1914 Darracq Model V-14 16hp Torpedo

Alexandre Darracq founded his automobile company in Suresnes, France in 1896. In 1903 he sold the controlling interest in his company to a bunch of Englishmen. Darracq still ran the company from Paris, but things were going poorly by the time WWI broke out. By 1920, the company had purchased Clement-Talbot and Sunbeam and was renamed STD Motors – now a fully British company.

After that, French-built Darracqs were called Talbot-Darracqs for a brief bit before the Darracq name was dropped altogether. The two different companies have a convoluted history thereafter.

The V14 was a ' car high produced fascia from 1912 to 1914 by the car manufacturer French Darracq .

Launched in 1912, the V14 was to resume the legacy of the unfortunate C11 and have it redeem its commercial destiny.

Therefore he used a technical solution that in the ten and twenty years was used by some manufacturers: that of distribution with sheathed valves. The engine was initially a 4- cylinder 2614 cm³ capable of delivering a maximum power of 15 hp .

Unfortunately, the V14 had serious problems of unreliability of the engine from the beginning and these greatly penalized sales.

From the beginning of 1913, the displacement was increased to 2951 cm³ and the power increased slightly, up to 16 CV. But now the damage was done and the V14 continued to be sold with the dropper.

Therefore it was taken out of production in 1914 with the arrival of the new management of the House of Suresnes .

This 16hp Darracq was delivered new to Ireland and supplied by Harry Ferguson Ltd of Belfast, whose supplier's plaque it still carries. Ferguson was an inventor, pioneer aviator, and motor dealer who played a key role in the development of the agricultural tractor and designed the first four-wheel drive Grand Prix racing car.

Descriptions & pictures by classiccarweekly & Wikipedia & bonhams & flickriver