In the name of the Father
But Camille Jenatzy owes her flourishing destiny in part to her father, Constantin. He launched the first rubber factory in Belgium. The company is based in Brussels, and more precisely in Schaerbeek. Initially specializing in the manufacture of waterproof items (covers, clothing, glasses, etc.), the company took advantage of the automobile boom to concentrate on the manufacture of tires. Owners of cars, bicycles or motorcycles then flock to Jenatzy, which becomes a leading brand in this area. Constantin is not only an outstanding designer, he is a fine trader and he also actively participates in the political life of his municipality, as a Schaerbeek municipal councilor.
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Thanks to her father’s financial (and political) facilities, Camille Jenatzy had easier access to a career as an engineer. He studied electromagnetics in Liège, then went to Paris where he established, in 1898, the Compagnie Générale des Transports Automobiles-systeme Jenatzy (CGTA). At this time, a competition was launched in the French capital to test the different motor vehicles capable of replacing cabs.
The beginnings of the electric car
Camille Jenatzy will then distinguish herself with a series of patents and create the first… electric taxis in Paris. These are motorized horse-drawn carriages which were put into service in September 1898.
But how could history forget such a pioneer in this field? The explanation undoubtedly lies in the rapid technological advances of the time. Indeed, the electric vehicle designed by Jenatzy has a low range (90km at most), is very heavy and noisy. In the space of barely two months, its innovation has already been surpassed by a rival Parisian manufacturer, whose autonomy has risen to 180km, or double…
Camille Jenatzy, a builder at heart, then decided to turn to car racing. He is also experiencing a meteoric rise there, thanks to his electric vehicle. He took part in short distance races and pocketed his first victory at Chanteloup (north-west of Paris) in 1898. On a steep hill averaging 7° and over a distance of 1800 meters, Jenatzy crushed the competition and the cars behind him. oil.
But a serious rival then arrives to compete against the Belgian. It is a Frenchman, Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, who drives for the coachbuilder Charles Jeantaud, specialized in electric vehicles and a competitor of Jenatzy. Every month, a race is organized to set a speed record. Finally, on April 29, 1899, Jenatzy won the 5th event in Achères, France, and set a world speed record by exceeding the symbolic milestone of 100 km/h. Its speedometer even shows more than 105km/h.
“The Never Happy”
In addition to the intrinsic talents of driver Jenatzy, it is the car he designed especially for this feat that must be highlighted. The vehicle is quite unique, shaped like an ogive or cigar. Despite the heavy weight of the electric batteries (more than half of the total weight of 750 kg), its aerodynamic shape allows it to reach unprecedented speeds.
Note that at the time, we had the habit of naming our vehicles. This will be called “La Jamais contente”. Versions differ as to the choice of this qualifier: for some, it is a wink from Jenatzy to his wife, who was alone in Brussels and was impatient to see her champion come home; for others, it is simply a way of illustrating this car’s desire to always do better (even though it will only have ended up competing for this race and this record…).
For the record, after a return to the family factory in Schaerbeek, “The “Jamais contente” was offered to the Cinquantenaire Museum in Brussels, which did not want it. The explanation put forward by the Museum’s managers was that they focused their collection on cabs, not yet on automobiles. Result: since 1932 until today, it is France which has had the precious car, which is preserved like a treasure in the Car and Tourism Museum of Compiègne.
A grandiose success and an early death
As surprising as it may seem, the record established by Camille Jenatzy is not the most resounding event of her career. Although the feat was relayed by the international press, including the New York Times, few people attended this race. Press articles from the time mention an audience of 200 people. On the other hand, following this, the Belgian was recruited by Mercedes, as a driver. And the apotheosis for Jenatzy fell in 1903, when he won the 4th edition of the Gordon-Bennett Cup, in front of a crazy crowd. There, at the end of an epic race, the Belgian is recognized internationally as a great driver. Still driving a Mercedes, he also became the first to exceed 200 km/h, in Ostend, in 1909.
Nicknamed the “Red Devil” (meaning the “Red Devil”, for his red beard and his very nervous side), Camille Jenatzy took risks throughout his 12-year racing career (1898 – 1910). But it was ultimately from a completely different accident that he died in 1913, at the age of barely 45. An ending as tragic as it is stupid. Indeed, during a hunting trip in the province of Luxembourg, Jenatzy, hidden behind a bush, wants to scare his friends by imitating the sounds of a wild animal. Except that one of his companions, Alfred Madoux, shoots him, thinking that he is game. Seriously injured, Jenatzy is rushed by his executioner to the nearest hospital. But according to accounts from the time, the ex-pilot never reached the clinic and, in a final whisper, declared to his friend who was driving him: “You remember Alfred, I predicted to you that I would die in a Mercedes. Well, I was right!”
