1.
Car
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A car is a wheeled, self-powered motor vehicle used for transportation and a product of the automotive industry. The year 1886 is regarded as the year of the modern car. In that year, German inventor Karl Benz built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, cars did not become widely available until the early 20th century. One of the first cars that was accessible to the masses was the 1908 Model T, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in the United States of America, where they replaced animal-drawn carriages and carts, cars are equipped with controls used for driving, parking, passenger comfort and safety, and controlling a variety of lights. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, examples include rear reversing cameras, air conditioning, navigation systems, and in car entertainment. Most cars in use in the 2010s are propelled by a combustion engine. Both fuels cause air pollution and are blamed for contributing to climate change. Vehicles using alternative fuels such as ethanol flexible-fuel vehicles and natural gas vehicles are also gaining popularity in some countries, electric cars, which were invented early in the history of the car, began to become commercially available in 2008. There are costs and benefits to car use, the costs of car usage include the cost of, acquiring the vehicle, interest payments, repairs and auto maintenance, fuel, depreciation, driving time, parking fees, taxes, and insurance. The costs to society of car use include, maintaining roads, land use, road congestion, air pollution, public health, health care, road traffic accidents are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide. The benefits may include transportation, mobility, independence. The ability for humans to move flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for the nature of societies and it was estimated in 2010 that the number of cars had risen to over 1 billion vehicles, up from the 500 million of 1986. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, the word car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum, or the Middle English word carre. In turn, these originated from the Gaulish word karros, the Gaulish language was a branch of the Brythoic language which also used the word Karr, the Brythonig language evolved into Welsh where Car llusg and car rhyfel still survive. It originally referred to any wheeled vehicle, such as a cart, carriage. Motor car is attested from 1895, and is the formal name for cars in British English. Autocar is a variant that is attested from 1895
2.
Suresnes
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Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.3 km from the center of Paris, the nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt. It is also on a line giving access to La Defense. Fort Mont-Valérien is situated in this commune, and has a view of Paris. In 1974 the Spanish Socialist Workers Party held its 26th Congress in Suresnes, felipe González was elected Secretary General, replacing Rodolfo Llopis Ferrándiz. González was from the wing of the party, and his victory signaled a defeat for the historic. The direction of the party shifted from the exiles to the people in Spain who had not fought in the Spanish Civil War. Suresnes is served by Suresnes-Mont-Valérien station on the Transilien La Défense, the Pont de Suresnes carries the Allée de Longchamp from the Bois de Boulogne over the Seine into the western suburbs of Paris. Noor Inayat Khan later returned to France as a Special Operations Executive and she was executed by the Germans and posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and the George Cross
3.
Paris
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Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. It has an area of 105 square kilometres and a population of 2,229,621 in 2013 within its administrative limits, the agglomeration has grown well beyond the citys administrative limits. By the 17th century, Paris was one of Europes major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, and it retains that position still today. The aire urbaine de Paris, a measure of area, spans most of the Île-de-France region and has a population of 12,405,426. It is therefore the second largest metropolitan area in the European Union after London, the Metropole of Grand Paris was created in 2016, combining the commune and its nearest suburbs into a single area for economic and environmental co-operation. Grand Paris covers 814 square kilometres and has a population of 7 million persons, the Paris Region had a GDP of €624 billion in 2012, accounting for 30.0 percent of the GDP of France and ranking it as one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. The city is also a rail, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the subway system, the Paris Métro. It is the second busiest metro system in Europe after Moscow Metro, notably, Paris Gare du Nord is the busiest railway station in the world outside of Japan, with 262 millions passengers in 2015. In 2015, Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making it one of the top tourist destinations. The association football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris, the 80, 000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros, Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The name Paris is derived from its inhabitants, the Celtic Parisii tribe. Thus, though written the same, the name is not related to the Paris of Greek mythology. In the 1860s, the boulevards and streets of Paris were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, since the late 19th century, Paris has also been known as Panam in French slang. Inhabitants are known in English as Parisians and in French as Parisiens and they are also pejoratively called Parigots. The Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, inhabited the Paris area from around the middle of the 3rd century BC. One of the areas major north-south trade routes crossed the Seine on the île de la Cité, this place of land and water trade routes gradually became a town
4.
Carrosserie Pourtout
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Carrosserie Pourtout was a French coachbuilding company. Pre-war Pourtout bodies were mainly one-off, bespoke creations, typically aerodynamic, among the companys customers was Georges Clémenceau, the physician and journalist who served as the prime minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and 1917 to 1920. The firm later turned to designs for industry and publicity, Carrosserie Pourtout ceased its creative operations in 1994 but survives to the present day as a vehicle body repair shop. Marcel Pourtout started in 1925 with a workshop in Bougival. His wife Henriette looked after the firm’s finances, hard work and plentiful orders allowed repayment of Carrosserie Pourtout’s start-up loans in just a few years, and in 1928 the premises were enlarged. In 1936 Pourtout expanded again, taking over the Hurtu factory workshops in Rueil-Malmaison, here the staff, which then numbered fifteen, could produce small production runs of coachwork, in addition to the one-offs. Until World War II, Carrosserie Pourtouts creations were exhibited at the annual Salon de lAutomobile de Paris, at the beginning of the war, before France fell to the Germans, the firm made ambulances on Chevrolet chassis. In 1941 Marcel Pourtout was appointed Mayor of Rueil-Malmaison in 1941, in 1942 the occupying forces requisitioned Pourtouts workshops, partially demolishing them when they left. Also in 1942 the Nazis executed the firms prewar designer, Georges Paulin, as a member of the French Resistance, at the end of 1933 Peugeot’s Paris concessionaire Emile Darlmat introduced Marcel Pourtout to Georges Paulin, a dentist with a flair for coachwork design. He was very conscious of fuel efficiencies and the efficiencies that could be created by the lines of the car. You could go faster, which meant you could put an engine in the car. Carrosserie Pourtout produced Eclipse versions of the Peugeot 301,401,402 and 601, the Lancia Belna, in the 1937 race The Darlmat Roadsters placed 7th, 8th and 10th overall. They returned the year, and the entry driven by De Cortanze won the under-2 litre class. In 1937 and 1938 Carrosserie Pourtout made a version of the Le Mans cars, the Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Spécial Sport. DELAGE LANCIA PEUGEOT402 Darlmat RENAULT Saprar It also incorporates text translated from this French Wikipedia article about Marcel Pourtout as of 2008-07-02
5.
Georges Paulin
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Georges Paulin was a dentist, noted automobile designer and hero of the French Resistance during the Second World War. Born 1902 in a working class section of Paris, Paulin would later design the 1935 Peugeot 601 C Eclipse, between 1934 and 1938 he was the designer for French coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout. Among his designs were a Panhard coupe, a Unic cabriolet, a Delage D8, the water drop Talbot-Lago, the Darlmat Peugeot roadsters used in 1937 and 1938 at Le Mans. Richard Adatto, author of a book on French aerodynamic styling of the era and he was very conscious of fuel efficiencies and the aerodynamic efficiencies that could be created by the lines of the car. You could go faster, which meant you could put an engine in the car. Carrosserie Pourtout produced Eclipse versions of the Peugeot 301,401,402 and 601, the Lancia Belna, from 1938 to 1939 he worked exclusively for Rolls-Royce-Bentley. For them he designed the Corniche 1 in 1939 and the Comet Competition, in July 1940, while he was an engineer at Avions Kellner-Béchereau, Georges Paulin began working with British Intelligence to fight the Nazis. Discovered by the Gestapo thanks to French Vichy elements he was arrested in 1941, an escape plan had been arranged by the British, but Paulin declined to use it, and sacrificed himself in order to protect his team. He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille de la Résistance by the French government, photographs of a 1938 Peugeot 402 Éclipse Décapotable Designed for Rolls Royce, the Corniche on the Bentley MK V chassis
6.
Figoni & Falaschi
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Figoni et Falaschi was a French coachbuilder firm which was responsible for some of the most elegant and graceful automobile body shapes seen from the 1930s through to the 1950s. The actual designs were created by Giuseppe Figoni, while his partner Ovidio Falaschi ran the business, Giuseppe Figoni was born in 1894 in Farini, Italy. When he was young, his family moved to Paris, France, upon his return, he became the owner of Carrosserie Automobilie in Boulogne-sur-Seine, where he developed a reputation for attractive and functional coachwork. By 1925 he was building bespoke bodies on a variety of chassis, including Delahaye, Bugatti, Renault, Delage, Panhard and Alfa Romeo, using the trademark Figoni. However, his designs during this period were still conventional, compared to the style he would develop as part of Figoni et Falaschi. In 1935, Figoni took on as partner Italian businessman Ovidio Falaschi, falaschis ability to handle the finances and management of the partnership enabled Figoni to concentrate on his designs, which became emblematic of the spirit of the period. This was followed by the Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupe, commissioned by Antonio Lago as part of his resurrection of the Talbot marque. In the pursuit of both form and function, he utilized fender skirts to fill not only the rear wheel openings. Windshields were steeply raked back and headlights, door handles, etc. were fitted flush to the body, Figoni designed and patented hideaway tops and sunroofs, so that his roadsters and drophead coupes would not be cluttered by a folded top. Chrome hood ornaments and mouldings echoed the streamlined, windswept design, Figoni used nitrocellulose lacquers to paint his cars in brilliant and metallic colours, often two or three colours in designs which flowed with the body lines. Dashboards made of rich, golden wood were a Figoni et Falaschi signature, according to prewar French automobile expert and restorer Ricardo Adatto, for Figoni et Falaschi to finish a complete body required 2,100 hours. Streamline Moderne Carrosserie Figoni & Falaschi A large collection of photos of Figoni et Falaschi automobiles, French-language text
7.
