Picture Puzzles

[S griffin]

Come on EB answer it, we’re all dying to know. It’s something that intrigues us

[rbs]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Right EB. Was not a DS but an ID. What was so special with the équipage?

Was the ID a cheaper simplified version of the DS.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Right EB. Was not a DS but an ID. What was so special with the équipage?

I know the owner (gentleman driver Paul Coltelloni, famed for Ladies fashion shoes) bought the car in his wife's name, I believe it was delivered in the wrong (Tortoise shell) colour, not the purple / white he had ordered. The purple (Delphinium Blue) was only available on the DS!

He chose the ID because of he felt the lower power of the ID would suit the ice better, and had less hydraulic 'assistances'. (He had previously competed twice in a DS without success. That was on recommendation from M. Trautmann, who had demonstrated the ID strengths at the 'Neige et Glace' 1958

Pierre "Alec" Alexandre was 2nd driver. The 3rd driver, Desrosiers, dressed as a French sailor, was ill with a liver complaint the whole event.
Also Grace Kelly had an outfit to match the car for the trophy presentation.

French entries toop position 1-4 in the overall standings.


This might interest you Gerry.... a comic strip by Jean Gratton on "How we won the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally"

[Gerard C]

See that Paul and others? One question, ten interesting answers! Thanks EB, you made my day with this comic I never heard about before.
For RBS, I was expecting "only" that the équipage was made of three, not two as on usual. More to read/learn in EB answer.

Mainly the ID, as EB states, had a less powerful engine, a "budget" interior trim, dash and exterior trim, manual gearbox and mechanical clutch. The suspension remained identical for both ID and DS, only the brake pedal was different, a kind of mushroom operating on the DS giving the on/off very bad feeling specially in slippy conditions… Ha, and on the ID the wheels were retained by a unique bolt, three nuts for the DS. Dont ask why…

[Gerard C]

All in all, an average question and brilliant answers! Lets go on like that.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

During decades, the entrants were allowed to stop on the road for a special occasion. What occasion? By who?

I think this one can be answered, at least by EB a well known Monte Carlo specialist, and by Viva GT or his wife well known cook…*

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Monte Carlo again.
During decades, the entrants were allowed to stop on the road for a special occasion. What occasion? By who?

Was this for the optional Mont des Mules hillclimb on the Beausoleil-La Turbie road, between the Riviera Palace and the Junction of the Grand Corniche Road? ... held on the Saturday afternoon from 2pm-5pm it had no purpose or bearing on the results but was an optional extra for all competitors.

[Gerard C]

Non, ma biche, ce coup l�* c'est raté mais très bien essayé. If you find why I mentioned Viva's wife you'll be on the right track. Well hope so.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Non, ma biche, ce coup l�* c'est raté mais très bien essayé. If you find why I mentioned Viva's wife you'll be on the right track. Well hope so.

Teams could stop to buy mince pies, is clearly the right answer, if Mrs Vv is involved in the question.

[Gerard C]

Spot on bauble, very good answer. In fact a piece of mince pie was offered at Antraigues by Yves Journey owner of the famous La réserve restaurant. I wonder how you know that…*Well done, old chap!

[Gerard C]

Damned, foutu correcteur d'orthographe…*Its Yves Jouanny actually.

[Gerard C]

An easy one for another loooong lock downed weekend.
Le Mans 1980. You're looking for a particular car. I'm too slow to be qualified but thanks to the organisers I'll be on the grid. I start last of my category, en route for a category win. What is so special with me, something making me a precursor?

[bauble]

Back to pictures, what do these cars have in common?

Usual rules apply.

[rbs]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

An easy one for another loooong lock downed weekend.
Le Mans 1980. You're looking for a particular car. I'm too slow to be qualified but thanks to the organisers I'll be on the grid. I start last of my category, en route for a category win. What is so special with me, something making me a precursor?

