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Tour Index
1956 Avolette Tourisme (de Luxe)

In the Mid-50's Egon Brutsch sold the license for building his three-wheeled vehicles to the Cessna aircraft distributor for France, named Societe Air-Tourist. Not satisfied with merely reproducing the open three-wheeler, they designed their own vehicle with a tubular body frame. Construction took place in an aircraft hangar near the Paris airport. The Paris Salon of 1955 saw the introduction of five versions of their egg-shaped doorless vehicles.

The suspension by Neidhart was rubber-in-torsion; the steering was by flexible cable. This example, the 200 SC, (S for Sachs, C for coupe), uses the familiar Messerschmitt motor with a swing axle driving the single rear wheel. The upper shell was reinforced with a simple tube cage and the fenders protected with polished aluminum casings, which were also used as step-plates.

The Avolette was available in five different versions, all with single-cylinder, 2-stroke motors and 3 or 4 wheels. The Competition Deluxe utilized a differently styled fiberglass shell. There was a connection to the Societe France Jet, in 1958, producing Brutsch's V2N design.

Numerous accessories were available at extra charge, including the forward-tilt hardtop, luggage carrier, hubcaps, and windshield wiper, all to be seen on this car.

Manufacturer: Societe Air Tourist, Paris France

Model: 200 SC Tourisme (de Luxe) Motor: Sachs, 2-stroke Body : Fiberglass
Years Built: Fall 1956 to summer 1957 No. Cylinders: 1 Chassis: Steel Tube
No. Produced: ~30 Displacement: 191 cc Suspension Front: Neidhart, Rubber
No. Surviving: ~6 Horsepower: 9.5 Suspension Rear: Neidhart, Rubber
Length: 2400 mm Gearbox: 4 fwd. 4 rev. Steering: Rack & Pinion Cable
Width: 1350 mm Starter: Dynastart Brakes: Hydraulic
Weight: 450 lbs. Electrics: 12 Wheels: 4.00 x 8"
Interior: Bench Ignition: Coil Top Speed: 110 kph

© 2002