Paris Motor Show
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The Paris Motor Show is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with new production automobile. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de Versailles, the Mondial is scheduled by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs dAutomobiles, which considers it a major international auto show. In 2014, the Paris Motor Show welcomed 1,253,513 visitors, making it the most visited auto show in the world, ahead of Tokyo, until 1986, it was called the Salon de lAutomobile, it took the name Mondial de lAutomobile in 1988. The show was held annually through 1976, since, it has been biennial, the show was the first motor show in the world, started in 1898 by industry pioneer, Albert de Dion. After 1910 it was held at the Grand Palais in the Champs-Élysées, during the First World War motor shows were suspended, meaning that the show of October 1919 was only the 15th Salon. There was again no Paris Motor Show in 1925, the venue having been booked instead for an Exhibition of Decorative Arts, in October 1926 the Motor Show returned, this being the 26th Paris Salon de lAutomobile. The outbreak of war again intervened in 1939 when the 33rd Salon de lAutomobile was cancelled at short notice, normality of a sorts returned some six years later and the 33rd Salon finally opened in October 1946. 1898 1st 1913 14th Salon de lAutomobile 1919 15th Salon de lAutomobile The first Salon since 1913,9 October 191965 French automobile makers exhibited. At least 118 exhibitors in total, there was no Salon de lAutomobile in 19201921 16th Salon de lAutomobile 1922 17th Salon de lAutomobile 4 October 192281 French automobile makers exhibited 113 exhibitors in total. 1923 18th Salon de lAutomobile 1924 19th Salon de lAutomobile 2 October 192478 French automobile makers exhibited 116 exhibitors in total,1931 25th Salon de lAutomobile 1 October 193139 French automobile makers and 37 non-French automobile makers exhibited. 1932 26th Salon de lAutomobile 1933 27th Salon de lAutomobile 5 October 193326 French automobile makers exhibited,1934 28th Salon de lAutomobile 1935 29th Salon de lAutomobile 1936 30th Salon de lAutomobile 1937 31st Salon de lAutomobile 7 October 193722 French automobile makers exhibited. 1938 32nd 1946 33rd 1947 34th Salon de lAutomobile 23 October 194727 French automobile makers exhibited,1948 35th 1949 36th 1950 37th 1951 38th Salon de lAutomobile 4 October 195123 French automobile makers exhibited. 1952 39th 1953 40th 1954 41st 1955 42nd 1956 43rd 1957 44th Salon de lAutomobile 3 October 195724 French automobile makers exhibited,1958 45th 1959 46th 1960 47th 1961 48th Salon de lAutomobile 5 October 19619 French automobile makers exhibited. 1962 49th Salon This was the first year the show was held at the Porte de Versailles on the outskirts of Paris,1963 50th 1964 51st 1965 52nd Salon de lAutomobile October 19659 French automobile makers exhibited
8.
Hotchkiss et Cie
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Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and, in the 20th century, automobile manufacturer first established by United States gunsmith Benjamin B. He moved to France and set up a factory, first at Viviez near Rodez in 1867, an example of the companys output was the Hotchkiss revolving cannon. The cannon had five barrels each able to fire 43 shells a minute a distance of one mile, it was made in four sizes from 37 mm to 57 mm, the first Hotchkiss car, a 17 CV four-cylinder model, appeared in 1903. The badge for the marque consisted of a pair of crossed cannons — a salute to the companys first products, a factory fire nearly killed all projects. Despite this, a model followed in 1906. During World War I, they mass-produced the Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun, tank parts, in 1933, they developed the Hotchkiss H35 tank. Post war came a luxury model called Type AK but only one was built, in 1920, there was an unsuccessful attempt to build Hotchkiss cars by a British arm of Hotchkiss in the United Kingdom — only a prototype was made. A refined model named Type AM was in production between 1923 and 1928, a new six-cylinder model, named AM80 came in 1928. The company made several successful racing cars, Hotchkiss racers won the Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo in 1932,1933,1934,1939,1949 and 1950. The Hotchkiss 680 was an important model between the wars—it had a 6-cylinder, 3-litre engine, in 1937, the company merged with Amilcar. J. A. Grégoire joined the company as a designer, after World War II, the 680 continued. The first new car post war was a 13 CV four-cylinder model, from 1947, 2-litre flat-four models are frequently called Hotchkiss-Grégoire. After 1954, Hotchkiss manufactured Jeeps under licence from Willys, in 1956, Hotchkiss merged with French car manufacturer Brandt, producing jeeps at their factory near Paris for the French military until 1966. The firm was merged into Thomson-Houston in 1966 and in 1970 stopped producing vehicles of any sort, in the early 1970s, the Hotchkiss marque disappeared, as the French conglomerate came to be known as Thomson-Brandt. This, in turn, was nationalized in 1982 to form Thomson SA
9.
Salmson
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Salmson was a French engineering company, initially in the automobile and aeroplane manufacturing area, turning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s. It was established by Émile Salmson as Emile Salmson, Ing. as a workshop in Paris, making steam-powered compressors and centrifugal pumps for railway, subsequently joined by engineers George Canton and Georg Unné, it was renamed Emile Salmson & Cie, building petrol-powered lifts and motors. The company became one of the first to make aircraft engines, starting before World war I. After World War I the company looked around for work and started making car bodies. Focus also moved back to production and the facilities moved to Mayenne in 1961. The firm was bought by ITT-LMT in 1962 and then by Thomson in 1976 and its headquarters today are in Chatou. It moved to Billancourt and manufactured the Salmson 9 series of air-, during World War I Salmson made its first complete aeroplanes, mainly the two-seat fighter/reconnaissance plane, the Salmson 2A2. These were used in combat by both the French and the American Expeditionary force, the company also designed a prototype of a single seat scout/fighter, the Salmson 3, but this was not produced in large quantities. Salmson aircraft were used for air mail to India in. Aeroplane manufacturing moved to Villeurbanne near Lyon, two world records were set by Maryse Bastié, who flew Le Bourget to Moscow. As the firm had no direct car design expertise they started by building the British GN cyclecar under licence, in 1922 the car part of the business became a separate company, named Société des Moteurs Salmson. This was used in the AL models from 1921, later the same year the company built its first twin-overhead-cam engine, which was fitted to the 1922 D-type, although most production at first used the pushrod engine. Models included AL, D-type VAL3, AL3, GSC San Sebastian, Gran Sport, Salmson won 550 automobile races and set ten world records before closing the racing department in 1929. The S-series cars took over from the D-type, starting in 1929, s4 S4C S4D S4DA S4-61 S4E. 2300 Sport Coupe After World War II the Salmson Typ S4E, initially, as before the war, they were in most respects mutually indistinguishable from the outside apart from the slightly longer nose on the Type S4-E. The Type S4-61 retained its four-cylinder in-line 1,730 cc engine, the standard body was a four-door sedan/saloon,4510 mm in length for the four-cylinder car and 4610 mm with the larger engine. As well as the sedan/saloon there was a four-seater two-door coupe version of the S4-61 although this variant represented barely 10% of the post-war S4-61‘s total sales, a few two-door cabriolets were produced. The revised frontal treatment also quickly found its way onto the coupé and cabriolet variants, in 1950 a new car arrived in the shape of the Randonnée E-72
10.
Automobiles Darracq France
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Automobiles Darracq France was a manufacturer of motor vehicles and aero engines in Suresnes, near Paris. The enterprise, known at first as A Darracq et Cie, was founded in 1896 by successful businessman Alexandre Darracq, in 1902 he sold his new business to a privately held English company named A Darracq and Company Limited, taking a substantial shareholding and a directorship himself. He continued to run the business from Paris but was obliged to retire to the Côte dAzur in 1913 following years of difficulties that brought his business into very hazardous financial circumstances. He had introduced an unproven unorthodox engine in 1911 which proved a complete failure yet he neglected Suresnes popular conventional products, France then entered the first World War. In 1916 ownership of the Suresnes business was transferred to Darracq S. A, in 1922 Darracqs name was dropped from its products and this business was renamed Talbot S. A. Initially its products were branded Darracq-Talbot and then just Talbot, the London parent company suffered a financial collapse during the great depression and in 1935 Talbot S. A. was acquired by investors led by managing director, Antonio Lago. He built a new plant, the Perfecta works, in the Paris suburb of Suresnes just south of Puteaux, production began in January 1898 with bicycle parts, tricycles and quadricycles and a Millet motorcycle powered by a five-cylinder rotary engine and shortly after an electric brougham. In 1898 Darracq et Cie made a Léon Bollée-designed voiturette tricar, J S Smith-Winby was appointed chairman. Further capital was raised and large sums were spent on expansion, the Suresnes site was expanded to some four acres in extent. In 1902, A. Darracq et Cie signed a contract with Adam Opel to jointly produce vehicles in the German Empire under licence, with the brand name Opel Darracq. By 1903, four models were offered, a 1. 1-litre single, a 1.3 L and 1.9 L twin, and a 3.8 L four. The 1904 models abandoned flitch-plated wood chassis for pressed steel, and this car was Alexandre Darracqs chef doeuvre. There was nothing outstanding in its design but every part was in perfect balance. Its exceptional quality helped the company capture a ten percent share of the French auto market, in late 1904 the chairman reported sales were up by 20 per cent though increased costs meant the profit had risen more slowly. But what was important was they had many more orders than they could fill. Alexandre Darracq established Società Italiana Automobili Darracq in Portello, a suburb of Milan in Italy in 1906 through an arrangement with Cavaliere Ugo Stella. The business did not do well and Darracq shut it down in 1910, a new partnership, Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, acquired the business. In 1914 Nicola Romeo bought ALFA and it became Alfa Romeo, in 1907, Darracq formed Sociedad Anonima Espanola de Automoviles Darracq in Vitoria, Spain with a capitalization of 1,000,000 pesetas
11.
