Minerva type AC coupé-chauffeur
Not registered Engine # 53009 - A very rare and interesting model - Prestigious brand - Base for a good restoration With a brand name that bears the mark, it is logical that its emblem is a helmeted head of Minerva. A goddess of war, but also of wisdom, Minerva features one of the most prestigious of Belgian automotive brands. Created at the beginning of the century by the brothers de Jong, of Dutch origin, the models were designed to take on the best from Rolls-Royce and Hispano-Suiza. Fairly quickly, the brothers de Jong adopted the sliding sleeves engine developed by Charles Knight, with delicate lubrication but smoother and quieter than conventional mechanical distribution. This type of engine was also used by brands such as Panhard and others, for the same reasons. The Minerva on offer is a Type AC, the top end of the range at the time, powered by a 5.3-liter six-cylinder engine. The original body style, a coupe landaulet, was modified at the driver end by removing the front part of the roof. A Willy Vanden Plas coachwork, the car is devoid of registration document but what can be deduced from its chassis number is that it was produced before 1927. It belonged to a collector from the Lyon region, whose children inherited the car in 2009. It has seen the beginnings of a restoration, particularly with regard to the body, and the interior features leatherette upholstery at the front, while the rear compartment is comfortably done up in red velvet. Regarding the mechanicals, the engine has seized and some elements are missing, as is the exhaust, the control of the ignition timing and accelerator. The electrical requires repair. However, the base is very healthy and the missing parts are not that difficult to find. This rare car, which still has the head of Minerva atop the radiator, deserves a good restoration that will take it back to the elegance and prestige that this car represented in the 1920s.
Not registered Engine # 53009 - A very rare and interesting model - Prestigious brand - Base for a good restoration With a brand name that bears the mark, it is logical that its emblem is a helmeted head of Minerva. A goddess of war, but also of wisdom, Minerva features one of the most prestigious of Belgian automotive brands. Created at the beginning of the century by the brothers de Jong, of Dutch origin, the models were designed to take on the best from Rolls-Royce and Hispano-Suiza. Fairly quickly, the brothers de Jong adopted the sliding sleeves engine developed by Charles Knight, with delicate lubrication but smoother and quieter than conventional mechanical distribution. This type of engine was also used by brands such as Panhard and others, for the same reasons. The Minerva on offer is a Type AC, the top end of the range at the time, powered by a 5.3-liter six-cylinder engine. The original body style, a coupe landaulet, was modified at the driver end by removing the front part of the roof. A Willy Vanden Plas coachwork, the car is devoid of registration document but what can be deduced from its chassis number is that it was produced before 1927. It belonged to a collector from the Lyon region, whose children inherited the car in 2009. It has seen the beginnings of a restoration, particularly with regard to the body, and the interior features leatherette upholstery at the front, while the rear compartment is comfortably done up in red velvet. Regarding the mechanicals, the engine has seized and some elements are missing, as is the exhaust, the control of the ignition timing and accelerator. The electrical requires repair. However, the base is very healthy and the missing parts are not that difficult to find. This rare car, which still has the head of Minerva atop the radiator, deserves a good restoration that will take it back to the elegance and prestige that this car represented in the 1920s.