European Classics A-Z:
Ballot:
From Indy Car
To Luxury Car
By John Ossenfort
The Ballot company was founded by Edouard
and Maurice Ballot in France in 1905. They initially built marine engines (hence the anchor on
their emblem), but soon also began producing automobile racing engines for such manufacturers as
Delage and Mass. Edouard Ballot assisted Ettore
Bugatti in developing his early engines, and, during
World War I, the company manufactured HispanoSuiza aero engines.
After the war the brothers became interested in
auto racing. They hired Ernest Henry, who was the
inventor of the DOHC four valves per cylinder layout with the Peugeot Grand Prix team. He designed
a straight-eight 4.9-liter engine based on these principles, which took second place in the 1919 Targa
Florio and in the 1920 Indianapolis 500. In 1921,
previous Indy winner Ralph De Palma set the qualifying record time but DNF’ed in the race. Later that
year, Ballot took second (with de Palma) and third
places at the French Grand Prix and won the inaugural Italian Grand Prix. A Ballot also took third
place at Indianapolis in 1922.
Ralph De Palma in his 1921 Ballot Indy car
(n/c). He set the qualifying record time.
With the racing successes behind them, the first
production Ballot, a Type 2RS, was created in
1922. It was a high quality 2-seater sports car utilizing Henry’s 4-valve design in a 4-cylinder 1995cc engine which produced 75 horsepower; this was
the first commercial twin-cam automobile ever.
This model cost too much for the general public
Above: Ballot 1924 Type 2LT Torpedo Sport
Below: Ballot 1924 2LT Skiff by Labourdette
Ballot 1919 4.9-Liter Indy Car (n/c)
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Arizona Classic Roadrunner, Summer 2010
(only about 100 were sold), so in 1923 a less expensive model was created. The Type 2LT used a
similar 4-cylinder 2-liter engine but with only two
valves per cylinder and a single overhead cam. It
carried a Weymann type body, utilized 4-wheel
mechanical brakes, and in later models a Dewandre
power brake system was fitted.
In 1924 a more refined and higher-revving model,
the 60-horsepower 2LTS sports model, was introduced. It was an inclined-valve engine with hemispherical combustion chambers. But although the
2LTS was popular, the public craze for more cylinders had begun. In 1928, Ballot launched the Type
RH, a straight-8 2.6-liter sohc machine. The car
was somewhat underpowered, so a 2874-cc model,
the RH2, came out in 1928, followed by a 3050-cc
version, the RH3, in 1930. This final model could
be had in two wheelbase lengths, 130 and 142
inches, and coachbuilders such as Vanvooren and
Figoni built bodies for it.
Below: 1930 Ballot RH3 Berline
Bottom: 1930 RH3 Limousine by Duvivier
Top: 1924 Ballot 2LTS Weymann Sedan
Middle: 1925 Ballot 2LTS Cabriolet
Bottom: 1926 Ballot 2LTS 3-Seater Tourer by
Lagache & Glaszmann
Arizona Classic Roadrunner, Summer 2010
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Old Time Tech Tips
Editor’s note:
1931 Ballot RH3 Roadster
The Roadrunner will occasionally run articles
from the past about contemporary fixes of various
technical car problems. These are based on local
repair shops’ experiences at the time and do not
consider whether later experiences superseded the
contemporary solution(s).
------------------------------------------
Technical Tip: Car only idles
“A car came to my shop because the engine
would only idle. As soon as the engine was accelerated it would stall. I checked the ignition, carburetor, valves and timing but with no results. I removed the exhaust and intake manifold to check
for leaks but found none. Before I connected the
exhaust pipe, I started the engine and it ran beautifully. A clogged muffler was the cause.” Joe’s
Auto Repair, Chicago, IL, 1933
1931 Hispano-Suiza Junior/Ballot HS 26 (n/c)
Unfortunately, the Depression had hit and Ballot
succumbed. The company was taken over in 1930
by Hispano Suiza, who used the RH3 body with a
Hispano 6-cylinder 4.6-liter engine and briefly sold
it as the Ballot HS 26 (n/c), then renamed it the
Hispano Suiza Junior (n/c) in 1931.
There are at present no Ballot automobiles listed
in the 2010 CCCA Bulletin
Congratulations To
Award-Winning Region Members!
To Bob Messinger, whose 1946 Cadillac 62
was a Senior Emeritus Judged Winner at
the Gilmore Grand Classic
To Norm Knight, whose 1940 Packard
1807 Touring Sedan won a First in Primary
Production at the Gilmore Grand Classic
To Lee Gurvey (1937 Buick 91-F Formal
Sedan) and Gene Perkins (1939 Packard
1708 Bohman & Schwartz Sports Sedan)
who were Class Award Winners at the
Closed Car Grand Experience
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Arizona Classic Roadrunner, Summer 2010