder cars, were making something almost identical under licence. One can only speculate what sales figures might have been.

[Renaud]

Mike, a convincing suggestion. The running gear certainly  relates to the first photo, although the engine used by Alcyon was either bought from Sima Violet or built to their designs. Whilst the quality of the image is not brilliant, it might be possible to just see the exposed flywheel, The usual authorities suggest that Marcel Violet was still making Sima Violets whilst Alcyon, having given up four cylinder cars, were making something almost identical under licence. One can only speculate what sales figures might have been.

Answers to all your questions on the ATF forum:

"ALCYON , SIMA-VIOLET, LABOR, THOMANN, ARMOR, OLYMPIQUE.......... tous identiques et beaucoup construits chez MAJOR"
ALCYON , SIMA-VIOLET, LABOR, THOMANN, ARMOR, OLYMPIQUE all identical and many built by MAJOR.

https://tricyclecaristes.1fr1.net/t102-s...ght=violet
https://tricyclecaristes.1fr1.net/t450-a...ght=alcyon

[Chris Garner]

I was not aware that Cyclecars Major made the Alcyon ( "Kingfisher" in English ) although the Company was owned by Marcel Violet.

The Alcyon Company appeared to go backwards in development. After manufacturing bicycles, in 1906 they progressed into cars. Up to 1923 they produced quite conventional cars with a variety of engines - singles, twins and 4-cylinder monoblocs up to 2.7 litres. In 1923 they ditched the 4 cylinder in favour of a 500cc flat twin with forward flywheel driven cyclecar which continued to the end of the '20s. Realising that cyclecars were a dead end by then, they ceased car manufacture, concentrating on motorcycles.

[Bob Culver]

I wonder if the Alcyon had the same baffling front suspension. From memory the SV was as the Morgan with the function less obvious. There is a series of large commercial framed photos from the 1950s of French street scenes. A popular one is a front view of a decrepit SV parked up.
An excellent source of marvellous old photos is/was the Veteran and Edwardian edition of the UK VCC magazine. Not just small cars but also giants. Unlike today they took time with the photos, and they were properly cured.

[Renaud]

Not so Morgan Bob!
This taken again on the ATF pages I cited above:

[Ivor Hawkins]

I love that front suspension.

Not so much Morgan sliding pillar, more Silver Cross pram!

[Bob Culver]

Thanks Renaud
Those old dwgs both unpredictable and fathomable. Nice long tapers but with no diff probably more essential. Driving permanently through straight cut gears must have sounded great. The torque tube seems to pivot at the engine. Steering as a childs pedal car must have been gloriously direct. The SV had a lot of bracing/locating struts for the front axle which makes it a bit of a puzzle. The flywheel innards a bit of a challenge beyond my schoolboy French of 60+ years ago. Very large magnets? Was it a 2 stroke?
Hopefully the motor was not powerful!

[Steve kay]

Many thanks to all who have contributed so far, a more detailed response in due course. Yes, Bob, it is a two stroke, but the drg does not quite indicate inlet and exhaust arrangements. Dead simple kit without valves, the two stroke, a perfect example being Napier's Deltic engine......

[David Stepney]

I seem to recall that Napier’s Deltic engine was anything but dead simple. To the extent that they could only be overhauled by Napier’s themselves.