The year of confusion, with a strange average of each drivers times to count in qualifying. The organisers allowed more cars to start than originally planed. The last car on the grid was a Porsch 911 that went on to win the GT Class.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

....... What is so special with me, something making me a precursor?

Originally Posted by rbs

The year of confusion, with a strange average of each drivers times to count in qualifying. The organisers allowed more cars to start than originally planed. The last car on the grid was a Porsch 911 that went on to win the GT Class.

Thierry Perrier and Roger Carmillet.

What was so special ws I think the car ran on an ethanol mix fuel. In line with a new French Government initiative for new fuels the ACO incorporated a challenge for 'new fuels' and the #93 car was the only car running on any type of new fuel.

After the race Raymond Gouloumès , the President of the ACO at the time, greeted Thierry Perrier who he said was the only one who "had the guts to take up the challenge of ethanol ..."

[E.B]

A bit more about the fuel, its development story and the race in the words of Thierry Perrier himself.....

“Our 911 SC dated from 1977. We took advantage of the wish to promote new energies issued by the ACO to be on the list of admitted cars. I had read a study on “new energies” published in “L'Automobile”, written by two engineers, Georges Agache and Roger Oswald. With Roger Carmillet who was an instructor at AGACI and who also worked at Ferodo, we therefore met these two people who had worked on an Audi engine running on pure alcohol. Reasonably, we preferred the option of a 50-50 blend, exactly 48% ethanol and 52% gasoline.

The Interprofessional Association of Sugar Beers in France, very interested in the project, provided us with the raw materials and took care of the various essential authorizations. Our mechanics, François Bellepomme and Guy Dardat, set to work to make the necessary modifications to the injection, ignition and heating of the engine compartment.

For those 24 Hours, we had a vat of gasoline, a vat of alcohol and a vat of mixing that we kept, lest we throw something into these vats. The weather that year was appalling. Although it is June, it was cold and it was not ideal for our fuel. Over the course of the race and retirements, we methodically climbed up the rankings. The Porsche ran like clockwork and, apart from changing the brake pads, our only stops were for refueling and tyre changes. Of the 24 hours, our 911 SC was only in front of the booth for 53 minutes. Only three cars did better, and narrowly: the Rondeau M379 B Belga of the Martin brothers and Gordon Spice and the Porsche 924 GT of Andy Rouse / Tony Dron and Derek Bell / Al Holbert, two official Porsches who only spent a few minutes less in the pits!

[Gerard C]

Stunning and amazing answer. Congratulations.

I did know several of the people involved, Carmillet, Perrier and Belpomme. TBH I'm not sure they've been running their mixture during the race but if its written in the books… Making some search for this question I've been surprised to se what kind of picture is associated to my name for instance.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Spot on bauble, very good answer. In fact a piece of mince pie was offered at Antraigues by Yves Journey owner of the famous La réserve restaurant. I wonder how you know that…*Well done, old chap!

Gentlemen, my wife is touched (let me finish Bauble) to have been used as a clue in this international puzzle, thank you!

[Gerard C]

I must admit that introducing this kind of clue when cooking the question has not been… a piece of cake!

[rbs]

Originally Posted by bauble

Back to pictures, what do these cars have in common?

Usual rules apply.

Can we have a clue please? Can not see anything that links these logically.

[356sc]

Originally Posted by rbs

Can we have a clue please? Can not see anything that links these logically.

Blimey if rbs is struggling what hope have the rest of us got?!!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by rbs

Can we have a clue please? Can not see anything that links these logically.

Let's take a look at, say, the Aston Martin, and there is the answer. I think the clever people will instantly have the solution. Lesser intellects (356?) may need to apply the same approach to a few more of the images.

Does that help RB?

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by rbs

Can not see anything that links these logically.

Logically??? What's the meaning of this word here?

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by 356sc

What hope have the rest of us got?

Join "ze" Club!!! What else…

[Kylegibson]

They are all linked to De Haviland engineering (aviation)