Alexandre Darracq
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Alexandre Darracq was a French investor, engineer, cycle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France and he became fascinated by the possibilities of a rotary valve engine, put it into production and though it became a disaster for Darracq & Cie persisted in installing it in Darracq products. He was obliged to retire in June 1912 aged 56 and after the Armistice his name was dropped from his Suresnes factorys mass-produced products. Born Pierre Alexandre Darracq in Bordeaux, France, of Basque parents, he trained as a draftsman at the Arsenal in Tarbes and he later worked at the Hurtu factory manufacturing sewing machines, and Darracq designed a machine that won a gold medal at the 1889 Paris exhibition. He established the Gladiator Cycle Company in 1891 and he established Automobiles Darracq France in Suresnes, near Paris where he pioneered the making of the chassis from pressed steel and the use of production machinery in place of hand labor. Despite his establishing a business, and having taken driving lessons in July 1896. For him, it was just pursuing his interest in manufacturing and making money, by 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France. Racing success raised the image of the Darracq marque so he was able to expand to England, in 1904 he sold his business to British investors who incorporated A Darracq and Co in which he held a substantial shareholding and was a director. He remained manager of the enterprise, the following year A Darracq and Company was listed on the London Stock Echange but reformed for the purpose as A Darracq and Company Limited. Thereafter financial control remained in London, Darracq raised substantial capital through share issues in Italy with Cavaliere Ugo Stella, in Germany with Adam Opel as well as in Vitoria, in the Basque region of Spain. The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq in 1906, after personally insisting the new 1911 model employ the Henriod rotary valve engine, Alexadre Darracq resigned. In 1913, he out to British investors and pursued other interests including running the Casino at Deauville. After World War I, he chose to retire to the French Riviera where he invested with the Belgian interests that took over the troubled luxury Hotel Negresco in Nice. He died in 1931 at his home in Monte Carlo and was interred next to his wife Louise in the mausoleum in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
12.
Great Depression
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The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, in most countries it started in 1929 and it was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the economy can decline. The depression originated in the United States, after a fall in stock prices that began around September 4,1929. Between 1929 and 1932, worldwide GDP fell by an estimated 15%, by comparison, worldwide GDP fell by less than 1% from 2008 to 2009 during the Great Recession. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s, however, in many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until the beginning of World War II. The Great Depression had devastating effects in both rich and poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%, unemployment in the U. S. rose to 25% and in some countries rose as high as 33%. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries, farming communities and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by about 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as mining and logging suffered the most. Even after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 optimism persisted for some time, john D. Rockefeller said These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come, prosperity has always returned and will again. The stock market turned upward in early 1930, returning to early 1929 levels by April and this was still almost 30% below the peak of September 1929. Together, government and business spent more in the first half of 1930 than in the period of the previous year. On the other hand, consumers, many of whom had suffered losses in the stock market the previous year. In addition, beginning in the mid-1930s, a severe drought ravaged the agricultural heartland of the U. S, by mid-1930, interest rates had dropped to low levels, but expected deflation and the continuing reluctance of people to borrow meant that consumer spending and investment were depressed. By May 1930, automobile sales had declined to below the levels of 1928, prices in general began to decline, although wages held steady in 1930
13.
Antonio Lago
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Antonio Franco Lago, known as Anthony Lago or Tony Lago, was an Italian engineer and motor-industry entrepreneur. In 1936 he bought Automobiles Talbot S. A. from his employers, Motors combine, and founded the motor-racing marque Talbot-Lago. The French government awarded him the Legion d’Honneur for the glory he brought to France, Lago was born in Venice in 1893, but the family moved to Bergamo, where his father was manager of the municipal theatre. He grew up in the company of actors, musicians and government officials, developing relationships with such as Pope John XXIII. He graduated in engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, in 1915 he joined the Italian Air Force, where he achieved the rank of major during the First World War. In an era of politics he always carried a hand grenade. In 1919 three members of the fascist youth entered a trattoria looking for him, but as they shot the two owners he threw the grenade and ran out the back door. One of the fascists was killed and Lago fled to Paris and he then became director of Self-Changing Gears Ltd owned by Walter Gordon Wilson and John Davenport Siddeley which manufactured Wilson pre-selector gearboxes, and persuaded S. T. D. Motors and others of its merits and he acquired the rights to export Wilson gearboxes from England. In 1933 Lago moved to France to manage the failing French subsidiary of S. T. D, starved of capital it now had antiquated plant and aging products. During the 1920s Louis Coatalen had overspent Sunbeams funds on Grand Prix racing, not only had this hampered plant and product development but it was Sunbeams heavy borrowing brought S. T. D. Motors to its knees when it fell due for repayment in mid 1934, a complete collapse of the French company proved unavoidable. Lago was a businessman with great charm. In 1933 he had persuaded the directors of S T D Motors that with him as director Automobiles Talbot France could be back on its feet in 18 months. They paid his salary whilst he transformed the company and they agreed to share any profits from the sale. His three pronged rescue plan for Talbot involved reducing expenses, building light sporting cars and using racing for development and he insisted that the racing cars should be closely related to Talbot production models. At a cost of £63,000 he and his investors finally acquired the business of Automobiles Talbot S. A. in mid-1936 and S T D Motors was liquidated. Walter Becchia, now best known for designing the Citroen 2CVs flat twin engine during the Second World Wars German Occupation, in June 1934 he produced the first Talbot-Lago T150 model
14.
Receivership
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The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in the English Chancery courts, where receivers were appointed to protect real property. Receiverships can be divided into two types, Those related to insolvency or enforcement of a security interest. The Government seizes control of property due to breaches of law or regulation, Receivers are appointed in different ways, Government regulator appointed Privately appointed Court-appointed The receivers powers flow from the document underlying his appointment—i. e. A statute, financing agreement, or court order, most individual states also have granted receivership authority to their own bank regulatory agencies and insurance regulators. The California Receivers Forum has five local affiliates, Bay Area, Central California, LA/Orange County, Sacramento Valley, Court-appointed receivers are the most powerful and independent of the judicially appointed managers. Examples of court-appointed receivers include, In the District of Columbia, the receivership ended in September 2000. An insolvent fuel company is managed by a court-appointed receiver, a U. S. District Judge appointed a receiver for the multi-level marketing company Equinox International in August 1999. As of 2007, the receiver was authorized to distribute settlement funds from the company to approved claimants. After placing the California state prison health care system into receivership in June 2005, California Prison Health Care Services attempts to bring medical care in California prisons up to constitutional standards. In February 2007, a judge in Florida appointed a receiver for companies owned by Lou Pearlman that defrauded investors, the receiver later said about the companies I dont see much in the way of hard assets that are worth anything or are not already fully encumbered. It used to be the most popular method of enforcement by secured creditors, administrative receivership differs from simple receivership in that an administrative receiver is appointed over all of the assets and undertaking of the company. This means that a receiver can normally only be appointed by the holder of a floating charge. Typically, a receiver is an accountant with considerable experience of insolvency matters. The common law has recognised the concept of a receiver. Following the development of the floating charge creditors were effectively able to take security over an entire business by means of a floating charge over the undertaking. Security documents generally contained very wide powers of appointment such that on default the creditor could take over the business immediately, a receiver appointed to the entire business became known as a receiver and manager. The receiver and manager would typically have extensive powers over the business, including the power to sell it at a time and on terms that suited the appointing creditor. There was no ability on the part of the borrower or any other party to review the actions of the receiver or seek the supervision of the court
15.
Management buy-out
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A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a companys existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company from either the parent company or from the private owners. Management and leveraged buy-outs became phenomena of the 1980s, mBOs originated in US and traversed the Atlantic, spreading first to the U. K. and then throughout the rest of Europe. The venture capital industry has played a role in the development of buy-outs in Europe, especially in smaller deals in the U. K. the Netherlands. Management buyouts are similar in all legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company. The particular nature of the MBO lies in the position of the buyers as managers of the company, in particular, the due diligence process is likely to be limited as the buyers already have full knowledge of the company available to them. Some concerns about management buyouts are that the information possessed by management may offer them unfair advantage relative to current owners. Naturally, such corporate governance concerns also exist whenever current senior management is able to benefit personally from the sale of their company or its assets and this would include, for example, large parting bonuses for CEOs after a takeover or management buyout. The mere possibility of an MBO or a substantial parting bonus on sale may create perverse incentives that can reduce the efficiency of a range of firms—even if they remain as public companies. This represents a potential negative externality. The managers of the company may at times also set up a holding company for the purpose of purchasing the shares of the target company. Management buy outs are conducted by management teams as they want to get the reward for the future development of the company more directly than they would do as employees only. The management of a company will not usually have the money available to buy the company outright themselves and they would first seek to borrow from a bank, provided the bank was willing to accept the risk. Management buyouts are frequently seen as too risky for a bank to finance the purchase through a loan, the bank then loans the company the remaining portion of the amount paid to the owner. Companies that proactively shop aggressive funding sources should qualify for total financing of at least four times cash flow. If a bank is unwilling to lend, the management will commonly look to private equity investors to fund the majority of buyout, a high proportion of management buyouts are financed in this way. The private equity investors will invest money in return for a proportion of the shares in the company, the exact financial structuring will depend on the backers desire to balance the risk with its return, with debt being less risky but less profitable than capital investment. It is common for the management to re-mortgage their houses in order to acquire a small percentage of the company, private equity backers are likely to have somewhat different goals to the management. While certain aims do coincide—in particular the aim of profitability—certain tensions can arise
16.
Talbot Type T4 "Minor"
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The Talbot Minor Type T4 was a mid-sized executive car produced by the French Talbot company between 1937 and 1940. The registered name of the company Lago now owned was Automobiles Talbot-Darracq S. A. the passenger car range was complemented by racing cars and a high profile motor racing programme. The launch of a model, the Talbot Minor Type T4, at the Paris Motor Show in October 1937 represented something of a departure for Talbot. The new model broadened the range and would enable Talbot to compete slightly lower down the market place hierarchy, against models such and the Hotchkiss Type 864, the car took its chassis from the manufacturers existing sports saloon, the Talbot Baby. Beccia designed a new four door steel body which closely resembled the body of the six cylinder Talbots Cadette. For traditionally minded customers preferring to select their own car body, the wheels at the front were independently suspended subject to a transverse leaf spring, while the back wheels were attached using a rigid axle suspended from longitudinally mounted leaf springs. The four cylinder 2323cc engine placed the car in the 13CV car tax band, fed via overhead valves by a single Stromberg 22 carburetor, it produced a claimed maximum output of 62 hp at 4,000 rpm. At launch the Minor was priced at 42,500 Francs for a car with the standard steel body. In bare chassis form the price quoted was 35,000 Francs, an obvious competitor was the standard Cabourg bodied Type 864 from Hotchkiss which came with a listed price of 39,900 Francs
17.
