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1925 Antony 1500 Sports Chepuis Dornier

Another interesting photo received from our Forums Sleuth, Mark Dawber (New Zealand), from a forum of old photos asking for more information on the vehicle which appears to have the name Antony on it? -- Automobiles Antony operated in France from Duai near Belgian border 1921-1932, making a total of some 60 cars, formerly prosperous cycle dealer. Mother financed first car 1921 with Ruby engine, later CIME, four seat tourers and sports. Also few 350 and 500cc Harrisard powered small Bold'Or racers cars. 

Not much is generally known about Automobiles Antony which started in Douai on the river Scarpe nearby Lille and the Belgian border. Medieval town of significance in the local area which in 1712 was almost entirely destroyed by the British Army. Subsequently known for the airfield at La Brayelle which was very important in the history of French aviation. It operated from 1907 to 1956, and in 1909 was the site of the world's first Concourse D'Aviation. A hurricane downed one of the hangars destroying amongst others the budding 'gyroscope' and also the 'tilt rotor canard biplane'. Prizes were available for speed contests, circuits of airfield and cross-country events. Most flights were at some 10 to 30m height, some achieving distances of over 50km and yet other competitions were able to reach a balloon tethered to 120m above the ground. Record of over 150m was achieved. Although there many competitors, it was Louis Bleriot who walked away with most of the main prizes. During the hostilities of the subsequent World War I, Douai was under German control and La Brayelle airfield was a base of Manfred von Richthofen, the dreaded Red Baron.

La Brayelle Airfield, Douai, - 1909 First Concourse D'Aviation

Not much is known about Automobiles Antony, and that which is known, seems to be copy/paste from one probable source. Story goes that the company was started in 1921 by Louis-Auguste Antony, whose family had been successful local cycle dealers. Mother financed Louis-Auguste to build his first car based on a Ruby engine car. Subsequent cars followed using CIME engines. 1924 Catalogue showed an 8 cylinder car with a SCAP engine, but none built. Most cars were built to order with bespoke coachwork. Some isolated small competition cars were also made using 350 and 500cc Hannisard motorcycle engines. The epitaph of the Antony histories is that they made a maximum of 60 cars, some surviving into the 1950s.

Digging a bit deeper advises that Louis-Auguste (1885-1958) was a talented engineer who had learned quickly at the family bicycle shop developing cycles, motorcycles and motorised vehicles. He obtained his engineering diploma, and his driving licence, by 1901, and seems to have been into motor sport from a very early age driving for SCAP, Suere and FIAT. It seems he was also instrumental in developing, presumably at La Brayelle airfield, the Anzani aero engine Louis Bleriot used to cross the Channel. At the end of the Great War Louis-Auguste was campaigning a rapid but rudimentary Ruby based friction drive car which coincided with him inheriting the family 'garage' in 1920. There he started building his first commercial car, a four-seat torpedo bodied conventional tourer with a 1500cc CIME engine. A few were built but this was not an immediate financial success. He seems to have achieved much more success, and some fame, by building and racing, a number of racing cars, and for having a factory racing team "The Blue Mice".

In his racing car range he had a number of models made to specific order and specification. Three of his pointed mid 1920s 'pointed blue racers' fitted with Chapuis Dornier 1500 engines are currently still in use. One of the smaller racing cars he regularly used himself was the 1929 Atony Bergamotte which also survives today. It was one of six cars that had remained hidden and forgotten in a barn nearby for about for 60 years. Bergamotte, and the four other cars, were very unusual for a car, let alone racing car, in having chain drive, no differential, having no rear brakes, as well as having a transverse front spring at the front of a lowered type chassis!! It was fitted at various times with either a 350 single two-stroke, 350 single four-stroke or a 500 twin Harrissard four stroke, or bigger JAP alcohol engines, which enable the car to compete, and win, in many different classes and categories. It competed throughout Europe, especially in Germany and France, and at the Bol d'Or, gaining class wins, in 1930/1/2/33/47/48. Bergamotte survived a full rebuild when it was fitted with a recent British Triumph twin engine and continues to campaign!

Relatively early on in his working career Louis-Auguste also took on the preservation and restoration of vintage cars and was one of the pioneer drivers of the current historical racing car movement. Cars he restored and raced included a 1907 FIAT Granf Prix. was also interested in building steam engines from scratch, which also remain in preservation. Louis-Auguste Antoni, a typical jollie quirky corpulant French technical entrepreneur, continued racing into 1948 and died in 1958 at the age of 73. Despite the very small number of cars that his company made, about 20% or so still survive today competing, - which is quite a ratio.

1929 Antony Bergamotte before restoration

1929 Antony Bergamotte after restoration