No story of Tracta automobiles can be separated from the story of Jean-Albert Gregoire. Together with his partner and friend, Pierre Fenaille, they developed the first constant velocity joint under the name Tracta. This strong CV joint was easy to manufacture and made mass production of front-wheel-drive cars possible. The joint was used by numerous manufacturers as diverse as Adler, Miller and Willys. The first Land Rovers used the Tracta joint. Unfortunately, not all the companies using the technology paid for its use, a situation that put a financial strain on Gregoire’s automobile business.
Gregoire was quite a Renaissance man. He had a Doctor of Law degree, wrote books on automotive history and engineering—as well as mysteries and fiction—and was considered an expert on wine and mushrooms. He was also a motorhead. After he and Fenaille developed the Tracta CV joint, Gregoire opened a garage so he could build a front-wheel-drive racecar for the Le Mans 24-hour race. His most significant result came in 1929, when he and Ferdinand Valon finished 1st in class and 7th overall in their four-cylinder, S.C.A.P.-powered Tracta A behind the Bentleys and other cars with much larger engines.
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