Marquis Car Quiz

Sir,

I believe that the Soryana Pedrosa referred to in Mr Weaver’s letter in your November edition was actually a Soriano Pedroso (presumably the licensing office had difficulty with foreign names). It is a Spanish name derived from those of the two founders, the Marquis de San Carlos de Pedroso and Senor Soriano (some sources describe him as another marquis).

The car was actually built in Neuilly, France in the early 1920s. It was a small sporting car with a side-valve 4-cylinder Ballot engine, available in 1131 or 1560cc versions. A special underbored 1094cc version was also available for racing. From the horsepower rating on the tax disc it would seem that Mr Weaver’s father-in-law’s car had the 1560cc engine. The most remarkable feature of the design was the use of exposed side chains for the final drive. There was apparently one entered for the 1921 200 Mile Race at Brooklands but it did not start. Perhaps WB can tell us more.

A J Wood,
Republic of Panama.