French Barn Find: 1950s Mochet CM-125 Luxe
Put on your French microcar thinking caps and chime in at the end in the comments section on this one. This is, I believe, an early-1950s Mochet CM-125 Luxe. The seller has it posted on Craigslist in Plattsburgh, New York with a $5,000 asking price. Thanks to Michael for submitting this tip!
In the 1920s, Mochet made pedal cars – actual adult-owned-and-driven/ridden pedal cars. No, really, they were not toy cars. Although, for those folks who grew up with big, honking gas-sucking American freeway cruisers, they’re seen as toy cars and/or joke cars. They were no joke for a country that was starved for cheap transportation. The French company continued to make them during WWII but after the war, they went to a small engine instead of pedal-power. They kept the engine below a certain size in order to comply with regulations, “sans permis class”, meaning that the driver didn’t need a license. Sort of like all of the #$%! electric scooters clogging up the sidewalks these days. In the case of the CM-125, that engine was 125cc. Some of you probably have a bigger motor on your coffee grinder.
You can see the big problem with this small car: half of it is missing! So, the next time you’re scouring the woods in the Pacific Northwest hoping that you’ll find Bigfoot, you probably will find him/her/it before you find the missing parts for this car. The seller says, “It is NOT complete (YOU will need to determine what’s there or not by pics or viewing in person)”. Here’s what it should have/would have looked like on a YouTube video. Yes, I want one even more now.
The carpet could use a deep-cleaning and.. er.. hey, wait a minute.. This is one bare bones ride. Reportedly, there were just over 1,200 CM-125 models made between 1951 and 1953. With no VIN, it’ll take one of you French microcar experts to pin down the exact date of this one. Beatnik Bedouin?
Here is what would have been a two-stroke 3.5-hp 125CC single-cylinder that powered the CM-125. The company ramped the size up to 175cc towards the end of production and they had a two-cylinder 750CC model in prototype stage but it never made it to production. Have any of you seen a Mochet CM-125?
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Comments
Soooo many things you could do with this little car. Building the rest of the body would not be a big problem for me. I’d make a boat tailed roadster back for it. I’d rework the steering, suspension, brakes, and chassie, I’d also up the engine size a bit 13 hp electric start kolher, or Briggs and Stratton. I’d also go to a snow Mobil drive cult so no shifting would be required. You really wouldn’t want to be going any more than about 80 kph / 50 mph in this car and that’s with improvements. All said and done $5k is out of the question. I could get this far with a custom build for less than that.
I was thinking the same thing. This little car might look great with a boat tail.
So, no LS swap?
You’ll be sitting on the engine!
With an intact windshield. Go figure.
I’ll wait for the “half off” sale.
Har har!
So buy a $200.00 boat. start chopping, make up some brackets, gets some cheap lites and You got your Boat tail..
I’ve seen this Ian Fleming inspired movie, it involved Dick Van Dyke as Caracatus Pott. He took the opportunity to add flying and water-navigation capabilities as well.
Chitty-chitty-bang-bang?
I could see this being converted to an.LEV. .Since this car is light to
begin with, the motor and the electrics from a wrecked golf cart could
be used here. At most, 48 volts should be enough to move this little
critter down the road with no trouble at all. Extra charging capabilities
would include an alternator to power the headlamps and tail lights along
with the turn signals. When the lights are not in use, the power that the
alternator makes could be diverted back into the batteries while the car
is moving. This along with a solar panel on the roof should provide
adequate charging while the car is moving. I also see the body at the
rear of the car being turned into a small truckette with a fixed roof
to hold the solar panel(s) I just men5ioned. I estimate that the top speed of this truckette would be 20-25 MPH. Enough to comply with
licensing regulations that limit the top speed of LEV’s. Any speed 25
MPH or under does not require a driver’s license to drive an LEV. To
sum it all up, I’d have transportation when I need it–even after a
hurricane. Or drive it for the fun of it.
Pronounced “Moshay”, I’m sure. Perfect if you only have 6 blocks to travel.
The rear body should resemble a half a loaf of French bread. The buyer should be a bakery. Or an escargot, owner would be a French restaurant.
My first thought for a body was a boat tail speedster. Second would be a small pickup bed. This thing would make a cool little truck for hauling stuff around the yard.
When you drive one of these, bring a friend to push it over any speed bumps.
Now I want one too! Love oddball cars or odd transportation of any kind!
Or just put a mower deck on it and get your grass done. You neighbors will be envious.
It needs a Kohler 12 HP Magnum and a blade. Cut grass in style
Here´s a pedal Mochet. They were still available after WW2, such were the deprivations of life in France after WW2. Mochet invented the lie-back bike, which was effective enough to be barred from cycle racing in the 1930s
…And yet no one has mentioned ‘patina’ or ‘small block Chevy’.
How about a hemi? 426 anybody?
Actually someone did-
no more laughs till U see:
1950s Mochet CM-125 Luxe.
click on oneada pic 4 more.
Better than a Mesersmitd by 1 wheel, close to an Isetta 1000 but an ‘earlier’ model. Defiantly some uses!
Sacré bleu!!
Nah ya’ll are not even using your noggins. Get an aluminum Canoe cut one end off and fasten it to the back, There is ya boat tail. Then drop a Hybusa engine in it and have a good time. You could also use an old drop tank and cut that in half and tack it on the end. Maybe an old Harley engine, then you would sound cool at the same time. 5K though? Nah. But you go ahead and send it to me and I will Pimp your ride and turn you and it into a Specticle. How bout dat?
Old, rare and off doesn’t necessarily mean valuable. Case in point right here. $5,000? Not if my life depended on it.