What is it? Quiz #460

In 1898, the Belgian Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre (FN) hired the Italian self-made engineer Joseph de Cosmo, formerly of Gautier-Wehrlé, Delahaye and Singer, to design a light car. Based on de Cosmo’s 1899 prototype, FN launched their two-cylinder, 796cc, 3.5hp voiturette with various coachwork options (‘mignonette’, ‘duc’, ‘tonneau’, ‘victoria’, ‘jardinière’). End-1900, a number of 954cc, 4.5hp models (‘type B’) were added, such as the pictured four-seater/rear-entrance ‘tonneau’. Together with the 1899 (British) Daimler ‘Critchley’, these FNs were the earliest cars with a transverse engine. Access to the crank-handle hole was right through the front-wheel spokes. About 280 voiturettes produced.

The picture is the "mirror view" of a Belgian 1901 FN (RHD) type A tonneau. 796cc twin cylinder, designed by the Italian technician J. de Cosmo for the Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre at Herstal. Production started in 1900, the first 100 cars had a 3,5 HP engine. From 1901 FN built motorcycles that soon became so succesfull that the entire factory capacity was needed to comply the order book, and so the A type car got no successor. Production ended in 1902 with a total of 280 cars. A nice example can be seen in Autoworld Brussels.
PS. As far as I know, Belgium still has 3 car builders; Ecar, Edran and Gillet.......

Dear prewarcarteam..
Here my solution. Not based on knowledge. But an idea..:

This car is a 1901 Brunn. Made in Danmark by the carmaker Holger Brunn in Kopenhagen.

Best regards and a wonderful time on the marvellous streets of Holland in snow and rain...
Best regards
Fritz
jurymember

FN started in 1886 as a company in armoury, but when a few years later the German Lowe group took over the assembly of the Mauser rifles it was time to look for other means of business, e.g. bicycles followed by motorcars. The first car was designed by Italian J. de Cosmo it had an aircooled 3.5 hp 2 cyl engine, a two speed belt transmission and final drive was by chain. This is a 1901 Tonneau with a watercooled engine of 4.5 hp in that year 280 cars were built with illustrious names like Duc, Jardinière, Vicoria and Wagonette

George Richard 1899

This week's car is an FN Herstal 4.5 hp 'Type A' 2 speed dogcart from 1901. Powered by a twin cylinder air cooled engine designed by the Italian Joseph De Cosmo. Built by the Belgian company 'Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre' in Herstal near Leige.
The FN company is well known for manufacturing guns, motorcycles and commercial vehicles as well as cars. The company continues to produce firearms to the present day.
Joseph De Cosmo later founded his own motor manufacturing company 'De Cosmo et Compagnie' based in Liege.

I think that this car is a Type-2,1901 F.N.("Fabrique Nationale"), made in Liege, Belgium. This mdel had a 954c.c. motor, with a bore and stroke of 75mm by 90mm. Exactly 189 examples of this model were built between 1900 and 1903. The 1900 cars featured a vertical steering column, however as this car has an inclined column, it must be of the 1901-1903 type.

F.N. (Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre, Herstal, Belgium) produced 100 of these "Type A" cars c1900. Parallel two cylinder engine, with crank across the chassis, water-cooled heads with air-cooled cylinders, starting by crank handle through the spokes of the front wheel. Two-speed + reverse transmission, with cross-over flat belt primary drive, then chains to rear wheels. Coachwork probably "Phaeton", and the car (reg. 669AX69) may have been modified a little - most period photos show vertical steering column. http://www.capodopere2019.ro/fn-herstal-automobile.html shows car No. 40 (1900) in some detail, and the poster of the bicycle and car shows the prototype all-air-cooled car, c1899, with interesting leaf springs at the front.

This is the Belgian marque FN (Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre), best known for their rifles, Type A Phaeton, 1901, 4.5 HP car with 2-cylinder water cooled engine designed by Italian J. de Cosmo; two speeds plus reverse transmission with belt drive, coil ignition and splash lubrication. The firm had started selling chainless bicycles (shaft drive) in 1898, and FN later produced motorcycles, trucks, and trolleybuses. At least one Type A still exists, it has been featured on a Monaco stamp, and the picture shown here has been reversed. Production of cars ended in 1937 and trucks in 1966.

This is a 1901 FN Type A Victoria, powered by a two-cylinder engine designed by Joseph de Cosmo. Of the Type A and B there were 189 cars built between 1900 and 1903. The car has changed colour now and can be seen in the Autoworld Brussels. In 1961 the Monaco post office made a 0.30 F stamp of this car. FN (Fabrique National d'Herstal) kept building cars until 1935, trucks until 1955 an trolley buses until the early 1960s. But they are still building firearms since 1889.

It is a belgian FN A-type tonneau from 1904.
4 cyl., 4 litres chain driven
Fabrique national Herstal

This is a belgium built 19o1 4cv FN Tonneau. This particular car was discovered by Henry Malartre in the southern Francem restored and moved into the Chatteua of the Museumpark near Lyon. Later Malartre changed it with his long time friend Mahy Gislain for 19oo Noel Bennet Twoseater with fourwheel drive, cause both cars fits better in the hands of the other

This is a 1901 FN Type A Tonneau, built in Herstal, near Liège in Belgium. FN stood for Fabrique Nationale (National Manufacturer), which was an abbreviation of Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (National Manufacturer of Weapons of War), referring to the company's roots in arms and munitions. From 1899 until 1935, FN manufactured cars; they built motorcycles until 1967. The Type A was powered by a 4.5 hp, 2-cylinder air-cooled engine, designed by an Italian engineer, Joseph De Cosmo. FN was one of the first companies to provide an angled steering column, as seen in the (flipped) photo.