The interwar French motoring scene was peopled with colourful and inventive characters who believed they were changing the face of popular motoring. In some cases this was true. In the 1920s Jean-Albert Grégoire (1899–1992) ran a garage in Versailles that, he said, ‘enabled me to live, and satisfy in a humble, but constant way, my passion for motor cars’.
Like so many enthusiasts at the time, Grégoire wanted to found his own car marque and explore his own design ideas. Grégoire’s Tracta cars, made between 1927 and 1932, were among the first front-wheel drive cars offered for general sale. It is hard to realize how revolutionary a change this seemed at the time and Grégoire did much to popularize the idea, mainly through excellent performances at Le Mans and other sporting contests. Nonetheless, he remarked, ‘I do not think the Société des Automobiles Tracta ever succeeded, no matter what the price was, in selling a car for more than it actually cost.’
Much of Grégoire’s effort was financed by his friend Pierre Fenaille, though Grégoire later commented ungratefully that his ‘considerable fortune merely strengthened his innate financial caution’. However, unlike so many small constructors, Grégoire did make a success of his business, supplying his swivelling Tracta joints for front-wheel drive to a number of civil and military users. He also had a brief and less successful involvement in the Citroën Traction Avant project.
A Tracta at the Junior Car Club trial on 8 March 1930. Front-wheel drive may have helped but the Tracta’s low build also made for good performance.
The waspish pointed tail was an emblematic feature of 1920s French sports cars.