Boulanger Trapèze (1975)
A very recognizable executive car from the 1970s with Boulanger’s characteristic unconventional design.
Model overview
The Trapèze was the result of trying to offer an overall smaller premium car compared to previous models, yet still retaining a comfortable cabin size. The intention was to start offering a slightly smaller and cheaper executive car, without sacrificing the comfortable ride Boulanger premium cars were known for.
The best way to achieve this of course, was to make the boot and bonnet shorter than in other models, but this left too little space for an Inline 6 engine. So after some initial reluctance to stray away from the inline engines they were so familiar with and after discarding a V configuration, Boulanger engineers started developing a flat-6 engine.
This configuration allowed the engine to remain very smooth but fit in the smaller bay, but developing an entire new engine also allowed for many innovations Boulanger had been eager to try. The result was a 2.8L, 4 valves per cylinder, aluminium block and head engine with mechanical fuel injection. Being specifically designed for more high-end cars, there was a bit of extra attention paid to the development of bottom end parts to ensure smoothness, to the injection fuel system, and to the double muffler exhaust system to ensure a fairly quiet engine.
The car wasn’t particularly sporty, but it wasn’t bad either. The 2.8L version made 128hp, and the 2.5L one made 107hp. Boulanger thought that if someone wanted performance they should get the sports version, or an actual sports car.
Au contraire, their premium cars from this period seeked to distinguish themselves mostly through comfort and design. To achieve this, the Trapéze made use of an hydropneumatic suspension system, carefully tuned to provide a very soft ride over most obstacles and a constant ride height.
Trims
2.8 DL (1975)
Originally a top-level trim with a 2.8L engine, with 128hp and a 0-100km/h of 9.4s. This version had a very high-spec interior for a car this size and price, with 4 seats of the level which might be seen even in some outright luxury cars. The fancy interior made this version difficult to manufacture in great numbers, as some steps were labor intensive, but not too much.
The French market version had selective yellow headlights and foglights, while for other markets it had white ones.
2.5 EF (1975)
This version came with a 2.5L 107hp engine, and was meant to be more comparable to most other premium cars interior-wise, and for those who wanted to take better care of their wallets. Inside it was not as luxurious as the 2.8 DL, but still pretty good with, and this version had one one extra seat on the rear. It was also designed to have slightly better fuel economy (though not stellar), and not as soft of a ride as the DL version. Still an extremely comfortable car for its price, as it still retained the hydropneumatic suspension since it was an integral part of the car model
USA market versions of the 2.8 DL and 2.5 EF (1975)
Boulanger attempted yet again to sell its premium cars in the USA, again not getting quite the results they expected. For it to comply with USA regulations, the car had to be outfitted with reinforced bumpers and with sealed-beam headlights. The 5 speed manual transmission had to be changed for a 4 speed automatic, which appealed more to Americans but murdered the already minuscule spirited driving potential the car had, and worsened its already not too good fuel economy.
Boulanger himself was said to not be fully satisfied with the changes that had to be done, but approved the car anyways to see if this one would do better. The problem was that this type of car just didn’t appeal much to Americans, who perceived it as underpowered with such a small engine compared to their large V8s, and had to receive a worse-looking version due to regulations.
2.8 GT (1977)
The Grand Tourisme was an sports version that came 2 years after the initial launch. The re-tuned 150hp boxer 6 was certainly an improvement in spirited driving potential, but the car still retained much of its focus on comfort. It had a firmer suspension setup compared to the 2.8 DL, but still nowhere near a pure sports cars, and it kept a very similar luxurious interior.
For a car of its size, the Trapèze was pretty light (1215kg in this version), so the added horsepower made it reasonably quick. This version was also made to have less of a tendency to understeer, but still be more manegeable. A small spoiler lined the rear end, but aside from that, there weren’t many signficant changes from the 2.8 DL version it was based on.
Specs
WIP