The BNC 527 was a small French racing car built by Bollack, Netter et Compagnie, a Paris firm that made cars from 1923 to 1931. Along with the Super Sport and the FCD it was one of the marque’s best-known competition models, a 1.1-litre machine that appeared at hillclimbs, cyclecar Grands Prix and endurance races through the 1920s.
BNC 527 at a glance
| Maker | Bollack, Netter et Compagnie (B.N.C.), Levallois-Perret |
|---|---|
| Maker active | 1923–1931 |
| Founders | Lucien Bollack and René Netter |
| Class | 1.1-litre racing car / cyclecar |
| Engine | 1.1-litre SCAP or Ruby |
| Notable driver | Henri Billiet |
| 1925 result | hillclimb at Col de Peyresourde, Bagnères-de-Luchon |
| 1929 result | 6th in the Prix de la Ville de Reims, Violette Morris |
| 1931 result | 4th in the Circuit du Dauphiné, 1,100 cm³, Girard |
Based on one source: the French Wikipedia article on the maker, which has no separate page for the 527. The model is described there through its race entries and the list of the marque’s racing cars.
History of the BNC 527
Bollack Netter et compagnie was founded in 1923 by Lucien Bollack, born in 1892, and René Netter. The works stood at 86–90 rue des Frères-Herbert, today rue Édouard-Vaillant, in Levallois-Perret on the northern edge of Paris. The firm closed in 1931 and was partly absorbed into Lombard in 1929.
Light cars were the company’s business from the first year: BNC took part in the second Bol d’or automobile in 1923. Out of that programme came a series of racing models, of which the Super Sport, the FCD and the 527 are the best remembered. The 527 was the 1.1-litre car, entered in the 1,100 cm³ classes that were popular in France between the wars.
The car’s record is spread across the French sporting calendar. In 1925 Henri Billiet drove a BNC 527 1.1 l in the hillclimb of the Col de Peyresourde at Bagnères-de-Luchon, in the Pyrenees. In 1929 Violette Morris finished sixth in the Prix de la Ville de Reims at the wheel of a 527 with a SCAP engine, and in 1931 Girard took fourth in the 1,100 cm³ class of the Circuit du Dauphiné on a 527 Ruby.
The 527 was also part of the marque’s endurance effort. BNC entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times between 1928 and 1935, the best result an eleventh place for Adrien and Albert Alin in 1933, and the 24 Hours of Spa seven times between 1928 and 1934, with Michel Doré and Treunet eighth in 1932. The firm’s earlier cars had already won their class at Spa in 1930.
Design and features
- 1.1-litre class: the 527 was built for the 1,100 cm³ racing category of the 1920s.
- Two engine suppliers: SCAP and Ruby four-cylinders were used in the cars.
- Cyclecar racing: the model was campaigned in cyclecar Grands Prix and hillclimbs, where light cars excelled.
- Works-supported drivers: Billiet, Morris and Girard all raced the 527 for the marque.
BNC 527 versions
- 527 SCAP: the version with a SCAP engine, as raced by Violette Morris at Reims in 1929.
- 527 Ruby: the Ruby-engined car, fourth in its class at the Circuit du Dauphiné in 1931.
- Other BNC racing models: the Super Sport and the FCD, the marque’s two other best-known competition cars.
More cars from the Levallois-Perret works are in the BNC collection. For the background of buying and keeping a car of this age, see Buying a classic.
Video: BNC 527 – 1929
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Bollack, Netter et Cie, French Wikipedia: history, models, race results