Makes › Arzens › L'Œuf électrique · Prototype · Visionary project · 1942 One-off
Arzens
L'Œuf électrique
A one-off two-seat electric car in aluminium and Plexiglas, built in occupied Paris in 1942 by the designer Paul Arzens for his own use.
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- 1942
- Engine
- Electric motor with five batteries at the rear (later replaced by a 125 cc Peugeot petrol engine) · 125 cc / 0.1 LFactory: 125 cc
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- 70 km/hFactory: 70 km/h
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Paul Arzens
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 1 (independently researched)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Œuf électrique is an early urban electric car, shaped as a single egg-like space for two. Its maker presented electric traction as the future of the city, and the car remains a museum piece that travels to exhibitions.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionthe single car, in the Musée des Arts et Métiers collection | 12 | Surviving examples | Independently researched |
| Total model productioncars built (a unique vehicle, museum inventory 40937) | 11 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Paul Arzens, trained at the Paris Beaux-Arts and later known for SNCF locomotive designs, built the car in 1942 to get round the fuel restrictions of the Occupation. A light aluminium and Plexiglas body encloses driver and passenger, and five batteries weighing 300 kg gave a reported range of 100 km at up to 70 km/h.
After the war the batteries were replaced by a 125 cc Peugeot petrol engine. Arzens kept the car until his death in 1990, and it entered the Musée des Arts et Métiers collection in 1993. It is lodged at the Cité de l'automobile in Mulhouse and went to the Atlanta High Museum for the exhibition Dream Cars in 2014.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard L'Œuf électrique.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Electric motor with five batteries at the rear (later replaced by a 125 cc Peugeot petrol engine)2 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 125 cc / 0.1 LFactory: 125 cc2 Independently researchedPost-war petrol engine of Peugeot origin that replaced the electric motor. It is not the 1942 powertrain. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Single Duralinox tube linked to the elastic rear-wheel fork2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Aluminium body with Plexiglass glazing2,3 Independently researched |
| Materials | Aluminium and Plexiglas2 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 70 km/hFactory: 70 km/h2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
L'œuf électrique de Paul Arzens Level C
- 1 cars built (a unique vehicle, museum inventory 40937)
-
2
L'oeuf électrique de Paul Arzens Level C Musée des Arts et Métiers
- rejoint les collections du Musée des arts et métiers en 1993
- cinq batteries totalisant un poids de 300 kilogrammes
- un moteur thermique à essence Peugeot de 125 centimètres cube
- châssis est constitué d'un tube en Duralinox
- l’aluminium et le Plexiglass
- l'aluminium et le Plexiglass
- autorisant une vitesse de 70 kilomètres/heure
-
3
L'Oeuf Electrique de Paul Arzens (1942) Level C l'automobile ancienne · 2015-11-09
- une carrosserie réalisée en aluminium
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