"The Missing Link"

Sir,

Regarding the “TT’ Renault” affair, I can shed a little more light on the matter . . . . Quoting from The Motor for 22nd July, 1930 (page 1175): “One of the most interesting entries is a team of three Renaults, a make which has not participated in a road race of first-class importance since the war. These cars are of the 28 h.p. 8-cylinder type”. The accompanying entry list indicates that three Renaults were entered in the “up to 5,000 c.c.” class by L. Renault.

Also, quoting from The Motor for 29th April, 1930 (p. 597): “THE MOROCCAN GRAND PRIX . . . . In the sports car class the fastest time was made by Liocourt (Renault Nervastella) who averaged 75.4 m.p.h.” Finally, we find, in a 1931 Renault catalogue: “The success of the Nervastella at the Morocco Grand Prix of 1930 (the first three places gained at a few seconds intervals at an average speed of 75 m.p.h. on a very hard road circuit of 440 miles) has proved that this car could compete with the mast famous sports car in the World”.

These Moroccan GP cars were probably intended by Louis Renault to be his TT team and, being of 4,240 c.c., would have been numbered 5, 6 and 7. We can certainly say that the photograph on page 360 of MOTOR SPORT (April issue) is that of a Nervastella, most likely the victorious Liocourt car.

I must thank David Gandhi for his invaluable asistance in researching this “mystery”. His library may yet unfold more on the matter. In the meantime I suspect that he will he trying to change his XK120 for a Nervastella!

Withington P. A. SHUBSACHS