Tracta 1926-1934 - French front-wheel drive car even before the Traction Avant
Summary
There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is Tracta, a pioneer of front-wheel drive between 1926 and 1934. The legendary Citroën Traction Avant of 1934 was not the first French "front-wheel drive" car. Rather, the French pioneer of this type of drive was J. A. Grégoire, who founded Automobiles Tracta in 1926. Their front-wheel drive was based on patents held by Pierre Fenaille and J. A. Grégoire and used four-piece joints which, when joined together to form two interlocking hemispheres, enabled a large angle between the half-shaft and the drive.
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The legendary Citroën Traction Avant from 1934 was not the first French "front-wheel drive" car. Rather, the French pioneer of this type of drive was J. A. Grégoire, who founded Automobiles Tracta in 1926. Their front-wheel drive was based on patents held by Pierre Fenaille and J. A. Grégoire and used four-part joints which, when joined together to form two interlocking hemispheres, enabled a large angle between the half-shaft and the drive. The French trade press recognized the future potential of the front-wheel drive: significantly better riding characteristics thanks to a lower centre of gravity. The first Tracta was powered by a Scap engine in the 1.1 L class. The gearbox was housed under a sloping cover with cooling slots in front of the front axle. In addition to coupés, there were also open torpedo bodies. J. A. Grégoire drove one of these in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where his brand achieved great recognition for front-wheel drive in 1929 with 9th and 10th place.
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