Back in the 1990’s, a French automobile manufacturer known as Hommell, which was based in Lohèac, France, produced a number of unique cars that were quite unlike anything else around at the time. One of those cars was this car shown here, the 1996 Hommell Barquette. Former racing driver and owner of the French car magazine, Échappement, Michel Hommell, founded the Hommell company in 1990 and subsequently began to produce a small number of cars under the direction of Gilles Dupré, who was at the time Edition in chief of the Échappement magazine, and a co-founder of Hommell alongside Michel Hommell. The company began automotive production with the introduction of the Berlinette Échappement in the early 1990’s, which was an intriguing looking sports car that was designed by automotive stylist, Eric de Pauw, and was built in a total of 69 units from 1994 until 1998. Released simultaneously alongside this model was an open-top racing variant known as the Barquette (shown here). The Barquette was introduced in 1994 and ultimately boasted a newly reduced total weight of just 2,072lbs, the removal of the windshield, and reportedly, slightly less power (-5hp) than it’s sister road-going model, the Berlinette. The Barquette is constructed on a tubular frame designed by Gilles Dupré, and features a 6-speed gearbox designed by SMAN (Société Mécanique Automobile du Nord). An integrated roll cage is provided as a form of safety for the driver and passenger. Of the 52 Barquette examples produced, a number of those chassis were used to construct another limited production car known as the Hommell Vaillante. The Barquette cars participated in a one-make racing series which took place from the mid 1990s until the early 2000s, and powering these vehicles is a 1998cc in-line 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve engine. Hommell unfortunately went defunct by December of 2003.
How many made? 52 (35 believed to be left in existence).
Engine: 1998cc in-line 4-cylinder engine - 155hp
Debut: N/a
0-60: N/a
Top Speed: 130mph
Photo Credit: @dansleretroautomobile
Research: @rarecarsonly