Can someone who speaks French help? Looking for a higher resolution photo of this T

[Rob]

I need help Finding a higher resolution copy of the T racer below. The source is a French website. I believe the source is a national library:

2nd photo showing the driver, Henri Depasse, French Ford Agent and his mechanician. The car was set to run in the June 1911 light car race at Boulogne France;

The racer was declared ineligible due to a non-standard motor and body. The racer was under weight according to rules and since it was not stock it wasn't allowed to run. This article from "Motor" magazine describes the race, and the Ford situation:

I've tried searching "gallica.bnf.fr with no success because the site is in French. Thanks in advance for any help,
Rob

A colorized version of the racer:

[DLodge]

Rob, I went to the link you gave and it was in English. Looked closer and saw that it had defaulted to the English version of the website. In the upper right-hand corner, you should see a two-letter abbreviation with a down-arrow. The three options are FR (French), EN (English) and IT (Italian). Try changing it to EN and see if that helps.

[davidn]

Hi Rob, Check whether you think the photo at
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6915856t
looks a bit clearer? HTH, David

[davidn]

Rob, for the second photo, the website's search:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/services/engine/ ... 29&filter=

The ninth photo on the second page of results is:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... k=515024;0

[davidn]

Another photo of Depasse:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... =1866962;0

Search images with publication date 1911 and containing Boulogne and Ford:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/services/engine/ ... 29&filter=

[Allan]

The French have a long history of eliminating the opposition in racing. They disqualified the Mini Cooper S after it won the Monte Carlo rally, on the technicality that its headlights dipped to the wrong side.

Allan from down under.

[John E. Guitar]

There are some terrific photos of that race on Gallica.

Coupe des voiturettes à Boulogne sur Mer : Zuccarelli en course : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... 0sur%20mer

Coupe des voiturettes à Boulogne sur Mer, Zuccarelli sur Hispano-Suiza : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... 0sur%20mer

Coupe des voiturettes à Boulogne sur Mer : le moteur de l'Hispano Suiza de Zuccarelli : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... 0sur%20mer

Boulogne, 25-6-11, La Peugeot de Zuccarelli après son accident [Coupe des voitures légères] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... 0sur%20mer

As noted on Gallica.bnf.fr, these images are all royalty free for non-commercial

[John E. Guitar]

I think I've fallen down a rabbit hole.

La Targa Florio : Sofia sur Ford : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b ... tem.r=ford

[Rob]

Thank you for the great links. I agree, this rabbit hole may take me through part of February.

These are much higher resolution that what I had. This shows Henri Depasse and his mechanician during the pre-Grand Prix Voiturette race. This is the Ford Special racer sent from Detroit. Initiall reports were that Frank Kulick would drive the racer. However, Kulick had a full schedule in the U.S. racing Ford special racers throughout the country during 1911.

One article reports this is about a 300 cubic inch engine, meaning it may be the same size as the one in our Ford Special project. While the Ford was prevented from making the race, it was allowed to run in the 1 Kilometer races, being timed at 69 mph over one Km:

The Ford Special was readied for the Gran Prix to be held in July, shedding the speedster body. Unfortunately the racer wrecked while running over the course, and Depasse's mechanician was killed:

Still, the Ford was rebuilt and made the Mont Ventoux hill climb, coming in second in all classes.

[dlmyers]

Why is there a license plate in the photo of the wrecked car?

[dlmyers]

Ok sorry I see it now in the later photo.

[Rob]

These were road races, so I suspect most of the cars had license plates, even if not displayed during the competition.

This Lion-Peugeot came in second in the light car race Ford was a excluded from. You can see a license plate just below the cross on the radiator, to the left of center:

This six cylinder Rossel ran in the hill climb (Ford took 2nd). There is a license plate barely visible below the semi elliptic springs, seen through the right front wheel spokes. Ford beat both cars on the hill climb:

[Rob]

Thanks Allan, Dick, John and all. I've found quite a lot of info (and learning a few words of French) in French digital archives. I've known a Ford racer was sent to France to run in the Grand Prix in 1911, and that it wrecked and didn't make the race. I didn't know the racer was denied entry due to weight (or lack of) the first of four events it was scheduled to run in. I also didnt' know the racer was a Ford Special capable of over 80 mph, and that it ran in two other well known and publicized events. I'll start another thread with some of the info. I checked my copy of "Ford Racing Histroy" and found nothing of this adventure. I also googled Ford racing in France and found nothing. Looks like we need to recover more early Ford history.

[Wayne Sheldon]

Well, I am all for reading about French Ford racing history! This is some incredible stuff!