The 1942 L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car is a one-off creation by Paul Arzens, an industrial designer. Electric cars have almost made a mainstream debut, and we are getting used to the new silent mode of transportation. But things were not quite so in the mid-1900s and an oddity when your electric car looked like a ball! The French were always great with art and automobile, and it showed up quite well in whatever they made.
And they were fluidic with welding metal. The L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car is a one-off creation by Paul Arzens, an industrial designer. He had a keen interest in alternate fuels, and electricity was his choice. This Egg was his personal vehicle, and only one was ever made. So, it is quite a rarity by all means.
The L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car was what Arzens thought of the future. And he was partially right, and we believe that this oddity was in some way or the other inspiration for the Smart ForTwo. This classic car is currently in its untouched crude state and hasn't been repaired, making it even more special. The whole car was built by hand, and Arzens's artistic touches can be seen all over the body.
Paul Arzens was a French industrial designer of railway locomotives and cars. He was primarily known for his artistic skills, which are very well visible in all his automotive creations. His first ever automobile product was a 6-Speed automatic transmission for an old Chrysler. Robert Peugeot was also very impressed with this transmission, but it didn't make it into the Peugeot 402 as many expected then.
Pictured Above: Paul Arzens first fully-constructed car which was christened 'La Baleine,' meaning 'The Whale'.
His first fully-constructed car was christened 'La Baleine,' meaning 'The Whale'. It was a bulbous creation built on the chassis of an old Buick in 1937. Soon after this, the Germans invaded, and gasoline was disappearing. He then created an all-electric model of 'The Whale' based on the chassis of an old Fiat. It was packed in a pack of accumulator batteries that weighed over 2425 lbs. Not so practical and not the power-to-weight ratio you want! This EV had a claimed 10 hp and a range of 125 miles.
Because of the gas crunch, Arzens shifted his ideas to the exact opposite of what he had applied in the La Baleine. And so, the L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car was born.
The main reason for this oddity's creation was the German invasion and the sudden disappearance of gasoline for public use. His 'Whale' wasn't so efficient in tackling the crunch. And so, Arzens built the L'Oeuf Electrique ( The Electric Egg). The whole vehicle was built by the main man, by hand, and was an EV. It packed an electric motor and battery pack that churned out 63 miles to a change with a top speed of 44 mph. With two people on board, the top speed shrunk to 37 mph.
The body of the L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car weighed in at just 66 lbs! Adding the electric motor bumped up its weight to 198.4 lbs. After the battery pack was added, the total weight came to 771 lbs. It was one of the lightest road-going cars made. The major reason for its extremely lightweight layout was an aluminum shell with Plexiglass covering almost more than half of the exterior. Arzens loved to pick his Electric Egg up!
There wasn't anything fancy about the cabin. It has a huge steering wheel sticking at the driver's face. Seating was confined to 2 occupants and was rather comfortable for a car of such proportions. Thanks to its bubble shape, there was no headroom or shoulder room shortage. The most interesting fact was the 270-degree crystal clear view of the outside world with no pillars to disrupt your view. Paul Arzens had a wonderful time behind the wheel of his unique creation.
The exterior is composed of aluminum sheets when not covered in Plexiglass. Arzens had hand-beaten every panel on the L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car. It had a fair share of bulges and dents and even more in its current beat-up state. But he managed to build it to the eye's content is impressive. The rear section is what disrupts this Egg's perfectly round shape. It is where the motor and the single rear wheel are located. Yup, 'The Egg' was a 3-wheeled vehicle that helped it be extremely maneuverable on tight city roads. And the L'Oeuf Electrique Concept Car came with the tiniest of lights of any car.
This one-off personal electric pod of Paul Arzens was an automobile way ahead of its time. Even looking at it now invokes a futuristic appeal. The carved fender flares that went beyond the tire wall and its plexiglass design is something that still isn't so common, let alone way back in the 1940s. People were not quite ready for such a practical option back in the day, but Paul Arzens was a man well beyond his time. We can also argue that this tiny Egg might have been the trigger for the Smart ForTwo, which has a similar approach to urban mobility.
Sources: Wikipedia.org, Jalopnik.com, Oldconceptcars.com, Motorbiscuit.com
Images: hotcars.com