Francisco Carrion
The history of the david cyclecares cannot be understood without the figure of Jose María Armangué, a young athlete who revolutionized Catalan society at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. The son of a wealthy Barcelona doctor, both he and his brothers knew how to exploit the possibilities offered by their wealthy economic position.
Jose María was born in 1890 and very soon showed sporting aptitudes, so much so that in 1907 he was appointed by the “Center Excursionista de Catalunya” to pilot a bobsleigh in a test held in France, which was finally not held due to lack of snow.
It must have been his experience training with these devices that led him to think that by equipping them with wheels it would also be fun to use them without snow, and in 1909 he began to manufacture and test artisanal strollers without motor and bicycle wheels that moved thanks to force. gravity and weight ... downhill, of course.
Born of speed
This new “sport” was called “down car” and it soon had many followers among the wealthy young people of Barcelona, who took advantage of the rugged terrain around the city to fulfill their sprinting aspirations.
The “down cars” were increasingly more sophisticated and came to have the authentic appearance of small cars, while clubs and events were organized. Jose María Armangué himself was the founder of the “Down Car Club”, and the winners of the first championship were the Moré brothers, good friends of the Armangués.
The increasing sophistication of the down cars was beginning to pose a problem, as after the descent they had to be pushed back to the top, and the already considerable weight made this increasingly difficult. The solution was without a doubt equip them with a small engine, like some of the motorcycles that towed them up into the mountains.
For this purpose, Jose María Armangué, who had already studied medicine, joined his brother Federico (“Frick”) and some other friends with the idea of creating a motorized down car.
Despite the youth of the creators - Jose María Armangué was the oldest, 24 years old - they soon had the sketches of a complete prototype ready, which included a 4-cylinder engine that was never finally built.
The first “real” prototype was built in 1913 at the “Talleres Juanico” on Victor Hugo Street in Barcelona, under the supervision of Sebastián Juanico, owner of the establishment.
The biker connection
At first it seems that the possibility of mounting a small 4-cylinder engine of French origin Anzani brand was considered, an option that was rejected for not reaching an agreement with the manufacturers.
Faced with this setback, Frick Armangué traveled to England (specifically to Northumberland, London) to purchase a JAP two-cylinder V-engine, an idea that apparently came from the fact that quite a few “down cars” were towed up to the top of the mountains by motorcycles equipped with said mechanics.
Although there are no corroborating documents, it is to be assumed that the engine used was the JAP M17 / 15 two-cylinder V at 90º of 9HP (85 × 95) that the brand's own catalog described in 1913 as “cycle car engine ”.
This propeller was air-cooled, so that first prototype lacked a radiator and was equipped with a generous front air inlet through a simple grille, although the front already had the same design that would characterize all David bikes.
In the several photos that exist of the specimen being tested, this characteristic can be clearly seen, as well as most of the solutions that would equip the mass-produced models: for example, its light chassis "Formed by two steel plates, mounted on an ash wood body and joined by metal bridges", which gave lightness and flexibility according to the period catalog itself.
It was also tested on this first prototype the famous “progressive” gearshift, a little genius from Frick Armangué that foreshadowed DAF's Variomatic gearbox 50 years earlier.
With a lot of gear
The change of the David consisted of two belts that connect the rear wheels with the driving pulleys; these open and close due to their shape, so that the belts move radially on the pulleys.
Although the pulleys are of large diameter (26 cm), the extreme developments have the ratio of 1 to 3, which allows the greatest variations in speed both on the flat and on the steepest slopes.
As the catalog of the time explained, the same gear change mechanism also served as a differential, since in curves the pulley inside the turn automatically decreases its useful diameter, while the one outside increases it.
The result is a "progressive" and semiautomatic gear change that - always according to the catalog - counted with no less than 16 speeds.
Address, by wire?
The steering system also sought the greatest lightness, as it was powered by a metal cable. The first tests were carried out on the avenue of Mount Tibidabo in Barcelona, achieving a satisfactory average speed uphill of almost 50 km / h.
This first prototype also already mounted the independent front suspension formed by two transverse leaf springs, probably inspired by the Sizaire-Naudin that participated in the 1909 Catalan Cup.
