Don..if you bought this bike you would probably find that the trefoil lugs...is this where Ernesto got his inspiration.?. are very thick..not 1/8", but not far off!
The lugs seem to have come as standard from some time in the mid-30s until into the late 50s/early 60s. if you look at Martin Aspel's 1930s Automoto road-racing model on the CR site, you'll find similar lugs.
I agree with Chuck that the steel wheels would appear to be off-putting but French builders, including some constructeurs, often used steel rims particularly on randonneur bikes.
I spotted this machine and three other auctions that the seller has been running, without selling one single machine. One auction was for a mixed-bag of five machines for under 100 euros, for the lot, including a couple of very interesting road machines..ie more racing than touring.
The seller needs to have the machines collected, and he is based in Beauvais just to the NW of Paris..there is an airport there used by one of the big cut-price companies from the UK. I tried to cut a deal with him..and he was very amenable..the problem for him being that he collects bikes and sells them for charitable purposes..and although he would store the bikes pending collection, he has very little room for storage.
Beauvais is excellently placed for having lots of bikes, and has had for some long years a tradition of cycle racing, together with a Grade A sponsored amateur team. The seller is the same chap who sold a superb late 40.early50s La Perle fully original racing bike for 100 euros, in September. He told me that he has quite a turn-over in such machines. Beauvais is about one and a half hours from my house in France..going on the road back to Calais. Pity is that I didn't know the guy's whereabouts until earlier this week otherwise I would have called on him on my way home ten days or so ago. However..I am trying to coax a friend who lives about an hour's journey away to go and look over the stock..buy what he thinks interests me..and then take it away for storage....so I might be able to offer you an automoto frame in the not too distant future.
Norris Lockley....going through my Euros as though there's no tomorrows...Settle UK