Minouflet

The FRS was one of the original French Racers 500, appearing at the display of cars in Paris in late 1949. The car came from Strasbourg and was built by Paul Freiss with Robert Riehl and Robert Zurmely (better known for his Bugatti involvement, FRS presumably standing for Freiss Riehl Speciale. Little is known of the construction, other than the pictures below, showing very well-made bodywork and that it was amongst the first French cars to try the BMW motor. Seat height, however, does not seem to have merited much consideration.

The three pose with almost competed car

The first appearance of note was the Grand Prix de Paris at Montlhéry, 30th April 1950, driven by Robert Riehl, where he gained a sixth place, albeit four laps down. There were more appearances through the year, including Angoulême in June (driven by Freiss), and Reims in July (driven by Robert Bertrand). By 1953, the car had been purchased by André Minouflet, who would race it for several more years as a BMW Speciale, unchanged but for removal of the grille. Thereafter, details run out, and it has not been traced racing in later years.

If anyone has any more details or photos, please get in touch.