In the prototype and the very first "standard" units, the front bridge that joins the chassis with the leaf springs had a lighter and simpler rhomboid design than that of the later water-cooled series, as we will see later.
The rear suspensions were run by cantilever leaf springs, a characteristic unchanged until the end of production. It is also remarkable that the first prototype has already made its debut in competition, participating in the "2nd Regularity Test of the Real Moto Club de Barcelona" held on April 5, 1914, although he had to leave due to a slipping of a tire.
David vs. Goliath
Given the satisfactory tests, the Armangué brothers -Frick and Jose María- joined all their capital with that of the brothers Ramón and Jose María Moré, Fernando Comas (all of them had already contributed money for the construction of the first prototype) and Raúl de Roviralta and Astoul, Marqués de Roviralta, who, in addition to their financial support, provided important marketing work by being appointed president of the company. It is worth noting that this aristocrat still owned a beautiful 4-cylinder David cyclecar in the 60s, perfectly preserved.
The company, with an initial paid-up capital of 65.000 pesetas, was incorporated on July 14, 1914 under the name of “Fábrica Nacional de Cyclecars David”, a name that was based on the well-known biblical passage of David and Goliath, since it was assumed that these puny vehicles could beat bigger and more powerful opponents in races… just as it did later.
The factory was located at Calle Pallars Nº 71 in Barcelona and soon the manufacturing of a first series of 14 vehicles began, which we assume were the only ones still equipped with air-cooled JAP engines. This first series was followed by a second of 100 units that was completed before the end of 1914.
The success was immediate and soon the entire production was sold in advance! Undoubtedly the reason was that at that time there were a large number of wealthy young people in Barcelona eager to participate in sports events with light cars, and given the European war conflict there were no European cars to import from abroad.
Some important changes ...
Apparently, from the second series on, the cars received substantial modifications, starting with the JAP engine, which was quickly replaced by an 8 HP MAG (82x 103,5) made in Switzerland by the Motosacoche company and cooled by water.
This change was probably due to the beginning of World War I, on July 28, 1914 - barely 10 days after the company was signed - which made it very difficult to import engines from England, a country that came into conflict unlike Switzerland. , always neutral.
In this second series, the design of the front cross member also changed, probably due to rigidity problems, an "x" shaped piece was added in the center of the diamond to which the crossbows were attached.
With all these new features, which included the water radiator, the David had a body weight of 400 kg, and slightly less -380 kg- in the "sport" versions that did not have a body or fenders.
Ascension to the throne
On October 3, 1915, the glorious sports career of the David began, a David piloted by Jose María Moré participating “officially” in the «XNUMXst Team Test» and being the winner. From here on, the Davids participated in a large number of tests of all kinds, winning the vast majority.
For example, the “Barcelona-Madrid-Barcelona Race” held in June 1916 was very popular, in which the team formed by the brothers Frick and Luis Armangué achieved absolute triumph at the controls of a David who traveled the 1.256 km a an average of 44,12 km / h, ahead of 22 other participants.
Also significant was the “Kilometer Launch Test” held on November 26, 1916, in which a very special David was lined up, equipped with an “aerodynamic” body with a pointed fairing on the radiator and sharp, low lines along the the entire waist of the vehicle, which, however, does not seem to have received mechanical improvements but still achieved an average of 88,284 km/h.
Between 1916 and 1917 the brand achieved its greatest commercial success, Units were sold to well-known characters in their time. Such was the case of the "Duque de Montpensier" model, a small factory-bodied two-seater torpedo that received that name when a unit was acquired by the aforementioned nobleman.
Water-cooled 4-cylinder MAG engines of around 1.100 cc (65 × 120), which, according to the catalog, delivered “10-12 HP”, also began to be used in this period.
The latter already increased their weight to 410 kg without bodywork, and their price amounted to 9.750 pesetas, a respectable figure compared to the two-cylinder that were announced complete at 7.500.
At this time there was also a mysterious model with a 6-8 HP (115 × 110) single cylinder engine from an unknown manufacturer - perhaps French Chapuis Dornier - which was described as "Equipped with a very powerful fan" and offered at 4.900 pesetas, but we doubt that it would be marketed since in the photographic documents all the vehicles from the second period appear with a water radiator.
Continued ...
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