Research done

It seems that the Traction / Light 15 owners all over the world are a kind and very sharing group of people. On my enquiries, my first response was from Robin Dyke in Oxford, UK, who sent me valuable detailed information and served to make me even more excited than I already am about this restoration project. He owns a 1953 Light 15 - isn't it beautiful? (see photo - the blue car is a French Normale). He also informed me that there are quite a few Traction owners in SA, incl. in EL; Reg Taylor from Pinetown, KZN and Peter Hall (SOUTHERN AFRICAN VETERAN and VINTAGE ASSOCIATION / VETERAAN MOTORVERENIGING vir SUIDER AFRIKA) from Pretoria (?) have already responded and offered advise and information. Amongst the rich pile of information that Robin Dyke sent, he suggested the following methods to date my car - and I add his own words here, albeit slightly edited (see next blog for more info that he sent):

To open the left-side bonnet and look at the "firewall" or "bulkhead" as if one were looking at the passenger's knees through the bulkhead. There should be a small rectangular plate - about 8cm by 4 cm at a guess. If it is a Light 15, it should read 11CL (perhaps 11CL4 or 11CL6 or 11CL8), and the chassis number should be a 9 then 6 digits. And if it is a Big 15, then it might begin 11C. (If the car was 1947 or 48 then the number would not have a 9 and would be around 125000). Then close the bonnet and open the other side. One should see the exhaust manifold, with the exhaust pipe curving down. In front of this is the dynamo (driven by the fan belt) and lower down there is another black electrical unit - the starter. One will see the wiring leading from both these units probably taped down to the part of the bodywork we call the "horns". There is another body number here; it is on a small plate welded to the "horn". It looks up at you as you peer down at the back of the dynamo and starter.
At a guess the plate is about 10cm by 2 cm. It is probably painted over and covered in grease, and it may be hidden by electric cables and/or the speedo cable. The B stand for Berline (saloon), the PV for Petite Voiture and the S for "sport” (ie a Light 15). If you car is a Big 15 then the code would be BPVL (I think L is for large). The coque (shell) number 1257 might help date the car. There is a number plate on the engine, about the same size as the chassis number plate (perhaps bigger). I would expect 2 letters and 5 numbers. There is a possibility your engine number could help date the car (unless you have had an engine swap). There are also numbers cast on the engine block, ditto on the gearbox - but here you can usually find a date. All the body parts were made in Paris, and the engines, and the gearboxes. Then they were shipped to Slough for assembly. An engine and gearbox might have been made in the Spring, assembled in the summer, then delivered to a dealer, then sold, and the new owner might first register the car in the autumn.

I have unfortunately not yet had a chance to apply this new knowledge, since the car is at the farm (see photo for a farm scene), more than 4 hours drive away, but my father said as soon as he goes out again he will try and find all the numbers. Robin Dyke however thinks my car might be (because it has a "big" boot) an after late-1952.