Figoni et Falaschi
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Figoni et Falaschi was a French coachbuilder firm which was responsible for some of the most elegant and graceful automobile body shapes seen from the 1930s through to the 1950s. The actual designs were created by Giuseppe Figoni, while his partner Ovidio Falaschi ran the business, Giuseppe Figoni was born in 1894 in Farini, Italy. When he was young, his family moved to Paris, France, upon his return, he became the owner of Carrosserie Automobilie in Boulogne-sur-Seine, where he developed a reputation for attractive and functional coachwork. By 1925 he was building bespoke bodies on a variety of chassis, including Delahaye, Bugatti, Renault, Delage, Panhard and Alfa Romeo, using the trademark Figoni. However, his designs during this period were still conventional, compared to the style he would develop as part of Figoni et Falaschi. In 1935, Figoni took on as partner Italian businessman Ovidio Falaschi, falaschis ability to handle the finances and management of the partnership enabled Figoni to concentrate on his designs, which became emblematic of the spirit of the period. This was followed by the Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupe, commissioned by Antonio Lago as part of his resurrection of the Talbot marque. In the pursuit of both form and function, he utilized fender skirts to fill not only the rear wheel openings. Windshields were steeply raked back and headlights, door handles, etc. were fitted flush to the body, Figoni designed and patented hideaway tops and sunroofs, so that his roadsters and drophead coupes would not be cluttered by a folded top. Chrome hood ornaments and mouldings echoed the streamlined, windswept design, Figoni used nitrocellulose lacquers to paint his cars in brilliant and metallic colours, often two or three colours in designs which flowed with the body lines. Dashboards made of rich, golden wood were a Figoni et Falaschi signature, according to prewar French automobile expert and restorer Ricardo Adatto, for Figoni et Falaschi to finish a complete body required 2,100 hours. Streamline Moderne Carrosserie Figoni & Falaschi A large collection of photos of Figoni et Falaschi automobiles, French-language text
18.
Coachbuilder
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A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for automobiles or a manufacturer of complete horse-drawn vehicles. Coachwork is the body of a vehicle, a horse-drawn coach or carriage, or, by extension. The term is reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis. With reference to motor vehicles, auto body is the term in North American English. Coachbuilders are, carrossiers in French, carrozzeria in Italian, karosseriebauer in German, a British trade association the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers, was incorporated in 1630. Some British coachmaking firms operating in the 20th century were established even earlier, rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Annes Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer, formed in 1810. This chassis would be delivered by the manufacturer to the coachbuilder of the buyers choice, the chassis would be a rolling chassis which included the chassis frame, drivetrain, brakes, suspension, complete steering system including the wheel, radiator, scuttle and dashboard. The manufacturer delivered the chassis with lighting system, spare wheel, front and rear mudguards, the very easily damaged honeycomb radiator, later enclosed and protected by a shell, became the main visual element identifying the chassis brand. The manufacturer retained an element of control over bodies, bodies not approved by the chassis manufacturer would lose the chassis manufacturers chassis warranties. Until the second World War it would not have been unusual to order the most popular cars as only a chassis and have a local coachbuilder put a body on it for you, the Austin 7s of the 1920s and 1930s were favourite subjects. For example, Fisher Body built all of Cadillacs closed bodies in the 1910s, though automobile manufacturers brought body building skills in-house, the practice of bespoke or custom coachbuilding remained in favour among the wealthy, who continued the habit of centuries past. All ultra-luxury vehicles sold as chassis only, for instance, when Duesenberg introduced their Model J, it was offered as chassis only, for $8,500. Other examples include the Bugatti Type 57, Cadillac V-16, Ferrari 250, Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8, delahaye had no in-house coachworks, so all its chassis were bodied by independents, who created some of their most attractive designs on the Type 135. Most of the Delahayes were bodied by Chapron, Labourdette, Franay, Saoutchik, Figoni & Falaschi, Pennock, the advent of unibody construction, where the car body is unified with, and structurally integral to the chassis, made custom coachbuilding practically impossible. Hermann Graber Ramsauer & Cie, also known as Worblaufen after the place they were built, mulliner Park Ward Mulliners Nu-Track Park Ward Harold Radford Salmons Swallow Tickford Tilbury, originators of the Tilbury carriage. Thrupp & Maberly Vanden Plas Vincent of Reading Windover Wingham Martin Walter Walter Alexander & Sons, now Alexander Dennis Ltd Wrightbus James Young Brewster & Co. Brunn Budd Company Derham Earl Automobile Works Fisher Fleetwood KEM Motorworks LeBaron Locke N2A motors Inc. a Langmesser Co. Murphy Rollston Willoughby
19.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
20.
Talbot Lago Record
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The Talbot Lago-Record Type T26 was a large, six-cylinder executive car launched by the French Talbot company in 1946. In the context of the companys protracted financial collapse, the last T26s were probably produced during 1953. Steel-bodied four- and two-door sedans and coupes were offered, numerous coach builders also offered bespoke bodies for the car, although in the economically constrained conditions of the time, relatively few were built. The registered name of the company Lago now owned was Automobiles Talbot-Darracq S. A. the cars themselves were badged in their home market simply as Talbots, using the badge worn by products of the predecessor company since 1922. Nevertheless, after 1945, sources even in France frequently used form of the Talbot-Lago name combination. After acquiring the company in 1935, Lago rapidly developed a range of executive, the passenger car range was complemented by racing cars and a high profile motor racing programme. The French government that came to power in 1945 had a belief in political control of the economy. Since government also controlled materials supplies – notably steel supplies – the Pons Plan could not be ignored. Plan implementation was at its most rigid in 1946, and in that year Talbot received government authorisation for the construction of a batch of 125 cars. The Talbot Lago-Record Type T26 was first presented in public in 1946, there were also a few coachbuilt specials produced with bodywork by traditionalist firms such as Graber. In 1951, as reports of the financial difficulties intensified. The wheelbases were carried over from the earlier models, the new car’s large rear window was itself replaced by a larger three-piece “panoramic” wrap around back window as part of a first face-lift a year later, in time for the 1952 Paris Motor Show. The engine specification was unchanged, as was the top speed of 170 km/h even though the new body was some 100 kg heavier than the old. The advertised price for a standard steel-bodied Talbot Record T26 sedan in the spring of 1948 was 1,250,000 Francs, a Talbot T26 buyer would therefore need to find roughly four times the price of these six-cylinder sedans from the top end of the mainstream ranges. Five years later, at the 1952 Paris Motor show, a standard steel-bodied version of the T26, now with am imposing modern body, was advertised at 2,250,000 Francs. Fords venerable V8 had been replaced by the Ford Vedette, priced at 935,000 Francs while the price of a version of the Citroën 15-Six had risen to 829,920 Francs. Sales data for the T26 in isolation have not been identified, the total production for the Talbot plant at Suresnes tell their own story. In 1950433 cars were produced and that fell to 80 in 1951,34 in 1952 and 17 in 1953
21.
Delahaye
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Delahaye automobile was an automotive manufacturing company founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France, his home town. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines mounted at the rear and his Type One was an instant success, and he urgently needed investment capital and a larger manufacturing facility. All three worked with the workers to assemble the new machines, but middle-aged Émile was not in good health. In January 1901, he found himself unable to capably continue, Émile Delahaye died soon after, in 1905. Delahaye had hired two men, Charles Weiffenbach and Amédée Varlet in 1898, to assist the three partners. Both were graduate mechanical engineers, and they remained with Delahaye their entire working careers, Amédée Varlet was the companys design-engineer, with a number of innovative inventions to his credit, generated between 1905 and 1914, which Delahaye patented. These included the twin-cam multi-valve engine, and the V6 configuration, Varlet continued in this role until he eventually took over the Drawing Office, at 76 years of age, when much younger Jean François was hired in 1932 as chief design-engineer. In 1932, Varlet was instructed by Weiffenbach, under direction from majority shareholder Madame Desmarais, Leon Desmarais widow, to set up the companys Racing Department and those who knew him well at the factory affectionately referred to Charles Weiffenbach as Monsieur Charles. Delahaye began experimenting with belt-driven cars while manager of the Brethon Foundry and Machine-works in Tours and these experiments encouraged an entry in the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris race, held between 24 September-3 October 1896, fielding one car for himself and one for sportsman Ernest Archdeacon. The winning Panhard averaged 15.7 mph, Archdeacon came sixth, averaging 14 mph, while Delahaye himself was eighth, for the 1897 Paris-Dieppe, the 6 hp four-cylinder Delahayes ran in four- and six-seater classes, with a full complement of passengers. Archdeacon was third in the four-seaters behind a De Dion-Bouton and a Panhard, Courtois winning the six-seater class, the July Paris-Amsterdam-Paris earned a satisfying class win for Giver in his Delahaye, the overall win went to Panhard. Soon after the new company was formed in 1898, the firm moved its manufacturing from Tours to Paris, Charles Weiffenbach was named Operations Manager. In 1899, Archdeacon piloted an 8 hp racer in the Nice-Castellane-Nice rally, coming eighth, founder Émile Delahaye retired in 1901, leaving Desmarais and Morane in control, Weiffenbach took over from them in 1906. Delahayes racing days were over with Émile Delahayes death, Charles Weiffenbach had no interest in racing, and focused his production on responsible motorized automotive chassis, heavy commercial vehicles, and early firetrucks for the French government. Race-cars had become a thing of the past for Delahaye, until 1933, when Madame Desmarais caused her company to change direction 180 degrees, the new 10B debuted in 1902. It had a 2,199 cc vertical twin rated 12/14 hp by RAC, mounted in front, with cylinder head, steering wheel. Delahaye also entered the Paris-Vienna rally with a 16 hp four, at the same years Ardennes event, Perrins 16 hp four came tenth. Also in 1902, the singles and twins ceased to be offered except as light vans, before production ceased in 1904, Delahayes first production four, the Type 13B, with 24/27 hp 4. 4-litre, appeared in 1903
22.
