There's a French engineering principal that states "never use just one part when you can do it with ten". Take a look at a Citroen DS21 sometime for a good example. As for the Simplex lever, I don't know why they did it. The plastic wing nut is prone to breakage like all the other plastic Simplex and Mafac parts. Simplex also made very complicated ignition locks for the DS21!
Leonard Bulger Ann Arbor chapter, Lucien Juy fan club
> In a message dated 12/19/2001 9:23:01 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> francopedia@yahoo.com writes:
>
>
> > The knob side was
> > 3-piece, plastic wing nut w/ brass nut connected to a
> > round steel knob which is held in place by a pressure
> > spring.
> >
>
> It seems overly complex, why was it done like that?
>
> Pete Geurds
> Douglassville, PA