The Gerin Aerodyne prototype. Photos courtesy Bonhams.
Mathematician and aeronautical engineer Jacques Gerin believed the very principles that made a sound aircraft would also make a sound automobile. Gambling the bulk of his family’s fortune, Gerin designed and funded the construction of an innovative streamliner that proved a bit too futuristic for the French motoring public in 1922; next month, the Gerin Aerodyne prototype crosses the stage in Paris as part of Bonhams Les Grandes Marques Du Monde Au Grand Palais sale.
Though uncommon, streamlining was not unheard of in early 20th century automotive design. Camille Jenatzy’s La Jamais Content (The Never Satisfied) used its aerodynamic shape to help set a land speed record of 65.8 MPH in April of 1899, making the battery-powered streamliner the first automobile to break the 100 kilometer-per -hour barrier. The 1906 Stanley Steamer Rocket also used a wind-cheating shape to achieve a land speed record of 127.66 MPH, becoming the first car to break 200 km/h in the process.
In 1914, A.L.F.A., the forerunner of Alfa Romeo, worked with coachbuilder Castagna to construct a streamlined passenger vehicle, an odd zeppelin-like conveyance built for Italian count Marco Ricotti. Seven years later, German manufacturer Rumpler introduced its Tropfenwagen (Drop Car, named for its droplet shape), which carried up top five passengers and proved capable of attaining a 70 MPH top speed.
Whether Gerin was influenced by these earlier attempts is hard to say, but his concept of the ideal automobile relied on far more than just a slippery shape. Using experience gained with AĆ©roplanes Voisin, Gerin designed a stressed spaceframe to be constructed of Duralumin, with a floor of Alpax (an aluminum-silicon blend). Steel subframes would be used in front and rear for added strength, but to save weight the bodywork would consist of an aluminum undertray and fenders combined with stretched fabric upper panels, a common practice in airplane construction of the period. The roof would be made of a heavy waxed paper, which would transmit light to give the cabin a spacious and airy feel. Construction of the Aerodyne’s frame (less the fabric bodywork) was entrusted to Paulin Ratier, whose company had experience building airframes for Voisin and Breguet.
Gerin’s design innovations didn’t stop with the body construction. His Aerodyne would use a four-wheel independent suspension of his own patented design (later licensed by Citroen for the 2CV), and the rear drum brakes would be mounted inboard to reduce unsprung weight. Front brakes were hydraulic, with four shoes per corner pressing on the inside of each wheel to reduce velocity. The sliding rack steering was another Gerin design, and the steering rake was manually adjustable to suit a driver’s preference.
The Aerodyne’s 2.0-liter, overhead-valve four-cylinder engine, mounted ahead of the driven rear wheels, was built by Janvier Sabin of Montrouge, but the car’s “variable friction drive” transmission was designed by Gerin. To ease servicing, the entire driveline was said to be removable by one man, using just two wrenches, in six minutes.
Gerin accumulated an estimated 5,500 miles on his uncovered Aerodyne, but failed to generate interest from the motoring public or automakers of the day. His ideas, perhaps, were just too far-reaching for a continent still recovering from the effects of World War I, and ultimately the Aerodyne sat, largely forgotten, for nearly nine decades. Acquired in 2012 (after a 15-year search), the prototype is said to be mostly original, with the exception of ancillary electrical wiring, a replacement steering wheel and replacement control pedals. Offered with copies of Gerin’s patents, engineering drawings, renderings of the fabric-wrapped body and its creator’s personal notes, the Aerodyne is expected to command a price between €130,000-€180,000 ($150,000-$200,000).
The Les Grandes Marques Du Monde Au Grand Palais sale takes place in Paris, France, on February 5. For additional details, visit Bonhams.com.
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