Technology in race cars (55): CTA-Arsenal 15V47 - the state Grand Prix car

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Technology in race cars (55): CTA-Arsenal 15V47 - the state Grand Prix car

Created on February 17, 2026

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Collection J. Lory

6

Collection E. Berg

3

DR

3

The Motor, 8 octobre 1947, Revs Institute

2

La Belle France, 12. 1947, Bibliothèque nationale de France

1

Collection F. Marçais

1

L’automobile, No. 208, août 1963, collection SFFC

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Collection E. Favre

1

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - New technology elegantly packaged

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Raymond Sommer at the French GP in Lyon 1947

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Developed in the wind tunnel: Perfectly wired suspension

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Rear end with elegantly interlocked suspension (here without body). Rear torsion bar

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - The motor / drive unit is tilted backwards by 8 degrees

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - During tests with Eugène Martin

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - On the test bench. In front the compressors

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Chassis from behind

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Tightly packed engine compartment

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Impressive camshaft drive at the rear

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Compact car body. Circuit on the left

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Left rear suspension with vertical slide. In the front of the picture the transverse torsion bar

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CTA Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Sectional drawing by Albert Lory

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Poster with the CTA for the French GP of Reims 1948, participation only in the test drives

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - The graphic designers loved the CTA: poster for the 1946 Monaco GP, where it never competed

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - right front suspension. The wheel slides vertically with the rail on the permanently mounted "slider"

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CTA-Arsenal 15V47 (1947) - Chassis from the front. Below: Rigid cross tube to hold the suspension slide. Above: angled torsion bar, which holds the vertically movable suspension rail

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Summary

In the summer of 1946, efforts were made in England to build a national racing car. No wonder France had to join in. Almost 80 years later, a book has now been published that recalls this incredible story.

This article contains the following chapters

CTA and Arsenal
How did this project come about?
From tractor to racing car
Motor
Chassis
Suspension
Brakes
Fuel tanks
Test drives and races
Talbot as savior?
Epilogue

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Note: This article is mainly based on the French publication "CTA Arsenal 15V47" by Sébastien Faurès Fustel, published by Editions Vals d'Allier. If you would like to find out more about this fascinating car, you can order the book HERE . Reinventing the racing car - this theme runs through the entire history of racing car technology until the 1990s. Then, safety regulations and ever-improving simulation tools increasingly led to a technical convergence, to a kind of standardization, so that today Formula 1 cars differ externally almost only by barely perceptible aerodynamic refinements. Before that, outstandingly innovative cars were created every decade, which were not always successful or did not even make it onto the road, but often provided impetus for new standards later on, until these were sometimes called into question again. The "Technology in racing cars" series is dedicated to these cars.

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