Delage
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Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris, it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953. The company was founded in 1905 by Louis Delage, who borrowed Fr 35,000 and its first location was on the Rue Cormeilles in Levallois-Perret. The company at first had just two lathes and three employees, one of them Peugeots former chief designer, Delage initially produced parts for Helbé, with the De Dion-Bouton engine and chassis assembled by Helbé, Delage added only the body. The first model was the Type A, a voiturette which appeared in 1906 and it was powered by a one-cylinder De Dion-Bouton of 4.5 or 9 hp. Like other early carmakers, Delage participated in racing, entering the Coupe de Voiturettes held at Rambouillet in November 1906 with a 9 hp racer. In 1907 the factory moved to the Rue Baudin Levallois, where a 4,000 m2 workshop allowed it to grow, the two-cylinder Delages were no match for the competition this year at the Coupe des Voiturettes. In 1908, the success enabled the development of the factory and entry into more Grand Prix races and that year, racing success returned, Delage won the Grand Prix des Voiturettes held 6 July. This event, six laps of the 47.74 mi Dieppe Grand Prix circuit, saw 47 starters. Delage fielded three cars, a pair with 1,242 cc De Dion-Bouton twins, driven by Thomas and Lucas-Bonnard, Guyot won at an average 49.8 mph, not needing to stop for fuel. All three Delages finished this time, Thomas the quickest of the cars, while the team also took home the regularity prize. These good results contributed to total sales exceeding 300 cars for the year, Delage converted to four-cylinder engines in 1909, at first provided by De Dion and Edouard Ballot, shortly, the company were producing their own sidevalve fours, too. After an increase in sales, the facilities were too small, so in 1910 the factory moved to a new facility at 138 Boulevard de Verdun. The following year saw the creation of advanced bodywork, by 1912,350 workers were producing over 1000 cars annually, and offered four- and six-cylinder sidevalve engines. During the First World War, Delage produced munitions, production of passenger cars virtually stopped, with the exception of some fabrication for the Army. But the Delage factories were running full support for the war effort, when the war concluded, Delage moved away from small cars and made its reputation with larger cars. First up was the CO, with a 4,524 cc fixed-head sidevalve six producing 20 hp, the CO plans had been drawn up during the conflict, this was the first passenger car with front brakes. It was joined by the DO with a 3-liter four, the 1920s were really the first Golden Age of Delage. The most famous were the DE and DI,4 cylinders of about 2 liters and 11 hp, Delage also attempted to compete with Hispano-Suiza, with the GL of 30 hp and 5954 cc, with some success
23.
Preselector gearbox
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A preselector or self-changing gearbox is a type of manual gearbox used on a variety of vehicles, most commonly in the 1930s. Most pre-selector transmissions avoid a driver-controlled clutch entirely, some use one solely for starting off. Preselector gearboxes are not automatic gearboxes, although they may have internal similarities, a fully automatic gearbox is able to select the ratio used, with a preselector gearbox this remains the drivers decision. There are several radically different mechanical designs of preselector gearbox, the best known is the Wilson design. Some gearboxes, such as the Cotal, shift gear immediately the control is moved and these are termed self-changing gearboxes, but were considered under the same overall heading. In recent years, a role is carried out by the increasing number of Tiptronic or paddle shift gearboxes, using manual selection. For the driver, there are two advantages, Fast shifting, with only a single operation and this requires less skill to learn than techniques like double declutching and it offers faster shifts when racing. Ability to handle far more power, with a lighter mechanism. In engineering terms, some designs of pre-selector gearbox may offer particular advantages, the Wilson gearbox offers these, although theyre also shared by some of the other designs, even though the designs are quite different, Their friction components are brakes, rather than clutches. These are simpler to engineer, as the components can be arranged to not also be rotating parts. The friction wear components can be mounted on the outside of the mechanism and this makes maintenance and regular adjustment easier. They were common on Daimler cars and commercial vehicles, Maybach, Alvis, Talbot-Lago, Lagonda Rapier and they have also been used in racing cars, such as the 1935 ERA R4D, and hillclimbing cars such as Auto Union Silver Arrows. Military applications began in 1929 and later included tanks such as the German Tiger I and Tiger II in World War II, many pre-selector designs made use of a series of epicyclic gearboxes. The Wilson pre-selector gearbox is the best known design and is the archetype generally meant when the term pre-selector gearbox is used without further qualification, major W. G. Wilson was rewarded as one of the major co-inventors of the tank after World War I. He had mainly been involved with the development of transmissions for tanks and he had become an advocate for the benefits of the epicyclic gearbox, which allowed large torques to be transmitted whilst still being controllable through a small input force. In 1917, Wilson designed the Mark V tank, which incorporated his epicyclic steering gear and this was the first of the heavy tanks that could be driven by a single driver, without requiring him to signal orders inside to others working the secondary gear levers. Since 1900, the Lanchester Motor Company had built cars with manually controlled epicyclic gearboxes, first with a cone clutch and these formed the ratio-changing gearbox of the transmission. In 1918, an experimental tank Lanchester Gearbox Machine or Experimental Machine K was tested, fitted with an epicyclic gearbox built by Lanchester, after the War, Wilson had a considerable reputation as an engineer of genius, particularly for gearbox design
24.
Graber
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Graber was a coachbuilder based in Wichtrach in central Switzerland. Between 1927 and 1970 the firm supplied coach-built bodies for fitting on the chassis of various European and US auto-makers. The history of the business back to 1924 which was when Hermann Graber, then aged 21, took over his fathers wheel making business. The companys first car, a two seater cabriolet bodied Fiat 509 was presented in 1927, two years later a Graber bodied Panhard & Levassor 20 CV won the Concours dElegance at St. Moritz as a result of which the Carrosserie Graber business became known across Europe. During the 1930s the company built a number of bodies on a range of chassis from Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Bugatti, Duesenberg. In 1955, in response to an order from Alvis. During the 1950s links between Graber and Alvis became close, the new Alvis bodies went into series production, under licence by the British firms firstly with Willowbrook and later Park Ward. Park Ward took the Swiss drawings and adapted them to produce a car with more space than the Graber original. All the subsequent Alvis TD TE and the very last TF21 followed Grabers basic blueprint, meanwhile in central Switzerland Graber continued to build to order special bodied cars based on Alvis chassis at a rate of not more than ten per year. These included four seater coupe bodied cars, cabriolets, and four four-door specials, Grabers bodies were lower than the standard bodied Alvis cars with more steeply raked A and C pillars. When customers requested improvements, Graber was happy not merely to produce special bodies but also to redesign or adapt aspects of the chassis, Hermann Graber died in 1970 and the production of special bodied cars at Wichtrach came to an end. About 800 Graber bodied vehicles had by now been produced, the business continued to operate under the control of his widow, specialising now in the repair and maintenance of car bodies. Between 1980 and 1996 the Graber business held a franchise as an official Ferrari importer, in 2001 the residuum of the business was acquired by a well-known Swiss classic car restorer named Markus Scharnhorst, and relocated to Toffen. Emil Bohnenblust, Hermann Graber war der ungekrönte König der Schweizer Karosseriebauer, kevin Brazendale, Enzyklopädie Automobil von Alfa Romeo bis Zagato. Modellgeschichte der Alvis TC21 bis TF21 in, Oldtimer Markt, Sonderheft 14 – Luxus, gran Tourismo, Die großen Reisecoupés Rainer W. Schlegelmich, Hartmut Lehbrink, Englische Sportwagen. Halwart Schrader, David Lillywhite, Klassische Automobile, unternehmensgeschichte mit Abbildungen auf der Internetseite www. coachbuild. com
25.
Louis Rosier
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Louis Rosier was a racing driver from France. He participated in 38 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 May 1950 and he achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 18 championship points. He won the Dutch Grand Prix twice in consecutive years between 1950 and 1951, the Circuit dAlbi, Grand-Prix de lAlbigeois and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with his son Jean-Louis Rosier, Rosier owned the Renault dealership of Clermont-Ferrand. Rosier finished 4th at Silverstone in a Talbot, in October 1948, the event was the RAC International Grand Prix, the first grand prix to be held in England since 1927. He drove a 4. 5-liter, unsupercharged Talbot-Lago to 3rd place at the 1949 British Grand Prix at Silverstone and he was a lap behind the winner with a speed of 76.21 miles per hour. Rosier won an International Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in June 1949 and he piloted a Talbot in the 500-kilometre, 32-lap event, achieving a time of 3 hours,15 minutes, and 17 seconds. He assumed the lead after 23 laps, coming across the line ahead of Luigi Villoresi. Rosier won the 195024 Hours of Le Mans in a blue Talbot and he teamed up with his son Jean-Louis Rosier who only drove two laps during the race, which means Louis won the race practically by himself. He finished one lap ahead of Pierre Meyrat who drove a car of the same marque, the Rosiers covered 256 laps,2,163 miles, in 23,54,2.2. Rosier captured the Grand Prix dAlbi in Albi, France in May 1953 and he drove a Ferrari, covering the 18 laps of the finals,160 kilometres, in 56,36,8. He averaged 160 kilometres per hour, Rosier placed second in a Ferrari at a Grand Prix in Aix-Les-Bains, in July 1953. In April 1956 Rosier finished 4th in a Maserati, in a 201-mile race at Aintree, Stirling Moss drove a blue Maserati to victory in the 67-lap event for Formula One cars, with an average speed of 84.24 miles per hour. Rosier finished 5th at the 1956 German Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Maserati, Louis Rosier was the owner and manager of a racing team, the Ecurie Rosier. Originally set up to run Rosiers Talbot-Lago T26, and later evolved to a team running 250Fs. Throughout the 1950s, Écurie Rosier provided drives in Formula One for Henri Louveau, Georges Grignard, Louis Chiron, Maurice Trintignant, André Simon, Louis Rosier was one of the key sponsors of the Charade race track. After World War II, Jean Auchatraire and Louis Rosier promoted the idea of a track around Clermont-Ferrand. The Le Mans disaster on 11 June 1955 brought the project to a halt, no further events were allowed to take place on temporary urban tracks. Racing events were only to be allowed on dedicated race-tracks, providing that they met a new set of rules, in Clermont-Ferrand, as was the case for many other new race tracks, new safety devices were being imagined and discussed, reviewed and assessed
26.
