Gregor Wenner
Specialist Consultant
LOT 177
1914 Germain Torpedo Chassis no. 8005 Engine no. 36269
Sold for €25,300 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 177
Offered from a Belgian collection
1914 Germain Torpedo
1914 Germain Torpedo
1914 Germain Torpedo
Chassis no. 8005
Engine no. 36269
Chassis no. 8005
Engine no. 36269
• Short-lived Belgian make
• Believed resident in Belgium from new
• One of only a very few built
• Present ownership since the 1970s
• An older restoration
• Running condition
Established manufacturers of railway carriages and tramcars, the Belgian firm of SA des Automobiles Germain built motorcars from 1898 to 1914, later models having sleeve-valve engines. This four-cylinder Germain's chassis plate reveals that it is a 13HP model, which we believe is a Type S. It is most likely that this car has remained in Belgium its entire life.
The Germain was discovered in the 1970s in Charleroi (very close to where it was built new) and was bought by the collection's late owner, who has kept the car ever since, restoring it in the late/early 1990s/2000s. The Germain had belonged to a lady in Charleroi, whose father was a jeweller; there was a secret glovebox beneath the floor in the back to keep the valuable jewellery as he travelled. Interestingly, the car comes with a 1941 Erfassungs-bescheinigung (registration certificate, signed by the local mayor) when the car belonged to a watchmaker or dealer in Jumet, a district of the Charleroi municipality in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. During restoration a shade of khaki green was found under the olive green, perhaps indicating that the Germain had been requisitioned during WWI for use as a military vehicle. The car starts and runs.
Accompanying documentation consists of a quantity of old photographs; some general information and leaflets about Germain; and a 2015 article featuring this actual car. Although they have been requested from the Belgian authorities, this Germain currently does not come with any original registration documents.
• Believed resident in Belgium from new
• One of only a very few built
• Present ownership since the 1970s
• An older restoration
• Running condition
Established manufacturers of railway carriages and tramcars, the Belgian firm of SA des Automobiles Germain built motorcars from 1898 to 1914, later models having sleeve-valve engines. This four-cylinder Germain's chassis plate reveals that it is a 13HP model, which we believe is a Type S. It is most likely that this car has remained in Belgium its entire life.
The Germain was discovered in the 1970s in Charleroi (very close to where it was built new) and was bought by the collection's late owner, who has kept the car ever since, restoring it in the late/early 1990s/2000s. The Germain had belonged to a lady in Charleroi, whose father was a jeweller; there was a secret glovebox beneath the floor in the back to keep the valuable jewellery as he travelled. Interestingly, the car comes with a 1941 Erfassungs-bescheinigung (registration certificate, signed by the local mayor) when the car belonged to a watchmaker or dealer in Jumet, a district of the Charleroi municipality in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. During restoration a shade of khaki green was found under the olive green, perhaps indicating that the Germain had been requisitioned during WWI for use as a military vehicle. The car starts and runs.
Accompanying documentation consists of a quantity of old photographs; some general information and leaflets about Germain; and a 2015 article featuring this actual car. Although they have been requested from the Belgian authorities, this Germain currently does not come with any original registration documents.
Footnotes
En provenance d'une collection belge
Germain torpédo 1914
Châssis n° 8005
Moteur n° 36269
• Marque belge éphémère
• Probablement en belgique depuis son origine
• L'une des très rares Germain construites
• Aux mains de l'actuel propriétaire depuis les années 1970
• Restauration ancienne
• En état de marche
Fabricant de wagons et de tram renommé, la Société anonyme des Automobiles Germain a construit des automobiles de 1898 à 1914, ses derniers modèles ayant des moteurs sans soupape. La plaque de châssis de cette quatre cylindres Germain nous apprend qu'il s'agit d'un modèle 13 HP ce que nous pensons correspondre au type S. Il y a fort à parier que cette voiture a passé toute sa vie en Belgique.
La Germain a été découverte dans les années 1970 à Charleroi (tout près de l'endroit où elle fut construite) et fut achetée par le défunt propriétaire de la collection qui l'a conservée depuis cette date, la restaurant à la fin des années 1990 et au début des années 2000. La Germain avait appartenu à une dame de Charleroi, dont le père était joailler. Il y avait une boîte à gants secrète sous le plancher à l'arrière pour sécuriser les bijoux de valeur lorsqu'il voyageait. Il est intéressant de noter que la voiture est vendue avec un Erfassungs-bescheinigung (un certificat d'immatriculation, signé par le maire) de 1941 alors que la voiture appartenait à un horloger de Jumet, un district de la municipalité de Charleroi dans la province du Hainaut, en Belgique. Au cours de sa restauration on a trouvé une nuance de vert kaki sous le vert olive, indiquant peut-être que la Germain avait été réquisitionnée au cours de la première guerre comme véhicule militaire. La voiture démarre et fonctionne parfaitement.
La documentation qui l'accompagne comprend une grande quantité de photographies anciennes, des informations et des livrets sur Germain et un article de 2015 sur cette voiture-là. Bien qu'ils aient été demandés aux autorités belges, cette Germain ne sera pas vendue avec ses papiers d'immatriculation originaux.
Additional information
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