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A weird wing

Today’s weird and wonderful photograph shows us a front-wing design like no other and we would like to know just a little bit more about it.

We’ve seen mudguards, cycle wings, helmet fenders, closed spats and rakishly curved and flared teardrop wings in all sorts and shapes. But there’s not much that comes even close to this Edwardian oddity.

We can imagine that the idea behind this one was to protect the tyre, but while the tyre is almost fully hidden, the wheel itself is not, making us wonder if it’s not there for another reason after all. And how about humps and bumps in the road? Is the big single headlight another clue to this car’s purpose?

That brings us to the vehicle itself, to which these curious wings are fitted. That radiator shape surely must be recognisable to you?

 

Words by Jeroen Booij. Photo from the archive.

 

Publiziert:
Dienstag August 17th, 2021
keith kuehn
17 August 2021, 20:06
I'd think the mud would just pack in there tightly and be a much larger problem than if it weren't there at all! But it sure brought a smile to me as these early ideas sure proves inventors were tremendously interested in making driving better for everybody. Again though...."what were they thinking!"
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Ariejan Bos
17 August 2021, 11:55
From this overview from the magazine Omnia we can learn that the system on the photo was called Morand, probably the name of the inventor.
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Ariejan Bos
17 August 2021, 11:44
This Corre-La Licorne was a participant in the anti-mud trials organised by AC de Seine-et-Oise early February 1912 in Versailles. In the magazine La France Automobile of February 25 the comment was that, though many of the systems tested seemed to to be effective, the sight of them was far from pretty. This La Licorne definitely was equipped with one of the uglier systems!
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Mike Clark
17 August 2021, 10:43
Looks like a US fire truck with that big siren on the side. Could the mudguards be to protect the tyres from heat?

Mike
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Patrick
17 August 2021, 10:38
Looks like a Coor-La Licorne for militair purpose. Protects the tyre for being shot, but keeps the sides open for cleaning all the mud out.
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Patrick
17 August 2021, 11:02
Corre- La Licorne ... hehe, that spell checker
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