DISRAELI DOCUMENTS
see also Memoriale de la Loire et de la Haute-Loire 05/10/1925 - Super Rapid ad
see also Memoriale de la Loire et de la Haute-Loire 05/10/1925 - Super Rapid ad
see also French Patent # 771,320 - Super Rapid 1933
see also French Patent # 771,320 - Super Rapid 1933
see also French Patent # 768,793 - Super Rapid 1934
see also French Patent # 768,793 - Super Rapid 1934
see also French Patent # 781,909 - Super Rapid 1934
see also French Patent # 781,909 - Super Rapid 1934
see also L'Auto 03/10/1935 - Le Stand L. Valat
see also L'Auto 03/10/1935 - Le Stand L. Valat
see also New Cycling 05/1981 - Derailleur Collection
see also New Cycling 05/1981 - Derailleur Collection
I do not know much about the Super Rapid brand. I am aware of a number of fairly basic Super Rapid models of rear derailleur, some of which are pull-chain designs and some of which use a direct pull - typical of the period between about 1935 and 1960. The finish on these derailleurs is fairly plain and looks... how shall I say this... 'inexpensive'. There are a fair number of Super Rapid derailleurs floating around on ebay.fr and at French bike jumbles, so they may have been manufactured in some volume.
There is some debate about whether Super Rapid derailleurs are French or Italian:
On the side of the French:
On the side of the Italians:
Some relevant evidence might be:
Although I can clearly understand Velobase.com's logic, I am not convinced that the brakes and derailleurs are related. So I am going with the, admittedly unproven, notions that: