Description
FN 1920 “Type 700” 748 cc four cylinder T-head side valve combination frame # 73112 engine # 344
To many enthusiasts the FN four has always been one of the most appealing machines of veteran and vintage times.
Its production ran from 1905 till 1926.
The earliest type had a 362 cc engine with automatic overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves.
The machine was single geared, had shaft drive and the top speed was about 60 km/hour.
The FN four was an immediate success and found customers all over the world; FN sold its machines in more than 40 countries.
It found many customers in the U.S.A. and made Americans interested in the four cylinder concept: Percy Pierce purchased a 1908 model on one of his trips to Europe and the FN became a point of reference for the first Pierce Four in 1909.
The design was developed to 493 cc and the machine got a proper clutch and gearbox in the years before the War.
In 1914 the engine was completely redesigned: it grew to 748 cc with side valves on opposite sides of the cylinder, the so-called T-head configuration.
The machine had a sturdy clutch and a three speed gearbox.
Soon after the war the production was resumed with a slightly updated 1914 model.
This sturdy combination is a real eye catcher and is fitted with Auteroche headlamp, Luxor rear light, Miller acetylene generator and Alerio sidecar lamp.
A nice detail is the I.C.C.A. tyre pump.
The combination comes from an Italian collection but an identification plate on the sidecar body suggests the combination was once owned by a Dutch gentleman from The Hague.