LORRAINE-DIETRICH The name Le Mans looms very large in the story of the sports car. It was not the w

With Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the USA all taking keen interest at different phases of its history, Le Mans rates as an immensely important International contest. At the beginning, in 1923, the new race was for catalogued four-seater road cars, and these were much closer to standard than in later years. Among the marques trying their luck were Lorraine-Dietrich, an old-established Alsatian con-cern, with a trio of 15CV "torpedo" tourers. These had 3.4 litre six-cylinder engines based on a 15CV model intro-duced in 1920.

Its designer was Marius Barbarou, a Frenchman with a distinct bias towards motor racing, even though the 15CV was intended for hard road work. He prescribed a 75 x 130mm, 3,446cc engine with overhead valves operated by curious exposed "needle" pushrods, aluminium pistons, a three-speed gearbox with central change lever, and a substantial chassis with cantilever-type rear springing and Sankey-type steel artillery wheels.

The basic concept was very Ameri-can, even to employing Delco coil igni-tion and left-hand drive, but the handling and performance proved surprisingly good, and the engine was exceptionally flexible, saving on gear-changes and earning the model the nickname "la grimpeuse" or "the climber". In Britain it was called "The Silken Six". Durability was remarkable too, some 15CV owners claiming well over 120,000km (75,000 miles) before needing to take the engine down. Thus Barbarou had little difficulty in per-suading the makers to pit their tough motor car in what promised to be a tough motor race—the first Le Mans, in 1923, when two finished 8th and 19th.

If disappointed, Barbarou was not discouraged. Instead he introduced a new sporting edition of the 15CV for 1924, boosting engine performance with twin carburettors, twin ignition, larger valves and raised compression. The chassis was lowered and shortened, Rudge-Whitworth wire wheels and four-wheel servo-assisted brakes were fitted, and handsome light sporting four-seater bodywork installed.

It was catalogued as the "Sport", and three works-prepared cars ran at Le Mans in 1924, still retain-ing left-hand drive. This time things were much better; two Lorraines finished second and third behind a Bentley, although the third retired when leading. The year 1925 was better still, one Lorraine winning outright at record speed, and another was third. The year 1926 was best of all, with three Lorraines sweeping home first, second and third, all averaging over 100kph.

The Societe then marketed a "clients" replica of the Le Mans winner, a sleek and elegant machine with the same open four-seater bodywork, the same neat tail, the dis-tinctive L-D vee-radiator with stone-guards, and the long, swept, unvalanced mudguards that typified the Le Mans car of the 1920s.

As rugged as the race winners, the replica could reach 90mph compared with their 93mph along the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. The engine was finished in black stoved enamel, the left-hand drive remained, and a strong point of the car, inherited from Le Mans, lay in its braking, with four large-diameter drums and a Dewandre-Repusseau servo motor. By 1928 a four-speed gearbox became optional, and more luxurious cabriolet and coupe bodywork became available. Production of the 15CV Sport continued until 1932, and a late, unexpected but welcome success for a weighty and now dating design was 22 year old Jean-Pierre Wimille's second place in the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally with a fabric coupe, beaten only by Donald Healey's 42 litre Invicta.

Specification Engine: 6 cylinders in line, fixed head; 75 x 130mm, 3,445cc; pushrod-operated ohv; twin Zenith carburettors; dual ignition; 4 plain main bearings; 75bhp at 3,600rpm. Transmission: Dry single-plate clutch; 3-speed gearbox in unit with engine (4-speed gearbox optional from 1928); torque tube final drive. Chassis: Pressed steel side members; semi-elliptic front springs, splayed cantilever rear springs; friction dampers all round; four-wheel brakes with servo-assistance. Dimensions: Wheelbase, 9ft 54in; track, 4ft 7,+in.