Photo ou archives : J-P. Praderes
3820
TRIUMPH/NORTON
500cc Feuiltaine Special- 1948
A potent home-brewed cocktail
This very special- and very fast- Triumph was constructed by a French rider/ tuner named Bernard Feuiltaine. A supercharging specialist, he began by fitting a Triumph 350 vertical twin with a Cozette vane-type blower at a time when all the leading manufacturers - A]S, Velocette and BMW- were building supercharged Grand Prix machines. Feuiltaine specialized in hill-climbs, where his blown Triumph achieved miracles.
Potent Home-Brew
The ban on supercharging after WWII forced Feuiltaine to build a new machine. Typical of the "home-brew" specials of the period, it again used a Triumph engine - this time a 500cc T100- in a Manx Norton frame with plunger rear suspension. (A similar cocktail, but using the new Norton Featherbed frame, achieved fame in England under the name "Triton").
Original Cylinder Head Layout
The true originality of this transformation lay in its special home-made cylinder head, with large cooling fins and carrying twin carburetors that pointed outwards and upwards in an attempt to gain maximum filling of the cylinders during rapid uphill acceleration. The gearbox was a Burman TT, while the front fork and wheel came from a racing AJS. Rear wheel discs were fitted and there were big cut-outs in the tank to accommodate the two Amal carburetors and their Dell'Orto float chambers. A nice detail was the little lever on the handlebars that regulated the steering damper.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 499cc (63x80mm) air-cooled Triumph T100 twin-cylinder four-stroke with special aluminum cylinder head; ML magneto ignition
Valves: overhead
Fuel System: two Amal carburetors with separate Dell'Orto float chambers
Transmission: Burman TT Racing 4-speed. chain final drive
Suspension: Reinforced AjS "Teledraulic" forks (front); plunger (rear)
Brakes: drum (front & rear)
Wheels: 3.25x19 inch wire (front & rear)
Weight: 331 lb
Maximum Speed: over 125 mph
Built on a shoestring when enthusiasm could still win races, the Feuiltaine Special has a Triumph engine in a modified Manx Norton frame.