A Splendid floret of the old industry of Huy

At heroic times of the car, the Springuel car (everywhere in the Spotlight), innovated in the forced feed lubrication and opened the way to the turbo-compressor

The old men of Huy remember it with pride, but many young people - God however knows if they are set on the wheel - are certainly unaware of that at heroic times of the car, there existed in the city of the “Pontia” a factory of construction of motor vehicles which very quickly, had acquired reputation as well in the country as abroad. genval

What is also known very little, be that their manufacturer, Mr. Jules Springuel, was the precursor of important improvements. It had invented the set of the aft wheels; the forced feed lubrication and the engine block. Better, it had realized for its racing cars, an equivalent system to the turbo-compressor.
The First World War, and the disease contracted by the talented engineer wanted, alas, that the career, however promising, of the factory of Huy registers only one quite short page in the history of the car. It is not less glorious.


For submission to our readers, we reminded it in company of Mrs. Jenny Springuel-Wilmotte, the widow of the manufacturer, Mr. Jean Springuel his cousin, who was burning pilot of this beautiful time.
Mr. Jules Springuel was member of the family of the important distillers whose factory, located at the corner of the Batta quay and the Godelet street, in Huy, was cup down it y a few years. But, preferring with the handling of the still, the study of mechanics in full expansion, it made, at the University of Liege, its studies of civil engineer, it makes a success of all the examinations with the greatest distinction and the congratulations of the jury. These successes promised career to the young student.

Large and enthralling innovation
Nothing astonishing, however, that, its finished studies, it was impassioned for the engine car. Wasn't this the great innovation? Hardly 12 years ago, that Daimler had installed a spark-ignition engine on a line inspection car and 8 years that Panhard and Levasseur had mounted the engine of Daimler on a road frame.
When in 1902, the young engineer transformed the tricycle of a friend, Mr. Edmond Dresse up, it did not imagine that this part would be the first realization of a large firm. Not more the following year, when it mounted, for its own use, a car four places which it equipped with a Adler engine. For him, it was what is called today a “hobby” to which it was devoted in a workshop located at the current site of the Vandevliedt garage.
But the friends were not long in requesting the construction of a car, similar to his; Misters. Gustave Dufrenoy, Pierre de Lhonneux, Marcel de Laminne, Charles Delloye were, with members of the family of the manufacturer.
And thus, of wire out of needle, Mr. Springuel was well quickly taken with its own play. One fine day, his/her charmed friends of the produced machines, proposed the constitution of a company of cars. Thing which was carried out about 1906 - Mrs. Springuel does not remember the exact date and which had as an immediate entry the construction of the factory which, today, shelters the Foundry St-Hilaire.

Everywhere in the Spotlight, on the road as with the Auto fair of Brussels
It was to leave there the series of cars whose reputation was very quickly spread thanks to the excellent performances carried out in various tests. From the 1910, with the races of Béthane (stopping of Gileppe), one 16 H.P. the first place with the classification gained. With the meeting of Ostend of the same year, an identical car was classified first of the race category. It is that Mr. Springuel was also an enthusiastic pilot and had involved in this good wake numbers of Hutois whose names, Lamarche, Klinkhamers, Gallis and others, appear in the prize lists of brilliant tests.
Their exploits defrayed the sporting chronicle. Here besides what said, the day before the living room of Brussels, the “Illustrated Sporting Review “of December 1910. This testimony of time is more convincing than any description than one can make one half-century later:
“Among the cars which were distinguished during the year 1910, it is necessary to quote in very first line, the Springuel car, of Huy, which, last June, gained the cup of the newspaper “the Meuse”, and which in this test of output in coast, with the so convincing lesson, left behind it all the Belgian representatives of firms and of many foreign firms which took part in this contest.
The accomplished performance was superb besides by itself since the car “Springuel” weighing 1.072 kg, actuated by a 4 cylinder motor 90 X 120 (3 liters 054 of cubic capacity) climbs the 13 kilometers of hill climb from 5 to 12 %. in 9 minute 18,5 second  i.e. at a mean velocity of 83 km 880m per hour. Besides it confirmed shortly after this prowess in Ostend where, of pure speed, it triumphed over all the cars of equal force and 1eft far behind it, the much more powerful cars “

A wonderfully flexible clutch
Still let us let describe by the witness, the characteristics of the car oh Huy in this moment:
“But Mr. Springuel does not stop in this way and since, it that still improved. To quote only some of these improvements, it equipped son16/20 H.P. with 4 speeds and provided with a new clutch whose flexibility is marvelous and the robustness the proof the ill treatments. The connection of the bridge postpones with the frame, by means of three rods forming parallelogram, special system with the factories of Huy, was notably sophisticated in its details; all the articulations which, in the preceding models, were carried out by means of cylindrical pivots, are now made of spherical kneecaps, with play take-up provided greasing devices quite accessible. This provision leaves with the bridge postpones any freedom necessary to follow the irregularities of the road and ensures an almost indefinite conservation of the articulations “
And the writer of the review finishes by giving a report on the projects of the Springuel firm.
“The workshops will leave soon marvelous a small frame 12 H.P. of which the 4 cylinder motor of 75 mm of boring, will make the admiration of all the experts. A model of this frame, especially studied for the taxis is called with greatest success. "
With cars fair of Brussels, Springuel had a representation as important as the largest international brand of the time such as “Panhard” and “Adler”. It was also not the first time she had it. In 1908 Mr. Springuel had already received the congratulations of H.M. Leopold II

Part II
50 years ago, the SPRINGUEL car held the world record of output

After its dedication in 1910, the Springuel car was to confirm its success during following years, while improving unceasingly. In 1911 it allotted six prices to the races of Béthane and the first place to the meeting of Ostend.
In Boulogne-sur-Mer, it was classified 15 times first and it cup was carried by Mr. Paul Lamarche. In 1913, in addition to other tests, it gained the cup of the Great Price of Royal the Car Club of Belgium, the most beautiful test of the country which disputed in Spa. This after having established a world record of output in Huy.

