The cars
The business started out with a range of cycle cars, identified as the Benjamin "Type A", Benjamin "Type B" and Benjamin "Type C", a two-seater coupé. The "Type A" was powered by a 4-cylinder unit of 751cc: it weighed less than 350 kg and therefore enjoyed the favourable tax treatment available to cyclecars. The "Type B" used a 2-cylinder 547cc engine, while the "Type C" was a sporty version of the "Type A", the volume of its 4-cylinder engine increased to 817cc.
In 1924 the smaller engined Benjamin was replaced by the "Type AR". It sat on a 2,100 mm (82.7 in) wheelbase and was powered by a rear-mounted 2-stroke twin cylinder 450cc [2] or 525cc [1] engine.
Thanks to the success of the early models the manufacturer broadened the range with a "Type P2" and a "Type P3", but these were less successful. The "Type P2" was built on a 2,300 mm (90.6 in) wheelbase and used a 2-stroke twin cylinder engine, of 550cc, and was produced from 1924. [2] The "Type P3" had a 2-stroke triple cylinder engine. The cylinders were the same size as on the "Type P2", but there were three of them and the engine capacity was given as 817cc. (Other sources quote engine sizes respectively of 750cc and 1125cc for the 2 and 3 cylinder "Type P2" and "Type P3" in 1924. [1] ) In October 1924, at the 19th Paris Motor Show the manufacturer's listed prices started at 5,500 francs for a 2-seater "Type AR" cyclecar, while a Torpedo bodied 2-seater "Type P2" was listed at 8,900 francs. [2]
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