Details
1949 AEL ST. PHALL
Registration No. Not UK registered
Chassis No. 118-53-75
Engine No. 121-212-47
For restoration
Engine: four cylinder, in line, 1,543cc, 76bhp at 4,900rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Brakes: four wheel drum; Suspension: front double wishbone with twin transverse leaf springs, rear, independent with single transverse leaf springs, hydraulic shock absorbers. Right hand drive.
The AEL St. Phall was originally conceived as a light, aerodynamic touring car well suited to long distance endurance-style racing. It was designed and built by Dr. Andre Le Pelletier, a well known and respected figure in the pre-war French motor racing scene and partner with the renowned Charles Deutsch and Renee Bonnet of DB Panhard fame. Le Pelletier's father achieved fame by designing the French World War I 75mm cannon and Hotchkiss machine gun. Andre carried forward the inventive tradition designing and building his first car in 1907, at the age of sixteen. He later designed and flew his own glider and found additional time to become a medical doctor, a poet of the Victor Hugo school and an accomplished musician. Between 1908 and 1946, Le Pelletier designed and built ten cars including an astonishing three-wheeler with rear-mounted supercharged engine and a top speed of over 105mph. His last pre-war car named "Le Mickey", powered by a similar engine to the St. Phall, finished fourth at the Grand Prix des Fontiers in Chinay. In 1939 Le Pelletier was ready to go into production with a small car similar in concept to the Citroen 2CV. Sadly, the arrival of war intervened and the two prototypes were destroyed.
The AEL St. Phall was his second post-war car venture and was also destined to be his last. An extremely advanced design, it uses a Citroen traction avant engine and transmission modified for racing by Deutsch-Bonnet, with DB aluminium cylinder head, EPAF inlet manifold and twin solex carburettors. The body and the chassis are almost entirely made of aluminium but with a cylindrical tube backbone chassis. With its low-drag, tank-style body fitted with an aero screen and a finished weight of only 1,400 pounds, it managed a maximum speed of more than 112mph. Although it was originally built with a view to Le Mans entry, the owner has been unable to trace its early competition history and it was road registered in 1952, being fitted with very attractive art deco-style bumpers, V-shaped windscreen and rare after-market aluminium wheels. The car was shipped to the UK in 1973 and exhibited at the Classic Car Show in Brighton in 1982. In 1984, it was described in Auto Retro Magazine and La Vie de L'Auto. A full restoration was then entrusted to Peacock Automobile Engineers in Leicestershire with a view to restoring it to its original touring condition. At this time the body's aluminium skin was replaced wherever electrolytic corrosion had occurred, using the original steel rivets. The engine and gearbox were stripped, rebuilt and tested. The suspension and brakes were fully rebuilt. When the bulk of the restoration was complete and only the wiring loom, seat construction and trim, windscreen fabrication and painting remained to be done, the owner's circumstances changed and the car was road tested and then put into storage. The current owner rescued the car in 1994 when it was about to lose its storage. With many restoration projects currently underway, he would now like to see it go to someone who can restore it to its former glory in the near future.
Registration No. Not UK registered
Chassis No. 118-53-75
Engine No. 121-212-47
For restoration
Engine: four cylinder, in line, 1,543cc, 76bhp at 4,900rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Brakes: four wheel drum; Suspension: front double wishbone with twin transverse leaf springs, rear, independent with single transverse leaf springs, hydraulic shock absorbers. Right hand drive.
The AEL St. Phall was originally conceived as a light, aerodynamic touring car well suited to long distance endurance-style racing. It was designed and built by Dr. Andre Le Pelletier, a well known and respected figure in the pre-war French motor racing scene and partner with the renowned Charles Deutsch and Renee Bonnet of DB Panhard fame. Le Pelletier's father achieved fame by designing the French World War I 75mm cannon and Hotchkiss machine gun. Andre carried forward the inventive tradition designing and building his first car in 1907, at the age of sixteen. He later designed and flew his own glider and found additional time to become a medical doctor, a poet of the Victor Hugo school and an accomplished musician. Between 1908 and 1946, Le Pelletier designed and built ten cars including an astonishing three-wheeler with rear-mounted supercharged engine and a top speed of over 105mph. His last pre-war car named "Le Mickey", powered by a similar engine to the St. Phall, finished fourth at the Grand Prix des Fontiers in Chinay. In 1939 Le Pelletier was ready to go into production with a small car similar in concept to the Citroen 2CV. Sadly, the arrival of war intervened and the two prototypes were destroyed.
The AEL St. Phall was his second post-war car venture and was also destined to be his last. An extremely advanced design, it uses a Citroen traction avant engine and transmission modified for racing by Deutsch-Bonnet, with DB aluminium cylinder head, EPAF inlet manifold and twin solex carburettors. The body and the chassis are almost entirely made of aluminium but with a cylindrical tube backbone chassis. With its low-drag, tank-style body fitted with an aero screen and a finished weight of only 1,400 pounds, it managed a maximum speed of more than 112mph. Although it was originally built with a view to Le Mans entry, the owner has been unable to trace its early competition history and it was road registered in 1952, being fitted with very attractive art deco-style bumpers, V-shaped windscreen and rare after-market aluminium wheels. The car was shipped to the UK in 1973 and exhibited at the Classic Car Show in Brighton in 1982. In 1984, it was described in Auto Retro Magazine and La Vie de L'Auto. A full restoration was then entrusted to Peacock Automobile Engineers in Leicestershire with a view to restoring it to its original touring condition. At this time the body's aluminium skin was replaced wherever electrolytic corrosion had occurred, using the original steel rivets. The engine and gearbox were stripped, rebuilt and tested. The suspension and brakes were fully rebuilt. When the bulk of the restoration was complete and only the wiring loom, seat construction and trim, windscreen fabrication and painting remained to be done, the owner's circumstances changed and the car was road tested and then put into storage. The current owner rescued the car in 1994 when it was about to lose its storage. With many restoration projects currently underway, he would now like to see it go to someone who can restore it to its former glory in the near future.