Restored Cars

Jacques Fauvet

Jacques Fauvet was a carpenter in Maxey-sur-Meuse (88). In the 1990s he completely recreated a wooden body to restore a Cottin & Desgouttes from which he had recovered the chassis and some parts. A new cylinder head was made to replace the original one which was defective. The car has been stored in a garage for several years. If you are interested in buying it, get in touch with his daughter Claire.

Cottin Desgouttes 16M3S

Brian Knight sent us this message:

I am looking for engine parts for my Cottin et Desgouttes 16M3S. You will see in the pictures that the crank case is damaged and has been repaired. Unfortunately, the repair is unsatisfactory and the experts are saying it needs to be replaced. Does anyone know of a replacement casting or even a complete engine? I am also missing a water pump if you have one? Contact me on bgk0802@hotmail.com

A 1931 Sans-Secousse

This 1931 Sans Secousse was originally restored by a Dutch collector (see article in German, also available in French). It was owned since the early 1990s by Horst Cottin (not related to the Cottin of Cottin & Desgouttes) who recently sent us new pictures of this beautifully preserved automobile which he regularly drove. In 2013, the German television channel WDR broadcast a documentary entitled “The Man Named Like his Car“. The car was sold again in 2018 to Vincent Targe, a collector from Lyons, and is therefore now back in the city where it was originally built.

For Sale in Switzerland

These parts were available in Switzerland.

A new Cottin & Desgouttes back on the Road

Martin Fuller sent us the following message:

I contacted you last year regarding a 1924 Cottin & Desgouttes that a friend owns. It is now back on the road and I have enclosed some pictures and all the information we have on its history. If anyone can add any more information we would be glad to find out.

1924 Cottin & Desgouttes Type 16. M.3.S. with British Weyman body.  Purchased by current owner from scrap yard in Leicestershire England 1950 and fully restored. The only other information we have is that the car was registered in the name of Merchants Motor Transport Syndicate Ltd,  3 Blenheim Street, New Bond Street, London W1, then registered in Colyton Devon 20 July 1936 and then again on the 13 May 1947 in Harwood near Bideford in Devon.

A message from Graham Hare of interest to Martin Fuller

In 1948 I was serving with the 8th Hussars as a vehicle electrician stationed at Stoughton Airfield, a former WW2 RAF airfield near Leicester.  The regimental Technical Adjutant (a captain whose name I have forgotten) had two cars, an Hispano-Suiza, which he used regularly, and a Cottin-Desgouttes which was parked on the grass alongside the mechanical workshop, covered with a tarpaulin and never moved.  I do not know whether or not it was capable of running.  Nor can I remember the registration number, but the photo of YK 3377 looks very much like the car as I remember it.  Early in 1950 the regiment moved to Tidworth in Wiltshire leaving the airfield deserted.  The Technical Adjutant moved his Hispano-Suiza to Tidworth but I cannot say what happened to the Cottin-Desgouttes

In 1952 I bought the book  ‘Continental Sports Cars’ by William Boddy and on page 58 read the following entry:

COTTIN-DESGOUTTES
Before the Kaiser War the French manufacturers of the Cottin-Desgouttes “built big” and a chain-drive 120 x 160-mm. “Forty” turned up in this country during the war, but has not, alas, up to the time of writing been seen in V.S.C.C. or Veteran C.C. events. After the war the fast model was the push-rod o.h.v. 4-litre, one of which, raced at Brooklands by Hornsted, now lives at a garage in Harrogate, and another of which turned up recently at a Midlands breaker’s yard. [my italics] The make ceased to be represented in this country after 1929. These cars finished second and third to a Peugeot in the French Touring Car Grand Prix of 1924.

It seems very likely that the car restored by the friend of Martin Fuller was the car formerly owned by the Technical Adjutant.  The 8th Hussars were amalgamated with another Hussar regiment to form the  Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.   The Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars Museum is located at The Redoubt Fortress in Eastbourne The museum may hold back copies of the regimental magazine of the 8th Hussars which would have a list of serving officers and their function.
I hope this is of some help.
Best wishes
Graham Hare   

Cottin-Desgouttes Cars in Australia

This classy limousine was restored by Geoff Fullard in Australia. The first two pictures are from an article published in “The Age“. The full text of this article can be downloaded from their Web site (for a small fee).

John Cherry owned a similar car and had started its complete restoration. Read more about it here.

 

John had also sent us the following pages from the Feb1979 issue of Restored Cars, showing the car owned by Ron Edgerton (with some annotations and alterations).

 

Ian Hancock recently wrote :

My maternal grandfather was the Australian Importer of Cottin & Desgouttes from the early 1920’s. His name was Monty Bennett and he operated from a service garage at Chapel Street, South Yarra.
For several years I have searched for cars in and around Melbourne and have found 2. The first belonged to Ron Edgerton and I understand he sold it to a Paris Museum in the late 1990’s. Ron was a racing driver and car dealer. This could be the very car that John Cherry holds an advertisement for.
The second belonged to an elderly gentleman who lived in East Malvern. I actually saw that car 10 years ago in his garage. The body had been removed but the rolling chassis and engine was fully restored. He had owned the car for over 50 years and intended completing its restoration. Later I understand he sold it to a former soldier living in Melbourne and I lost track of the car.
My mother tells a wonderful story of being driven to kindergarten in the mid 1930’s in her mums 1926 sports tourer and being thrown out of the dickie seat as they rounded a corner.  

He also sent some photos of a car he found under restoration :

I hope you can trace the car from its origins. The compliance plate has 2 serial numbers being “10 N 3 S” and No: 240V2   Interestingly, all the timber work on the car has the number “710” on each piece and I can only assume this car was fully built in Lyon and shipped out. Can you trace this car and tell me any details about it please ?

I am afraid I cannot help tracing the car. If someone has information on serial numbers, please send it to me and I will forward it to Ian.

Ray Farleys’ 1924 Grand Prix Tourer

This car is for sale. If you are interested, send an email to the seller.

Cottin-Frères

The Cottin family, quality wine producers in the Burgundy region  (Labouré-Roi) own several cars, including a 1911 Cottin & Desgouttes and a Sans Secousse.

 

Many thanks to Louis Cottin for his contributions to the Cottin & Desgouttes web site.

Pantin

This Type D (1910-1912) used to be in the Centre International de l’Automobile in Pantin. It was used for the opening sequence in the film La vie est un roman by Alain Resnais. Other pictures are available here.

Grand Prix 1911

George Wingard from Eugen, Oregon is a collector of older cars. He recently restored this 1911 Cottin & Desgouttes. This is the same car that set fastest lap time in the 1911 French Grand Prix and later won at the 1911 and 1912 Ventoux Meetings.  It can be seen in the film Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. More on this car here.

The Berliet Fondation

The Berliet Foundation recently restored a “Sans Secousse” that raced in the 1930 Saharan Rallye. More information here.

Henri Malartre

In 1986, Henri Malartre, the founder of the museum at Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, restored this Cottin-Desgouttes of the same model as the one that won the Grand Prix in Lyon in 1924. More information here.

Lyon (Rhône) – 1904-1933