Satecmo Eolia

1954 Satecmo Eolia

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, England | July 21, 2012

What, never heard of a the Satecmo Eolia? Satecmo was founded by Frenchman André George Claude. I don’t know a lot about the company, other than that they sold tuning parts for the Renault 4CV. Well, Claude was an amateur racer who was pretty picky and didn’t like any of the myriad of available sports cars of the era. So he decided to build his own using only French parts.

The engine was a four-cylinder from a Renault 4CV mounted in the rear. There are only two doors for the passengers, but there are actually two additional rear doors that open like passenger doors for engine access. Top speed was 104 mph. In 1960, the 4CV engine was replaced by an 850cc engine from the Renault Dauphine Gordini. Power was rated at 69 horsepower. The body is magnesium.

The name Eolia is derived from Eolias, a mythological god of wind. And this car was built to go through some wind with a sleek, rounded, Abarth-bubble-like silhouette with two massive fins at the rear:

It was completed in 1954 but was not registered for the first time until 1958 (which is why you might find this car listed as a 1958 in other places). Claude wanted to drive it at Le Mans, but was no invited (he did drive there in 1951 in a Satecmo-tuned 4CV). Without racing pedigree, Renault turned down Claude’s pitch that Renault put the Eolia into production. He held on to it until 1967 when it changed hands for the first time.

This is the only car like this ever built and it survives in remarkable condition with only 15,000km on the odometer. It is expected to sell for between $100,000-$130,000. For more information click here. For more from Silverstone’s Classic Sale, click here.

Update: Not sold.

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