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JPW and Wimille - The failure of the French streamline

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Created on February 18, 2022

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Gerhard Schütz

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Archiv

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Daniel Reinhard

9

Gerhard Schütz

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Archiv

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JPW streamliner (1946) - prototype with mid-engine and three seats side by side

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JPW (1946) - The first prototype with a Citroën engine

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JPW (1946) - Rear with Art Deco-style ventilation grilles and tiny rear window

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JPW (1946) - teardrop shape in side line and roof structure

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JPW (1946) - As the windows could not be opened, a sliding roof had to be installed

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Wimille (1948) - Paris Salon 1948: narrow bumpers and higher positioned headlights

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Wimille (1948) - At the Paris Salon in October 1948

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Wimille (1948) - Paris Salon 1948: No trim strips, longer wheelbase

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Wimille (1948) - Angular rear lights, no chrome trim on the air grille yet

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Wimille (1948) - Illustrations from the sales brochure

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Wimille (1949) - further development with only one central headlight. Illustrated in "Science et Vie" 1949

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Wimille (1950) - Last expansion stage of the streamliner with larger bumpers and small air scoops next to the headlights

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Wimille (1950) - The rear half of the side windows can now be retracted

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Wimille (1950) - The 1950 model was given an all-round chrome trim and chrome-plated rear slats

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Wimille (1950) - The view to the rear is significantly better than the original model from 1946

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Wimille (1950) - View of the steering wheel and instruments through the window to the engine compartment

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Wimille (1950) - The driver's seat in the middle is mounted a little further forward than the two passenger seats

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Wimille (1950) - prototype number 3 at the Center Historique de l'Automobile Française in Reims. In the background: the conceptually similar Stout Scarab

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Wimille (1950) - designer Philippe Charbonneaux next to his design at the Centre Historique de l'Automobile Française

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Wimille (1950) - prototype number 3 at a special Charbonneaux exhibition

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Wimille (1950) - Aluminum trim strips add a touch of elegance

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Wimille (1950) - Three-part windshield with central windshield wiper

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Wimille (1950) - Jean-Pierre pushed through the slats against the will of Charbonneaux

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Wimille (1950) - Air scoop on the rear panel and round tail lights

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Wimille (1950) - Third version, drawn by Philippe Charbonneaux - Rétromobile Paris 2016

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Wimille (1950) - signed by the artist - Rétromobile Paris 2016

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Wimille (1950) - Cooling system for the V8 engine from the Ford Vedette - Rétromobile Paris 2016

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Wimille (1950) - The two cars from the Paris Salon 1950 - Rétromobile Paris 2018

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Wimille (1950) - Focus on aerodynamics - Rétromobile Paris 2018

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Wimille (1950) - Rear doors like a Lamborghini Miura - Rétromobile Paris 2018

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Wimille (1950) - the car from the Musée Henri Malartre - Rétromobile Paris 2018

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Alfa-Romeo 308 (1938) - in the Wimille special show - Rétromobile Paris 2018

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JPW (1946) - Wimille's first attempt to build a truly advanced passenger car - Rétromobile Paris 2018

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Wimille (1948) - Drawing of the chassis

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Wimille (1948) - Detailed view of the rear suspension

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Wimille (1948) - Illustration of the cooling air flow

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Ford Vedette (1948) - first presented at the 1948 Paris Motor Show

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Summary

1946: While the European car industry was just restarting production with old pre-war models, French racing driver Jean-Pierre Wimille presented his idea of a car of the future in the form of the radically different JPW with a mid-engine and center steering. This article tells the story of the streamlined car which, despite three attempts, never made the big breakthrough.

This article contains the following chapters

Resistance and wind tunnel
Citroën four-cylinder and self-built V6
Drop shape as the ideal
Chance acquaintances
Ford partnership
The revised prototype
Debut on the siding
Ford's withdrawal
French driving report
Museum pieces

Estimated reading time: 16min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Ever since attending the Paris Motor Show in 1937, Jean-Pierre Wimille had been preoccupied with the question of the car of the future alongside his full-time motorsport career. Nevertheless, driving took priority. And since Wimille, as a thoroughbred racing driver, drove pretty much every race that came his way, very little was initially done on the future car - apart from the plan to build it at some point and collecting ideas. When the Germans invaded France in May 1940, the French naturally had more important things to do than race cars. Like his colleague Robert Benoist, Wimille joined the Resistance to make life as difficult as possible for the occupying forces. As motorsport was forced to take a break worldwide during the war, Wimille finally had time to concretize the plans for his future car alongside his work for the French Resistance. It had to be as fast as possible, of course, as it had been conceived by a racing driver. It had to be as streamlined as possible so that it could reach its high speeds with low engine power and low fuel consumption. Above all, however, it had to be as safe as possible. Based on his experience in motorsport, Wimilles was of the opinion that the driver should sit in the middle of the longitudinal axis of an automobile so that he could see the car equally well on both sides and therefore drive through bends more precisely and therefore more safely. The successful Auto Union racing cars, which Wimille had increasingly seen from behind in his Bugatti, had also convinced him of the mid-engine concept, as it promised a more balanced weight distribution and better road holding.

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