24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. It is one of the most prestigious races in the world and is often called the Grand Prix of Endurance. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, other events being the Indianapolis 500, since 2012, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2017, it will be the round of the season. The race has over the years inspired imitating races all over the globe, popularizing the 24-hour format at places like Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst. The American Le Mans Series and Europes Le Mans Series of multi-event sports car championships were spun off from 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations. At a time when Grand Prix motor racing was the dominant form of motorsport throughout Europe, Le Mans was designed to present a different test. Instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines and this encouraged innovation in producing reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, because endurance racing requires cars that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible. At the same time, the layout of the track necessitated cars with better aerodynamics, while this was shared with Grand Prix racing, few tracks in Europe had straights of a length comparable to the Mulsanne. Additionally, because the road is public and thus not as meticulously maintained as permanent racing circuits, racing puts more strain on the parts, increasing the importance of reliability. The oil crisis in the early 1970s led organizers to adopt a fuel economy formula known as Group C that limited the amount of each car was allowed. Although it was abandoned, fuel economy remains important as new fuel sources reduced time spent during pit stops. Such technological innovations have had an effect and can be incorporated into consumer cars. This has also led to faster and more exotic supercars as manufacturers seek to develop road cars in order to develop them into even faster GT cars. Additionally, in recent years hybrid systems have been championed in the LMP category as rules have changed to their benefit. The race is held in June, leading at times to very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation, the race begins in mid-afternoon and finishes the following day at the same hour the race started the previous day. Over the 24 hours, modern competitors often cover distances well over 5,000 km, the record is 2010s 5,410 km, six times the length of the Indianapolis 500, or approximately 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix. Drivers and racing teams strive for speed and avoiding damage, as well as managing the cars consumables, primarily fuel, tires
27.
Franay
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Franay was a French coachbuilder of renown operating at Levallois-Perret, a suburb on the prosperous north-western edge of Paris. The company was founded in 1903 by Jean-Baptiste Franay, a carriage upholsterer and it was later taken over by his son, Marius. Franay dressed prestigious chassis, Bentley, Delage, Hispano-Suiza and Rolls-Royce, the windscreen and bumpers came from a Ford Comète, the wheel trims from a Ford Vendôme, the rear window from a Buick and the tail lights from a Chevrolet. Franay car body production stopped in late 1955, Marius Franay was also involved in the film industry as owner of the Industrial Society synchronization and society Cinematographic prints, St. Cloud. Media related to Franay Coachwork at Wikimedia Commons
28.
1948 Monaco Grand Prix
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The 1948 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race, held in Monte Carlo on 16 May 1948. The first event under a new formula, 1½ litres supercharged or 4½ litres naturally aspirated, jean-Pierre Wimilles 1,430 cc Simca-Gordini took an early lead, but was overwhelmed by the Maserati 4CLs of Giuseppe Farina and then Luigi Villoresi. Monaco, Road Racing on the Riviera, in Northey, Tom, world of Automobiles, Volume 12, pp. 1381–4
29.
Louis Chiron
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Louis Alexandre Chiron was a Monégasque racing driver who competed in rallies, sports car races, and Grands Prix. He is the oldest driver ever to have raced in Formula One, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing when he was a teenager. He started driving in Grand Prix races after World War I, in which he was seconded from a regiment as a driver for Maréchal Pétain. In 1929 he drove a Delage to 7th place in the Indianapolis 500 and he won the 1931 Monaco Grand Prix—the only Monaco-born driver to have done so—and in 1933 he partnered with specialist endurance racer Luigi Chinetti to win the Spa 24 hours race. He retired in 1938, and World War II curtailed motor racing a year later, when racing resumed after the War, he came out of retirement and drove a Talbot-Lago to victory in two French Grands Prix. The review says biographer Miranda Seymour is “circumspect on Nice’s guilt”, a review of the same book in The New York Times says Nice was accused of being a “Gestapo agent”, that Seymour “rebuts” the charge, and that it made Nice unemployable. Paired with the Swiss driver Ciro Basadonna, Chiron won the 1954 Monte Carlo Rally, and achieved podium finishes in the fifteen Formula One races he entered that year. His last race was In 1955, when he took a Lancia D50 to sixth place in the Monaco Grand Prix a few weeks before his 56th birthday, becoming the oldest driver to compete in a Formula One race. He is also the oldest driver ever to have entered for a Formula One race, as he had achieved the greatest number of podium finishes in Bugattis, the 1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car and the 2016 Bugatti Chiron are named in his honor. Grand Prix History, Louis Chiron Louis Chiron at The Crittenden Automotive Library Louis Chiron at Le Mans Louis Chiron at Find a Grave
30.
1950 24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 195024 Hours of Le Mans was the 18th Grand Prix of Endurance, an. 4d took place on 24 and 25 June 1950. It was won by the French father-and-son pairing of Louis and Jean-Louis Rosier driving a privately entered Talbot-Lago, the revival of motor-racing post-war was now in full swing – the FIA had published its new rules for single-seater racing and inaugurated the new Formula 1 World Championship. Its Appendix C addressed two-seater sportscar racing, giving some definition for racing prototypes, the same categories were kept, although the Automobile Club de lOuest added an extra class at the top end – for over 5. 0L up to 8. 0L. After last year’s issues with the hybrid ‘ternary’ fuel, the ACO now supplied 80-octane gasoline as standard, the track was widened except for the run from Mulsanne to Indianapolis, and the re-surfacing completed, thus promising to give faster times and be a quicker race. Finally, the iconic Dunlop bridge was rebuilt – a footbridge over the circuit just after the first corner, a record 112 entries were received by the ACO, and they accepted 60 for the start – another record. This year there were 24 entries in the S3000, S5000 and S8000 classes, the biggest car this year carrying the #1, was a MAP Diesel that was the first car to race at Le Mans with a mid-mounted engine, with veteran racer and 1939 winner Pierre Veyron. They were soon nicknamed ‘’Petit Petaud ’’ and ‘’Le Monstre’’ respectively by the French, interestingly, both were fitted with pit-to-car radios. But this year, the big news was the first appearance of Jaguar – with three new 3. 4L XK120s, factory-prepared, they were released to select private entrants to test the waters. This year Aston Martin came with three 2. 6L DB2 works entries. After their spectacular success last year, Ferrari arrived with three 166 MM cars, as well as a new model, a pair of 195 S cars, with a bigger 2. 4L V12, entered by last year’s winner Luigi Chinetti. This year Chinetti drove with Dreyfus, and was able to convince the great French driver Raymond Sommer to postpone his retirement to drive his other car, the French defended their home turf with a pair of fast privately-entered Talbot-Lago T26 and the urbane SS coupe. Too heavy to be competitive in the new World Championship, their speed, also, with better preparation time, Amédée Gordini entered a big team of his new T15 cars, including two fitted with superchargers to take on the Ferraris. In the mid-size S2000 and S1500 classes, aside from the Ferraris, auguste Veuillet crashed and rolled his Delahaye, but after overnight repairs, it was ready for the race the next day, only for the car to refuse to start with a flat battery. Lined up, as was Le Mans tradition, according to engine capacity. Last to get away was Fangio’s Gordini with an engine misfire, Sommer overtook a dozen cars to lead at the end of the first lap, ahead of Cole, Meyrat’s Talbot, Peter Whitehead in the new Jaguar and Trintignant in the supercharged Gordini. It stayed pretty much like that for the first few hours with Sommer putting in very fast laps. But then the pressure of that pace told and he lost a cylinder and had to pit with electrical problems from a dislodged alternator and that let Rosier into the lead in the 3rd hour, and he then put in some blistering laps to break up the pursuing pack. As the sun set and in the air he broke Sommer’s new lap record by almost ten secords with Le Mans’ first race lap averaging over 100 mph
31.
Doug Whiteford
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Doug Whiteford was an Australian racing driver. Whiteford raced from the mid 1930s through to 1975 with a period of inactivity during the 1960s. He was best known as a competitor in the Australian Grand Prix which he won three times in four years and he raced a Talbot-Lago T26 Formula One car which he used to win his second and third Grands Prix. His third win was at the first Albert Park street circuit which hosts the modern Australian Grand Prix. Whiteford first contested the Australian Grand Prix in 1948 and continued to compete in the race regularly up to 1961 with an appearance in the 1964 event. Whiteford also raced touring cars well into the 1970s, as a regular member of the Datsun Racing Team he was a fixture in small capacity Datsuns, usually as partner to John Roxburgh. Doug Whiteford died on 15 January 1979
32.
1952 Australian Grand Prix
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The 1952 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst, in New South Wales, Australia on 14 April 1952. The race had 43 starters and was held over 38 laps of the six kilometre circuit, a crowd of 15,000 watched the race, which was organised by the Australian Sporting Car Club. The race, which is recognised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as the seventeenth Australian Grand Prix, was won by Doug Whiteford driving a Talbot-Lago T26C Formula One car and it was Whiteford’s second Australian Grand Prix victory. Fastest lap, Doug Whiteford –302 The race incorporated a concurrent handicap award which was won by Harry Monday,12 seconds ahead of Doug Whiteford, minor placings were taken by Bill Murray, Clive Adams and David McKay. This was to be the last Australian Grand Prix to include a handicap section
33.
1953 Australian Grand Prix
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The 1953 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held at Albert Park Street Circuit, Victoria on 21 November 1953. The race, which had 40 starters, was held over 64 laps of the five kilometre circuit for a total of 322 kilometres and it was the eighteenth Australian Grand Prix. While much of the Grand Prixs history to this point had taken place on road or street circuits. The circuit was laid out on public roads surrounding the Albert Park Lake in inner Melbourne, the race was won by Doug Whiteford, his third and final Australian Grand Prix victory, equalling the feat achieved by Bill Thompson in the 1930s. It was also the largest margin of victory in the races history, fastest lap, Stan Jones –203
34.
