Monica (automobile)
| Monica 560 | |
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1973 Monica 560
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Monica |
| Model years | 1973 - 1975 |
| Assembly | France: Balbigny, Loire |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | Longitudinal front-engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.6 L Chrysler LA V8 (gasoline) |
| Transmission | 3-speed automatic (TorqueFlite ) 5-speed manual (ZF) |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,769 mm (109.0 in) |
| Length | 4,928 mm (194.0 in) |
| Width | 1,803 mm (71.0 in) |
| Height | 1,346 mm (53.0 in) |
| Kerb weight | 1,821 kg (4,015 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | None |
Monica is the name of a French luxury automobile produced in the commune of Balbigny in the department of Loire between 1972 and 1974.
The Monica car was a project of Jean Tastevin, a graduate engineer of the École centrale de Paris. His father Arnaud bought the Atelier et Chantiers de Balbigny in 1930. That company was a manufacturer of mining and railway equipment. In 1955 Jean succeeded his father, becoming Chairman and Managing Director. He renamed the company Compagnie française de produits métallurgiques, or CFPM, and began to specialize in the manufacture and rental of railroad tank cars. The factory where the rolling stock was manufactured operated under a different name, being Compagnie Française de Matériels Ferroviaires (CFMF). The company prospered, eventually coming to have 400 employees.
Tastevin was an automobile enthusiast who personally owned cars from Aston Martin and Facel Vega. After Facel Vega shut down in 1964 he bought a Jaguar, but regretted not being able to buy a French-made car of that class.
In pursuit of both his interest in cars and a way to diversify his railway business, Tastevin began making plans to launch his own brand of automobile in 1966. He made his long-time assistant, Henri Szykowksi, the project manager. He would also set aside a portion of his factory in Balgigny so that the cars could truly be said to be made in France.
The car was named in honour of Tastevin's wife, Monique Tastevin.
Automotive engineer and racing driver Chris Lawrence's company LawrenceTune Engines had developed a 2.6-litre version of the Standard engine used in the Triumph TR4. Lawrence's version used a crossflow cylinder head of his own design and Tecalemit-Jackson fuel injection to make a claimed 182 bhp (136 kW) bhp. Automotive journalist Gérard "Jabby" Crombac had seen the engine at the 1966 Racing Show at Olympia West Hall in London. The article he wrote about it had caught Tastevin's eye. Tastevin wrote to Lawrence asking about having LawrenceTune supply 250 engines per year for his new car. Upon learning that the car was not yet developed, Lawrence offered the services of his own company. Crombac, who was familiar with Lawrence's racing exploits, vouched for Lawrence and Tastevin entrusted development of the Monica to LawrenceTune.
The first chassis and the jig to produce it were built together. Lawrence laid out a chassis with a central tunnel made of four square-section 18 gauge steel tubes with extensive cross-bracing. Two long steel boxes with triangular cross-sections were made of 16 gauge steel and attached to the chassis in the door sill area. These stiffened the chassis and were also to serve as the car's fuel tanks. 16 gauge aluminum formed the front and rear bulkheads and floors and was used on both sides of the central tunnel to stiffen the car further. Voids in the tunnel were filled with expanded polyurethane foam to add even more stiffness and deaden sound.
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