Retrospective: The history of Elf motorcycles
Rétrospective : L’histoire des motos Elf - Paddock GP (paddock-gp.com)
https://www.paddock-gp.com/retrospectiv ... motos-elf/
In nearly 75 years of Grand Prix, there have been many attempts to stand out. The France is not to be outdone when it comes to the most unusual experiments, and a slew of engineers from France have tried, successfully or not, to modify the design of a motorcycle. This is the case of André de Cortanze and Elf. A unique epic that smells of the 1980s.
De Cortanze was not short of work in the late 1970s. A graduate of INSA, then hired by Renault to develop F2 and F3, he is undoubtedly one of the most promising brains of his generation. He became project manager at the Régie in 1977, and focused on the newly designed turbocharged Formula 1, partly developed thanks to the expertise of the late Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who had just left us.
At the same time, Elf, a major French oil company, is very present in the world of motorsport, and features prominently on the body of the Renault RS-01. Elf does not neglect the motorcycle world, which leads to the birth of a common idea: Why not try to produce an innovative machine, and above all, competitive?
De Cortanze, passionate about two-wheelers, is on the spot, accompanied by the cartoonist Daniel Trema. He can only note the lack of innovation in the motorcycle world, compared to Formula 1 which had changed a lot since the 1950s. The fork and tubular frames were principles of another time, which, according to him, were largely outdated. In February 1978, a UFO appeared: the Elf X.
More pics on the linked site
