 | |
| Founded | 1918 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jacques Bignan |
| Defunct | 1931 |
| Headquarters | Courbevoie, Paris (France) |
| Products | Cars |
The Bignan was a French automobile manufactured between 1918 and 1931 on the north side of central Paris, in Courbevoie. The business was created, and till the mid 1920s-headed up, by Jacques Bignan. [1]
Jacques Bignan [1] produced bespoke engines before the war, but only after the cessation of hostilities did he register, in 1918, the company "Établissements Industriels J. Bignan", and emerged as an automobile manufacturer on his own account, taking stand number 84 at the Motor Show in October 1919. [2]
The first Bignan was powered by a 2,940 cc (25 CV/HP) four-cylinder engine and sat on a 2,860 mm (112.6 in) wheelbase. [2] At the end of 1919, the manufacturer was quoting a list price for the car of 30,000 francs in bare chassis form. [2] Tires were not included in the price, which was at this time not unusual. [2] The manufacturer was also listing a price of 38,500 francs for a "torpedo-bodied" car. [2] The majority of the vehicles produced had tourer bodies. [1] Several of these cars were used as official vehicles for the 1920 Tour de France. [1]
Two new models were launched in 1922 - the 11CV, with a 2-litre engine, and a badge-engineered version of the Salmson AL3, a one-litre four-cylinder powered sports car. [1] The 11CV had a four-speed gearbox and servo-assisted brakes. [1] The production model developed 50 bhp, but the competition version developed 70 bhp, due to the use of desmodromic valves. [1] Only two of these competition models were built, but they were considered fast and reliable. The best competition result was a class victory at Spa-Francorchamps. [3] The 11CV was redesigned in 1926, with an eight-valve engine featuring twin oil pumps, giving 60 bhp. [1]
The company collapsed in 1926, and were taken over by the Société La Cigogne, after which Jacques Bignan had to leave the company. [1] [4] Several owners in succession now acquired and tried to preserve the company, which by 1928 was in the hands of Mécanique-Outillage-Pièces détachés (MOP), [5] presumably primarily a tools/auto-parts business. Two cars, now listed with the name "MOP-Bignan", were still being promoted at the Paris Motor Show in October 1928. [5] These were the 2-litre "11CV" model and a "14CV" overhead valve S.C.A.P. straight-8, 2.5-litre engined car, both of which continued in production until the company finally went out of business in 1931. [1] [5]
Three Type B cars were entered in the 1920 GP de Voiturettes at Le Mans, with the cars of Nogue and Delauney finishing second and third behind a Bugatti Type 13. [6]
By 1923 the 2-litre 11CV had become a mainstay of the range, and it was a Bignan powered by one of these engines that achieved a podium finish, coming in third overall, at the first Le Mans 24 Hour race. [7] [8] [9] Although they never did so well again, Bignan returned to Le Mans in 1924 and in 1925, when a Bignan finished in twelfth place. [4] One of these engines also powered a Bignan to victory in the 1924 Monte Carlo Rally. A feature of the engine with which other auto-makers only caught up many decades later was the incorporation, on the "competition" version, of four valves per cylinder. Appropriately, the company's slogan at the motor show in October 1924 was "Toujours en avant du progres" ("Always ahead of progress"). [4]
A 11CV saloon driven by Jacques Edouard Ledure won the 1924 Monte Carlo Rally. [10]
Brasier was a French automobile manufacturer, based in the Paris conurbation, and active between 1905 and 1930. The firm began as Richard-Brasier in 1902, and became known as Chaigneau-Brasier in 1926.
Unic was a French manufacturer founded in 1905, and active as an automobile producer until July 1938. After this the company continued to produce commercial vehicles, retaining its independence for a further fourteen years before being purchased in 1952 by Henri Pigozzi, who was keen to develop Unic as a commercial vehicle arm of the then flourishing Simca business.
Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside Paris. The company was owned and managed by Antonio Lago, an Italian engineer that acquired rights to the Talbot brand name after the demise of Darracq London's subsidiary Automobiles Talbot France in 1936.
Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into 'administration sequestre' it was in private ownership until 1967 when it then became part of Citroën, and subsequently acquired by Renault in 1974 and merged with Saviem into a new Renault Trucks company in 1978. The Berliet marque was phased out by 1980.
Donnet was a French manufacturing company of the early twentieth century. Founded as Société des Établissements Donnet-Denhaut by Jérôme Donnet and François Denhaut at Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1914, the firm manufactured a highly successful line of patrol flying boats for the French Navy. The company became known simply as Donnet after designer Denhaut left it in 1919, but did not continue to build aircraft for long afterwards.
Chenard-Walcker, also known as Chenard & Walcker, was a French automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer from 1898 to 1946. Chenard-Walcker then designed and manufactured trucks marketed via Peugeot sales channels until the 1970s. The factory was at first in Asnières-sur-Seine moving to Gennevilliers in 1906. The make is remembered as the winner of the very first Le Mans 24 Hours Race in 1923.
Rochet-Schneider was a French company, based in Lyons, that produced automobiles between 1894 and 1932. The Rochet-Schneider sales slogan was "strength, simplicity and silence".
Buchet was a French motorcycle and automobile manufacturer between 1899 and 1930.
Bollack, Netter, et Cie(French: Bollack Netter et compagnie), more commonly known as B.N.C., was a small French automobile company in Levallois-Perret, situated on Avenue de Paris 39.
Rolland-Pilain was a French car maker formally established on 4 November 1905 at 95, rue Victor-Hugo in Tours by François Rolland and Émile Pilain.
Corre La Licorne was a French car maker founded 1901 in Levallois-Perret, at the north-western edge of central Paris, by Jean-Marie Corre. Cars were produced until 1947.
The Berliet Dauphine is a family car produced by Berliet at their Vénissieux plant on the south side of Lyon between summer 1934 and 1939. The original cars had a 1990cc engine placing them in the 11CV car tax band, but this was quickly joined by a 1,600cc (9CV) version, and at one stage a 14CV powered version was advertised as available “sur commande”.
Ryjan was a make of French automobile produced by the Grillet company between 1920 and 1926. The factory was established in what was then a small town, a short distance to the west of Paris, called Chatou. In 1925 production was relocated to Nanterre in the west of the country.
Villard was a French automobile manufacturer between 1925 and 1935.
Th. Schneider was a French automobile manufacturer.
The Vernandi was a short-lived French automobile.
Raymond Siran, Cyclecars D'Yrsan was a French manufacturer of automobiles in the cyclecar class.
The Delage D4 was a 4-cylinder compact luxury car in the 8CV car tax band produced by the manufacturer between 1933 and 1934.
Majola was a French producer of engines and automobiles, established in 1908 and producing automobiles from 1911 till 1928.
Maximag was the name of a Swiss automobile, produced by Motosacoche, based at Carouge, a suburb of Geneva, from 1923 till 1928.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)  | This automobile-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| By country |
| ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | |||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
| Manufacturers | |||||||||||||
| Organisations | |||||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||||