Ponton (car)
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Ponton or pontoon styling refers to a 1930s–1960s design genre—ultimately the precursor of modern automotive styling. The trend emerged as bodywork began to enclose the full width and uninterrupted length of a car, incorporating previously distinct running boards, the fenders of an automobile with ponton styling may also be called Pontoon fenders, and the overall trend may also be known as envelope styling. The term derives from the French and German word ponton, meaning pontoon, the Langenscheidt German–English dictionary defines Pontonkarrosserie as all-enveloping bodywork, straight-through side styling, slab-sided styling. The term ponton styling may have derived from the practice in Germany of adding full-length tread armor along each side of a tank. One of the first known cars with a body is the Bugatti Type 32 Tank which participated in the 1923 French Grand Prix at Tours. In 1924, Fidelis Böhler designed one of the first production cars with a ponton body, the cars body resembled a loaf of bread earning it the sobriquet of Kommissbrot—a coarse whole grain bread as issued by the army. The economical car was produced from 1924 to 1928, Böhler built the core body around two side-by-side passenger seats. He dispensed with running boards and integrated the fenders in the body to save on weight, the inexpensive car became popular with consumers in Germany. In 1935, Vittorio Jano, working with the brothers Gino and Oscar Jankovitz, created a one-off mid-engine prototype on an Alfa Romeo 6C2300 chassis, which Jano had shipped to Fiume in 1934. In 1937, Pinin Farina designed a flowing ponton-style body for the Lancia Aprilia berlinetta aerodynamica coupé, and also the open body on the 1940 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet. MoMA acquired an example for its permanent collection in 1951, noting that the hood, body, fenders. Rounded, flowing forms, with horizontal lines between the fenders—the style had identified as the so-called Ponton Side Design became the new fashion in Europe. One of the first American cars to adopt the new style was the 1947 Studebaker Champion, designed by Virgil Exner and Roy Cole but sometimes erroneously attributed to Raymond Loewy. Another, the Howard Dutch Darrin-designed 1947–1950 Kaiser-Frazer, was said to have been the inspiration for the 1949 Borgward Hansa 1500, in 1948 Czechoslovakian Tatra 600 began production. Ford and General Motors followed the trend with their own designs in 1949, one of the earliest completely new styled cars that were introduced after World War II in the United States were the 1949 Nash models. Popular Science magazine described the new pontoon Nashes as the most obvious departure from previous designs and they carried the fenderless pontoon-body, fast-back shape further than the competition. This Nash design became an appearance for their automobiles that also included the Nash-Healey. The 1952 redesign of the sports car took on an even closer family appearance to the redesigned Nash models by featuring pontoon-type fenders fore
35.
Talbot Lago Sport
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The Talbot-Lago Sport was a coupé-bodied sports car introduced by the manufacturer in May 1955. It was Talbot-Lago’s last production model, and only 54 were built, after a couple of years the Talbot-designed engine was replaced with a BMW unit and the car was rebranded as the Talbot-Lago America. The car’s launch was delayed by the parlous financial condition. The new 120 PS2,491 cc engine was called the T14 LS, the first car had all-aluminium bodywork, but later cars used more steel. 54 of these coupés were built, but they proved hard to sell - the stylish bodywork couldnt quite hide the thirties underpinnings, the engine developed for the car by Talbot proved unacceptably fragile. Lacking the resources to engineer the necessary improvements, for 1957 Talbot-Lago had to resort to buying in an engine. Reflecting the companys plans, Talbot now rebranded the car as the Talbot Lago America. Market response remained lukewarm, however, and only about a dozen of the BMW-powered Talbot Lago Americas were produced. It was now, in the summer of 1958, that Tony Lago decided to accept an offer from Simca president, Henri Pigozzi. The sale of the business went ahead in 1959, with the sale of the business to Simca, the new owners found themselves with the final handful of the Talbot Lago Americas, which were still awaiting engines. There was now no question of Simca being permitted, or wishing, to cars with BMW engines. Claimed top speed was now reduced to 165 km/h in place of the 200 km/h listed the previous year. The Simca-engined cars, still bearing a list price in excess of 2,000,000 Francs, proved hard to sell, with just five of the Simca-powered car sold according to one source. No further cars were produced once the batch of cars from the Talbot production era, having received their Simca engines
36.
BMW
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Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, usually known under its abbreviation BMW, is a German luxury vehicle, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It is one of the luxury automakers in the world. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index, headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, BMW owns Mini cars and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW was established as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp Motorenwerke aircraft manufacturing firm in 1912 named Aerowerke Gustav Otto, after the end of World War I in 1918, BMW was forced to cease aircraft-engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to production as the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted in 1923. BMWs first significant aircraft engine, and commercial product of any sort, was the BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, known for good fuel economy, with German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. The factory in Munich made ample use of forced labour, foreign civilians, prisoners of war, the few Me 262 A-1b test examples built used the more developed version of the 003 jet, recording an official top speed of 800 km/h. The first-ever four-engine jet aircraft flown were the sixth and eighth prototypes of the Arado Ar 234 jet reconnaissance-bomber. Through 1944 the 003s reliability improved, making it a power plant for air frame designs competing for the Jägernotprogramms light fighter production contract. Which was won by the Heinkel He 162 Spatz design, the BMW003 aviation turbojet was also under consideration as the basic starting point for a pioneering turboshaft powerplant for German armored fighting vehicles in 1944–45, as the GT101. Towards the end of the Third Reich, BMW developed some military aircraft projects for the Luftwaffe, the BMW Strahlbomber, the BMW Schnellbomber and the BMW Strahljäger, but none of them were built. By the year 1958, the division of BMW was in financial difficulties. It was decided to carry on by trying to cash in on the current economy car boom exploited so successfully by German ex-aircraft manufacturers such as Messerschmitt, BMW bought the rights to manufacture the Italian Iso Isetta. BMWs version of the cars were to be powered by a modified form of BMWs motorcycle engine. This was moderately successful and helped the company get back on its feet, since 1959, the controlling majority shareholder of the BMW Aktiengesellschaft has been the Quandt family, which owns about 46% of the stock. The rest is in public float, BMW acquired the Hans Glas company based in Dingolfing, Germany, in 1966. Glas vehicles were badged as BMW until the company was fully absorbed. However, this factory was outmoded and BMWs biggest immediate gain was, according to themselves, the Glas factories continued to build a limited number of their existing models, while adding the manufacture of BMW front and rear axles until they could be closer incorporated into BMW
37.
Simca
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Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and then, after Simca bought Fords French activities, in 1970, Simca became a subsidiary and brand of Chrysler Europe, ending its period as an independent company. Simca disappeared in 1978, when Chrysler divested its European operations to another French automaker, PSA replaced the Simca brand with Talbot after a short period when some models were badged as Simca-Talbots. During most of its activity, Simca was one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in France. For instance the Simca 1307 was sold in Britain as the Chrysler Alpine, Simca vehicles were also manufactured by Simca do Brasil in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, and Barreiros in Spain. They were also assembled in Australia, Chile, Colombia and the Netherlands during the Chrysler era, Henri Théodore Pigozzi was active in the automotive business in the early 1920s when he met Fiat founder, Giovanni Agnelli. They began business together in 1922 with Pigozzi acting as a merchant, buying old automobile bodies. Two years later Pigozzi became Fiats General Agent in France, in 1928, SAFAF started the assembly of Fiat cars in Suresnes near Paris, and licensed the production of some parts to local suppliers. By 1934, as many as 30,000 Fiat cars were sold by SAFAF, the SIMCA company was founded in 1935 by FIAT, when Fiat bought the former Donnet factory in the French town of Nanterre. The first cars produced were Fiat 508 Balillas and Fiat 518 Arditas and they were followed during 1936 by the Simca Cinq or 5CV, a version of the Fiat Topolino announced in the Spring, but only available for sale from October 1936. The Huit, an 8CV version of the Fiat 508C-1100, appeared in 1937, production of the 6CV and 11CV stopped in 1937, leaving the 5CV and the 8CV in production until the outbreak of World War II. The firm nevertheless remained closely connected with Fiat, and it was not until 1938 that the shortened name Simca replaced Simca-Fiat, of the businesses that emerged as Frances big four auto-makers after the war, Simca was unique in not suffering serious bomb damage to its plant. Despite France being occupied, Simca cars continued to be produced in numbers throughout the war. Nevertheless, shortly after the liberation the Nanterre plants financial sustainability received a boost when Simca won a contract from the American army to repair large numbers of Jeep engines, on 3 January 1946 the new government’s five-year plan for the automobile industry came into force. Grégoire owed his influence to a powerfully persuasive personality and an engineering talent. Regarding the future of the French automobile industry, Grégoire held strong opinions, a few weeks after the liberation Grégoire joined the Simca board as General Technical Director, in order to prepare for the production of the AFG at the company’s Nanterre factory. For Simca, faced with a determinedly dirigiste left-wing French government, in return, Grégoire obtained the personal commitment of the surviving Director General to the production at Nanterre of his two-door AFG. It is very easy to see how the two-door AFG looked, because its four-door equivalent went into production, little changed from Grégoire’s prototype and it was a car designed by an engineer, and Pigozzi thought it ugly
38.