With the conquest new successes

In 1912, the firm had presented itself at no test, because it was absorbed by its full expansion. This year, indeed, Mr. Jules Springuel annexed the factories of cars “Impéria” of Nessonvaux and thus tripled his production.
- It is at that time, entrusts Mr. to us. Jean Springuel, whom it had developed for its racing racing cars, a system being equivalent to the turbo-compressor which was to give them a power quite higher than that of the many marks of the time
All the car industry was besides in full transformation. Far from letting themselves precede, Mr. Springuel realized, for its part, of important innovations. With the back bridge, for example, instead of a right bar, it imagined to place an axis broken in its medium, so that the wheels are inclined towards the interior on the ground. What Citroen does today. It is him also which was the first to be adopted for the cars, the forced feed lubrication. Another Important improvement whose manufacturer of Huy, was the precursor: the engine block; because it should be known that the cylinders were not always assembled.

In Huy, it crushes all its competitors

By dividing into sheets the documentation of Mrs. Springuel, tied still discovered the evocation of a great meeting in the city of Pontia. Yes, the “Twelve hours of Huy “have an ancestor. And of course, the cars “Springuel” took part, at the sides of the “Opel”, “D. E. P. “, “Gallia”, “Lawn”, “Nagant”, “Pipe”, “Hispano”, etc… The Springuel car was to establish the world record of output there.
Here what of known as, the June issue of the “Illustrated Sporting Review “: “The automobile meeting of Huy which opened the season in Belgium obtained a great success and was classified from the start among our great automobile, large tests victorious of the meeting of Huy are Springuel-Imperia which, in race as in tourism, were ranked first of all the competitors with a considerable advance.
In tourism with the car 12 H.P. of 2 liters 120 of cubic capacity weighing 1.040 kg, Mr. Klinkhamers reached on the level 105 km 883 per hour and 72 kms in coast of 8,5 p. C. (It is about the coast of “La Sarte”), that is to say the two higher speeds carried out by tourists who however included/understood cars of almost 4 L. 500 of cubic capacity.
In race, Mr. Klinkhamers, with the same car, without mudguard, but having dimensions of body imposed to the tourists and a weight of 1.000 kgs, reached 117 kms 643 on the level (122 with the outward journey) and 75 kms in hillclimb.

Hundred cars per annum

In Huy the Springuel factory occupied from 80 to 100 workmen. It left more than 100 cars per annum. But that of Nessonvaux had a higher production.
In race, the “Springuel” equalized and beat records. On the market of the time, it had the improvement of Peugeot. Its competitor in the Belgian trade was the “Nagant”.


Springuel to the “Grand Prix” of the “Automobile Club”

With the meeting of Oostende, the car of Huy maintained its superiority. Klinkhamers took all the first places of race category. What says the Review of July of it?  Mr. Jules Springuel wanted to benefit from the occasion that provided him the Rally of Ostend to show that its cars could, without fear, to traverse several hundred kilometers, was this even on, bad paving stones of the Flanders roads …

 Once more thus, the “Springuel-Imperia” allotted the record of the output after having shown its robustness and its output…,

 This “Springuel - Imperia” was the same car as that which had triumphed in Huy. It is well certainly that which currently holds the world record of output “.  This said, it is not necessary any more for argument to prove that the cars “Springuel” hold in the history of the car, a place of choice. We thus with saying limit that when on August 24, 1913, in Spa, it carried the Great Price of the “Automobile Club”, the most important test of Belgium, the eulogistic remarks redoubled: and that, the same year, Mr. Jules Springuel, always avid of improvement, produced a third marks “Abadal”, car of great sport (80 of boring. 180 of race) being equivalent to Hispano-Suiza.

Expelled of its own factory by one of its sub-orders to the service of the occupant

Mr. Springuel jealously maintained the secrecy of its special cars. II its engine under a hermetic cap had placed. This engine was placed so that one can check the race and boring only by the lower part of the car. But the improvement which was worth with its cars of such successes had, alas to cost very expensive the manufacturer of Huy.  When the war of 1914-1918 occurred, the director of its factory of Nessonvaux fled to Germany, his country of origin, to return some time after requiring cars and their secrecy. Mr. Springuel refused to deliver them. It was then expelled of its factory, this one was put at bag and all that interested the enemy was taken along Outre-Rhin.  - I still see the train carrying the cars and the machines, adds gloomily, Mrs Springuel with the evocation of this painful memory.

No one more model to be found
It was the end of beautiful but too short career of the brand cars of Huy. Mr. Springuel had the satisfaction to know that it is one as of its cars which during all the war conveyed the mail of king Albert from Le Havre to The Panne. But, when the country was released, the manufacturer was taken by the disease. It still drew several cars of which a type of taxi and a luxury car. Never however it rebuilds aSgain the manufacture. The factory of Nessonvaux was given; and these of Huy had closed its doors forever and Mr. Jules Springuel, at the end of a long disease, extinguished in 1929.
Today, its widow who, at 85 years, is oldest conducting of Huy, her family and some friends, jealously have the trophy and memories of the car of Huy. But vainly, they seek a model of it. With their great despair, plus any car “Springuel” does not exist among the ancestors of the car
. By Jean-Marie Bienvenu, February 1963