THE DARRACQ

ABOVE IS A PICTURE OF Dr FITZGERALD  WITH HIS WIFE AND  FAMILY OUTSIDE CARLOW DYMPNAS HOSPITAL IN HIS NEW 1905  DARRACQ CAR. (NICE REG).

ALEXANDRE DARRACQ HAD MADE A FORTUNE FROM THE FRENCH CYCLE TRADE IN THE 1890S AND HIS “PERFECTA” WORKS THAT MADE COMPONENTS FOR MOTOR TRICYLES WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN PARIS. AFTER A NUMBER OF FALSE STARTS IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1900 THAT HE MARKETED HIS FIRST SUCCESSFUL MOTOR CAR. IT HAD A VERTICAL FRONT MOUNTED SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINE OVER SEVEN HUNDRED BEEN SOLD IN THE FIRST YEAR. DARRACQ CONCENTRATED ON THE POPULAR END OF THE MARKET, GIVEN GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY WITH A RANGE OF SINGLE, TWIN AND FOUR CYLINDER CARS, ALL WITH SHAFT DRIVE. DESIGN OF DARRACQ CARS TOOK A SIGNIFIENNT STEP FOWARDS IN 1903 WHEN THE FIRM ADOPTED THE ONE PIECE PRESSED STEEL CHASSIS. THIS WAS NOT ONLY STRONGER THAN THOSE PREVIOUSLY USED BUT WAS RELATIVELY LIGHT IN WEIGHT. ALTHOUGH DARRACQ DID  NOT HIMSELF DRIVE, HE KNEW THE VALUE OF PUBLICITY AND PURSUED A VIGOROUS POLICY OF MOTOR RACING AND RECORD BREAKING WITH MANY OUTSTANDING SUCCESSES. THE HUGH 22 .5 V8 DARRACQ TOOK THE WORLDS LAND SPEED RECORD IN 1905 AT 109.65 MPH. CARS OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC WERE INEVITABLY MORE RESTRAINED AND ALTHOUGH SOME QUITE LARGE MODELS WERE AVAILABLE, IT WAS THE SMALL AND MEDIUM SISED DARRACQS THAT MADE THE PROFITS AND WITH OCCASIONAL BLIPS, KEPT THE  COMPANY SUCCESSFUL. IN 1914 DARRACQ WAS THE THIRD LARGEST FRENCH CAR MANUFACTURER AFTER RENAULT AND PEUGEOT. ALEXANDRE RETIERED FROM HIS FIRM IN 1912 AT THE AGE OF 56 AND AFTER THE GREAT WAR LIVED IN SOME STYLE IN MONTECARLO WHERE HE HAD VAROIUS BUSINESS INTERESTS. IN 1919  HIS OLD COMPANY ACQUIRED  THE ENGLISH FIRMS OF TALBOT  AND  SUNBEAM TO FORM STD COMBIN FROM WHICH THE DARRACQ NAME FOR A MOTOR CAR MAKE WAS PHASED OUT BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR.BELOW IS WHAT THE DARRACQ LOOKS LIKE TODAY.