O Solex mio!
In France there are, perhaps, two mythical modes of transport. On four wheels, it’s the Citroën 2CV. On two wheels, it’s the Solex. In the UK, the latter is much less well known. But think of a bicycle with an engine where the front basket should be, lowered manually onto the front wheel to effect direct drive through a ceramic roller to the tyre and you’re getting there. Think of Jacques Tati in Mon Oncle or Brigitte Bardot in Le Trou Normand and you’ve got the picture!
Solex started life as a carburettor manufacturer. During the Second World War Maurice Goudard and Marcel Mennesson devised a 38cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine, with roller transmission, which they fitted over the front wheel of