Ford flathead V8 engine
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The Ford flathead V8 is a V8 engine of the valve-in-block type designed by the Ford Motor Company and built by Ford and various licensees. It was the first independently designed and built V8 engine produced by Ford for mass production, a fascination with ever-more-powerful engines was perhaps the most salient aspect of the American car and truck market for a half century, from 1923 until 1973. The Ford flathead V8 was perfectly in tune with the moment of its introduction. Thus it became a phenomenal success, the engine was on Wards list of the 10 best engines of the 20th century. It was a staple of hot rodders in the 1950s, and it remains famous in the classic car hobbies even today, before this engines introduction, almost all mass-produced cars affordable to the average mass-market consumer used inline-four and inline-six cylinder engines. Since French engineer Léon Levavasseurs invention of the V8 engine in 1902, multi-cylinder V-engines were produced, for example, the first Cadillac V8 engine was in that category. Even though Ford had a team assigned to develop the engine, many of the ideas. The Model A, its variants, and this V8 engine were developed between 1926 and 1932, and this period was the elder Fords last central contribution to the companys engineering. He remained an innovator until his death, but his ideas were not immediately central to the companys business. An economizing design feature of this engine was the use of three main bearings to support the crankshaft, rather than the customary five bearings used with most V-8s, the flathead mounted the camshaft above the crankshaft, as in the later pushrod operated overhead-valve engine. Valves for each bank were mounted inside the area formed by the Vee of cylinders. The intake manifold fed both banks from inside the Vee but the exhaust ports had to pass between the cylinders to reach the outboard exhaust manifolds. Such an arrangement transferred exhaust heat to the block, imposing a large cooling load, it required far more coolant, Ford flathead V8s were notorious for cracking blocks if their barely adequate cooling systems were overtaxed. The Ford flathead V8 was licensed to other producers and it was used by Simca in France until 1961 and in Brazil until 1964 for cars and until 1990 in the Simca Unic Marmon Bocquet military truck. In the United States, the flathead V8 was replaced by the more modern overhead-valve Ford Y-block engine in 1954, the crankshaft development for the Ford flathead V8 was pioneering. The simple three-main-bearing crankshaft attached two connecting rods to a single crankpin, one rod from each cylinder bank, as with other crankshafts, static and dynamic balancing was performed. The short crankshaft proved quite durable in comparison to six-cylinder engines when roughly handled, for these reasons, the flathead Ford became a favorite among hot-rodders, and this in turn led to a rich supply of aftermarket performance parts. The sought-after crankshaft by hot rodders is the four-inch stroke Mercury version and it can be identified by the clean-out plug in the front of the crankshaft
39.
Ford Vedette
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The Ford Vedette is a large car that was manufactured by Ford SAF in their Poissy plant from 1948-1954. It was the only French car of its time with a V8 engine, under the direction of the new company president, Mr. The 1953 October Mondial de lAutomobile also saw a version of the Vedette. Also updated in 1953 was the five-door, five-seat Abeille estate with a two-piece tailgate, at the October 1953 Motor Show the standard Abeille was listed at 845,000 Frances as against 935,000 francs for the least expensive version of the Vedette. An opportunity arose in 1954, when Henri-Theodore Pigozzi, the founder of the increasingly successful French automaker Simca, was looking for a new plant to expand its operations. Ford France was merged into Simca with both the Poissy plant and the rights to all models manufactured there — including a newly designed new Vedette. The new car had debuted already in France under the name of Simca Vedette, club Vedette France Mademoiselle Ford @ Best Cars Web Site
40.
Ford SAF
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Ford SAF was the French subsidiary of the American automaker Ford Motor Company, which existed under various names between 1916 and 1954, when Ford sold the manufacturing business to Simca. After 1954 the residuum was renamed Ford France and became an importer of such as the British-built Ford Anglia. The company was formed in Bordeaux as Société Française des Automobiles Ford in 1916 by Percival Perry, Model As were made from 1927 to 1931 and Model Ys from 1932 to 1934. The company also imported the US-built V8-powered Ford Model B, but import taxes made them very expensive, the new company name was Matford SA. Ownership was split 60%/40% with Ford having the larger share, Ford had commissioned a new plant of its own at Poissy in 1937, with the stated intention of pulling out of the Strasbourg based Matford project. By the time Poissy came on stream, in 1940, France had been invaded, meanwhile, a small number of 13CV Matford V8 passenger cars, now branded as Fords, continued to be produced at least until 1942. After the war the company re-introduced the smaller 2,225 cc V8-engined Matford model, the car was known in France as the Ford 13CV, although subsequently it is also called more formally the Ford F-472 and, after the first 300 had been produced, the Ford F-472A. In addition to the familiar four-door sedan/saloon, chassis with front half bodies were made available to coachbuilders. The 13CV was valued by customers for its space, comfort, style. In 1947 the company produced 3,023 of its 13CVs, the Citroën was already being produced at more than three times that rate. This model, launched in October at the 1948 Paris Motor Show as the Ford 12CV Vedette now replaced the F-472A, the Vedette was joined in 1952 by its upmarket counterparts, the Vendôme, and Comète sports coupé, cars that were not shared with any other Ford subsidiary. In November 1954 Ford merged the entire French operation to Simca at first keeping 15.2 per cent of the company, apart from the plant, Simca also acquired plans for a new Vedette, with the 2351 cc V8, which was made until 1961 as Simca Vedette. At the end of the decade, Chrysler in turn divested its European operations to PSA, finally, in the second half of the 1980s, the Talbot brand was axed and Poissy became one of the most important production sites for the Peugeot brand and continues to be today. Ford England Ford Germany Ford do Brasil Ford France http, //dvole. free. fr/matford/ Matford Constructeur automobile http, //dvole. free. fr/fordsaf/fordsaf. htm Ford Société Anonyme Française - Poissy
41.
Bugatti
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Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in the then German city of Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were known for their beauty and for their many race victories. Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the Type 41 Royale, the Type 57 Atlantic and the Type 55 sports car. The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, no more than about 8,000 cars were made. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, in the 1990s, an Italian entrepreneur revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars. Today, the name is owned by German automobile manufacturing group Volkswagen, the company was known both for the level of detail of its engineering in its automobiles, and for the artistic manner in which the designs were executed, given the artistic nature of Ettores family. During the war Ettore Bugatti was sent away, initially to Milan and later to Paris and he exhibited three light cars, all of them closely based on their pre-war equivalents, and each fitted with the same overhead camshaft 4-cylinder 1, 368cc engine with four valves per cylinder. Smallest of the three was a Type 13 with a body and using a chassis with a 2,000 mm wheelbase. The others were a Type 22 and a Type 23 with wheelbases of 2,250 and 2,400 mm respectively, the company also enjoyed great success in early Grand Prix motor racing, in 1929 a privately entered Bugatti won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix. Racing success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 hours of Le Mans twice, Bugatti cars were extremely successful in racing. The little Bugatti Type 10 swept the top four positions at its first race, the 1924 Bugatti Type 35 is probably the most successful racing car of all time, with over 2,000 wins. The Type 35 was developed by Bugatti with master engineer and racing driver Jean Chassagne who also drove it in the car’s first ever Grand Prix in 1924 Lyon, Bugattis swept to victory in the Targa Florio for five years straight from 1925 through 1929. Louis Chiron held the most podiums in Bugatti cars, and the modern marque revival Bugatti Automobiles S. A. S. named the 1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car in his honour. But it was the racing success at Le Mans that is most remembered—Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron won the 1939 race with just one car. In the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti got involved in the creation of a racer airplane and this would be the Bugatti 100P, which never flew. It was designed by Belgian engineer Louis de Monge who had already applied Bugatti Brescia engines in his Type 7.5 lifting body, Ettore Bugatti also designed a successful motorised railcar, the Autorail Bugatti. The death of Ettore Bugattis son, Jean Bugatti, on 11 August 1939 marked a point in the companys fortunes. Jean died while testing a Type 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim factory, World War II left the Molsheim factory in ruins and the company lost control of the property
42.
Panhard
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Panhard is a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005, Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA after the 1974 takeover of Citroën by Peugeot, for 40 years. The combined company now uses the Panhard name, this was decided based on studies indicating that the Panhard name had better brand recognition worldwide than the Auverland name, Panhard once built innovative civilian cars but ceased production of those in 1968. Many of its military products however end up on the market via third sources. Panhard also built railbuses between the wars, Panhard was originally called Panhard et Levassor, and was established as a car manufacturing concern by René Panhard and Émile Levassor in 1887. Panhard et Levassor sold their first automobile in 1890, based on a Daimler engine license, Levassor obtained his licence from Paris lawyer Edouard Sarazin, a friend and representative of Gottlieb Daimlers interests in France. Following Sarazins 1887 death, Daimler commissioned Sarazins widow Louise to carry on her late husbands agency, the Panhard et Levassor license was finalised by Louise, who married Levassor in 1890. Daimler and Levassor became fast friends, and shared improvements with one another and these first vehicles set many modern standards, but each was a one-off design. They used a pedal to operate a chain-driven gearbox. The vehicle also featured a front-mounted radiator, an 1895 Panhard et Levassor is credited with the first modern transmission. For the 1894 Paris–Rouen Rally, Alfred Vacheron equipped his 4 horsepower with a steering wheel and this was to become the standard layout for automobiles for most of the next century. The same year, Panhard et Levassor shared their Daimler engine license with bicycle maker Armand Peugeot, in 1895,1,205 cc Panhard et Levassors finished first and second in the Paris–Bordeaux–Paris race, one piloted solo by Levassor, for 48¾hr. However during the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris race, Levassor was fatally injured due to a crash while trying to avoid hitting a dog, arthur Krebs succeeded Levassor as General Manager in 1897, and held the job until 1916. He turned the Panhard et Levassor Company into one of the largest and most profitable manufacturer of automobiles before World War I, Panhards won numerous races from 1895 to 1903. Panhard et Levassor developed the Panhard rod, which used in many other types of automobiles as well. From 1910 Panhard worked to develop engines without conventional valves, using under license the sleeve valve technology that had been patented by the American Charles Yale Knight. Between 1910 and 1924 the Panhard & Levassor catalogue listed plenty of models with conventional valve engines, following various detailed improvements to the sleeve valve technology by Panhards own engineering department, from 1924 till 1940 all Panhard cars used sleeve valve engines. Under the presidency of Raymond Poincaré, which ran from 1913 till 1920, the military were also keen on the sleeve valve engined Panhard 20HP
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Yves Giraud-Cabantous
Johnny Claes
Harry Schell
Duncan Hamilton
José Froilán González
