Salmson Survivor

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They’re only a combination of iron and steel or aluminium, but some cars really do possess a quality of cuteness. This 1922 Salmson AL trèfle is such a car. A diminutive cyclecar with a small but well-engineered 1100cc four-pushrod engine which buzzes excitedly at the thought of being driven, its fundamental attributes are quite sufficient to make it very appealing. Time has only enhanced what the factory started, leaving its own jaunty stamp of irregularity on a car that was already particularly jaunty and irregular.

1922 Salmson AL

One is first drawn to the extreme projection of the front axle beyond the radiator, which is curiously reminiscent of the Model T rail jobs of 1950s California drag strips. Erected in full, the bizarrely-proportioned weather gear has a ramshackle appearance, like the first effort of an enthusiastic but incompetent Boy Scout to pitch his tent. There’s nothing incompetent about it, though. It all works perfectly, even after years languishing in a French barn, and it was its time in the wilderness which bestowed the soft patina which makes it even more attractive, the patchy paint, cracked leather and dulled brass distinguishing it as a survivor against all odds.

Sympathetically resurrected by a master mechanic, the Salmson is now enjoying a new lease of life in which it will fascinate, titillate and enchant admirers. Matthew Bell is one of the first to fall for its charms in the August issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

Words by Zack Stiling. Photographs by Reverendpixel.

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