P.P. ROUSSEY

175 cc Bol d'Or -1958

The king of scooter racing

The famous Bol d'Or endurance race, founded in 1922, is nowadays restricted to

750cc motorcycles. But it used to be far less exclusive, with classes in every known capacity range, including sidecars – and even scooters!

A Racing Monster

The final running of a scooter class, in the 1958 Bol d'Or, was won by this curious machine ridden by the Terrioux brothers. This monster, which had first run - but was unplaced - in the 1957 Bol d'Or, was successful second time around in its category (175cc racing scooter) and covered 1,219 miles at an average of 50.8 mph.

Half a Handlebar

The victory was all the more remarkable since, as the result of a crash, the P.P. Roussey covered the final 90 minutes with only half a handlebar! However, it has to be said that there was only one other entrant, a Lambretta, in the 175cc scooter class. Worthy heirs of their father, who had built motorcycles since 1930, Pierre and Paul Roussey founded their marque in 1944 just outside Paris. Their first and only product, in 1951, was an original scooter with a water- cooled two-stroke engine. This engine was bolted beneath the frame tube while the separate gearbox acted as a swinging arm that used the crankshaft for its axis. The Bol d'Or racer was broadly comparable,though it

was stripped and fitted with a special cylinder head, an Earles fork and a large fuel tank.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 170cc (60x60mm) water-cooled (thermosiphon) single-cylinder

Power Rating: 13 hp @ 5500 rpm

Valves: two-stroke

Fuel System: 28mm Dell'Orto carburetor

Transmission: 3-speed; enclosed chain drive

Suspension: leading link (front); (rear)

Brakes: 1:vin drum (front); drum (rear)

Wheels: 3.50x8 inch pressed steel (front & rear)

Weight: 176 lb

Maximum Speed: 78 mph

This one-off machine bears witness to an era when.every means was used to satisfy a passion for racing.