1929 Derby Supersport 'Surbaissé'

• Rare and desirable 'surbaissé' (lowered) competition model
• Formerly the property of marque expert, the late Alan Geggus
• Restored by Alan Geggus in the early 1980s
• 'Ruby' engined example

"Foreign involvement included licence assembly in Italy under the name Fadini during 1924-26, while both 4- and 6-cylinder models were sold in England under the name Vernon-Derby from 1927 to 1930. Although entirely of French in manufacture, they carried the Vernon-Derby name on their radiators." - The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile, Volume 1.

Derby motor cars were manufactured by Éts B Montet of Courbevoie, Seine and later at St Denis, Seine. Founded in 1912, the Montet company was engaged in general engineering and after WWI began cyclecar manufacture using war-surplus Harley-Davidson v-twin engines. Models powered by four-cylinder Chapuis-Dornier engines soon followed, and by the end of the 1920s larger cars were being made; engine options expanded to include units supplied by SCAP, Ruby and CIME.

This rare Vintage-era sports car was owned from the 1960s by Alan Geggus, a Vernon-Derby collector, owner and restorer/engineer. Alan and his father owned Diamond Products, a firm well known in the post-war period as suppliers of distilled water and other battery products. Motoring was in Alan's blood. He was a Derby/Vernon fanatic and a true Francophile, knowing virtually everything there was to know about the marque. Alan owned, restored and raced the Vernon-Derby 'MT 1216', winning his class at Le Mans, and only sold that car after he had finished restoring 'WC 1316' in the early 1980s. He also owned and restored the Derby Special 'WC 1413' (formerly 'YR 81').

The current owner bought the car from Alan Geggus, then aged 85, in 2018. He passed away in 2021. According to our vendor: "Inspection of this car tells you what a fanatic Alan was as it's a beautiful work of art. I as current owner cannot believe how lucky I am to have owned this car." The vendor has photographs of this car and Alan Geggus in his other Supersports, together with a number of French magazines containing articles about Derby and Vernon-Derby. A tonneau, jack and wheel-brace may be found behind the seats in the tail section.

It is very important to note that this car is one of the rarer and more desirable 'surbaissé' (lowered) models, with very low ground clearance, which were designed specifically for racing. This particular 'surbaissé' has the desirable French-built Ruby engine, an overhead-valve four of 1,047cc.