SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Charles Mochet

Origin: Puteaux, France

Production: 1,250

Motor: Zurcher 1-cyl, 2-stroke

Displacement: 125 cc

Power: 3.5 hp

Length: 7 ft. 10 in.

Identification No. 2974

Georges Mochet pursued his love of minimalist transportation all his life. The pedal-powered Velocar had become a French icon, particularly during the Occupation, when gasoline was unavailable. After the war, small motors were added to assist in pedaling up hills, and the wooden-bodied car became the steel-bodied pedal-less Model K. The late Ks became the most well-known version of the Mochet, the CM-125 Luxe.

The chassis was a simple tube frame with a modicum of suspension at each corner. The Zurcher motor provided sufficient power for mild hill-climbing in the featherweight little roadster. External band brakes were on the rear wheels. The cutaway sides allowed hand signals, or one could opt for the optional electric blinkers. The body shell was easily-worked steel, formed into pleasing compound curves with full fenders framing the well-shaped nose. The charming body style was in the popular “pedal car” idiom of the time, also seen on contemporaries like the Rolux. The windshield could be folded flat for more sporting, wind-in-the-face motoring.

This project car is an opportunity to tackle a restoration on a very basic level, with a minimum of components to refurbish and the simplest of motors to rebuild.