A big winged Lombard?

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Recently I found this photo of a nice but to me unknown car. My suggestion is Lombard, but I´m not sure about it. On the first look, the car seems bigger than it is, as the wings are of a really enormous size, compared to the small wheels. I don´t think, that the body (at least the wings) were primarily built for this car which looks like a rather small cyclecar. But why Lombard? To me, the radiator and the size would match with the small sportscars, built in Puteaux, France.

Lombard… Even if some enthusiasts have collected a lot of information about the company and most of the cars, in my opinion, the make is underrated and less known than many other small companies. So let me tell you some basic information about this lovely little cars: André Lombard started his automotive career at Salmson/ Billancourt. He worked his way up to finally reach the Commercial Director position and also got a good reputation as a competition driver. But after Technical Director Emile Petit accused him to have bought production equipment of sad quality, he left Salmson in 1923. Even if he was banned from competition due to a clause in his departure agreement for five years, he presented his first own cars at Montlhery only four years later in 1927. Those were the prototypes AL1 and two special streamlined AL2, looking like a mixture of the Bugatti- and the Chenard-Walker "Tanks".

Finally, and still in 1927, Lombard presented the AL3 or "Grand Air" which was the manufacturer's first production model. The AL3 was powered by a 4-cylinder double-overhead camshaft engine of 1,083cc with an output of 49 HP. Some of the engines on the production cars were fitted with superchargers, increasing the output to 70 HP. In 1928, an AL4 called chassis with an optional blower (Cozette 6, 7 or 8) and equipped with hydraulic brakes was shown. The bore of its engine could have been increased to 72 mm in order to obtain a displacement of 1500cc. No complete AL4 car was built but the model gave birth to the AL3-Mk2. That same year, Lombard participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (without arriving).

In 1929 the company went into great financial difficulty and had to close, but nevertheless won the Bol d'Or. Charles Ricou (who already had his hands on BNC) bought the entire stock which he used to produce his BNC. The same year, André Lombard tried to revive his brand by creating "The Lombard Motor Company" and presented the AL5 (2987cc and 8 cylinders). Sadly it never was marketed and the company definitely closed its doors. In the three years of its existence, 94 Lombards were built, almost all of them of the Type AL3.

A question to the Lombard-Experts: have the 94 cars all been “real” Lombards, or are the later BNC-Lombards included? I can´t explain why, but to me, there is something special with the Lombard. The proportions, the small, but the perfectly shaped radiator and the svelte bodies. I don´t know a better looking little racer. And the engines: just have a look at the pictures and you will find a machine of real beauty. Nothing looks extemporaneous or cheap and fast built. I fell in love with the little AL3 at Montlhery in 2013, where I saw my first one alive and on the road. This was the AL3 GA1R racer and I was happy to meet it again at this years Retromobile. And at the Retromobile 2015, I was really stunned, after I spotted the AL3 Duval-Coupé. What a fantastic and beautiful little car!

But back to our big-winged mystery: is it really a Lombard? Is it a BNC-Lombard (as the radiator is sloped)? Or is it something completely different? I´m quite sure, some reader can identify this little roadster!

Words and photographs by Hubertus Hansmann.

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