A rather unremarkable car with famous offspring.

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by Fons Alkemade: 2009 has seen centenaries and jubilees which got extensive attention, like the start of the Bugatti company in 1909. Some were mentioned on these pages but others didn't and were neglected in most of the automotive press. At least one centenary should have been paid more attention to last year and at the start of 2010 there is still a chance to do justice. In the museum Mahymobiles (Belgium) one can find this rather unremarkable car. It is a Le Zèbre model D which was introduced in 1919 and this particular car dates, according to Ivan Mahy, from 1922. The car was rescued from scrap in the 1950s by Ivan's father, the well-known Belgian collector Ghislain Mahy. The car is still in its 'as found' condition. Though the company would survive till 1938, the model D already showed the decline of Le Zèbre. The make's finest hours had been those before and during the Great War with their models A and C. The A can be seen as the first serious attempt in France to offer a cheap and light but complete and reliable car on the market. The design comes from...

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