Originally Posted by
Trakhak
My first track bike, bought in 1964, called itself a Helyett Speciale Jacques Anquetil Tour de France model and had a little diamond-shaped decal with a photo of Anquetil on the seat tube, below the 531 sticker.
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The Helyett marque has an interesting origin. It comes from an operetta of 1891 called
Miss Helyett. The lady's face wering a bonnet seen on the head emblem is the likeness of actress Biana Duhamel who portrayed the lead chracter in the original production.
advert of 1924 -
operetta made into a motion picture in 1928 and then remade in 1933 -
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018162/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199775/?ref_=tt_trv_cnn
according to Norris the company operated two cycle manufacturing plants. one closed in 1962 and the remaining one was purchased by MICMO (Gitane) with rights to the name in 1966. MICMO kept the name going producing cycles carrying it at the Gitane facility at least as late as about 1980.
the 1964 date of your track machine would place it right near the time of the changes.
here is an image of Monsieur Anquetil competing on a Helyett machine in the early 1960's -
Norris hath writ that the Helyett badged machines ridden by Maitre Jacques were constructed by Bernard Carre.
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