The CTA-Arsenal is a French racing car which was developed by the ''Centre for the study of car and cycle technology'' then abbreviated as CTA but today renamed as the UTAC and constructed by

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

at Châtillon. Two cars were eventually built. The car was intended as the French "national single seat racing car" to compete against

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

but the project was abandoned because the car proved incapable of finishing the races in which it was scheduled to appear.

Origins

In 1945

Raymond Sommer Pierre Raymond Sommer (31 August 1906 – 10 September 1950) was a French racing driver. He raced both before and after WWII with some success, particularly in endurance racing. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in both and , and al ...

, who had won the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

, informed the engineers at the CTA about his project to construct a racing car that could represent France in motor races. He persuaded

Marcel Paul Marcel Paul (; 12 July 1900 – 11 November 1982) was a French trade unionist and Communism, communist politician. He was also a Nazism, Nazi concentration camp survivor and later served as a member of the French parliament. Biography Marcel P ...

, the industry minister, to release government funds in order that the CTA might work on the project. Albert Lory, who had built his reputation with

Delage Delage is a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953. On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...

in the 1920s, was placed in charge of the project team, but he only took responsibility for the engine, being highly critical of the chassis and suspension design which he, along with independent commentators, regarded as the car's weak spot. In 1947 the car was entered for the

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...

, and the race, run that year at

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, was postponed till 21 September to enable it to compete. Unfortunately the transmission broke on the start line, and the record shows that it was placed last after completing zero laps. Nevertheless, the next year the CTA-Arsenal team returned to the fray, now with two cars built. It was scheduled to feature in the

, run at

Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

in July 1948, but had to withdraw at the last minute. The race was won by an

. The car made its second and final race appearance in 1949 before the project was abandoned and the project team leader, Albert Lory, joined

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

as the director responsible for research.

Technical

Lory designed a high performance 1 482 cc

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...

incorporating four overhead camshafts and two Roots compressors. This unit initially provided 215 hp at 6,000 rpm. By 1948 the engine had been modified to produce a maximum of 275 hp at 8,000 rpm. However, it was matched to a transmission system that one commentator described as "delicate". The chassis employed independent suspension with longitudinal torsion bars at the front and lateral torsion bars at the rear, with wheels mounted on "silent blocks" that permitted vertical movement. The road holding provided by this combination was reported to be catastrophic. Stopping power came from hydraulically controlled drum brakes and the car sat on

Rudge-Whitworth Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British bicycle, bicycle saddle, motorcycle and sports car wheel manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894, Whitworth Cycle Company, Whitworth Cycle Co. of Birmingham, fou ...

spoked wheels.

Sources and further reading

{{Reflist

External links

CTA-Arsenal bei 8W (english)

* ttp://www.ultimatecarpage.com/gallery/20529/CTA-Arsenal.html Foto des CTA-Arsenal am GP für historische Fahrzeuge in Monaco 2010 bei ultimatecarpage.com (englisch)
CTA-Arsenal bei diccionario.motorgiga.com (spanisch)

Motor des CT-Arsenal auf dem Prüfstand (youtube)

1962 photo of unrestored CTA-Arsenal
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Car manufacturers of France

Origins

Technical

Sources and further reading

See also

External links