MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS: Single-cylinder, two-stroke engine. Displacement: 100 cc (48 x 55 mm). Transmission: chain-driven. Gearbox: three-speed. Frame: single cradle tubular steel. Front suspension: parallelogram fork. Rear suspension: rigid.

HISTORY: In the 1930s, Terrot was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in France. Designed in the late years of that decade by the young engineer Edmond Padovani, the new basic model of the brand (100 cc engine) formed part of a plan to renew all the machines in its extensive catalogue, which had gradually become outdated. The M344, belonging to this series, reached the market in 1944. It features a cast-iron crankcase and an aluminium cylinder with a steel liner, an automatic carburettor with a starter, and a twin-outlet exhaust; the three-speed gearbox is of the unit-construction type, integrated into the engine. This motorcycle was virtually identical to the M3 F, its equivalent within the Magnat-Debon range. The example offered in the auction was restored some years ago and, although it lacks a few minor cosmetic details, it is in very good condition. With a simple tune-up, it may be ready to run again.