 | |
 | |
| Founded | 1910 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1930 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Th. Schneider |
| Products | Automobiles |
Th. Schneider was a French automobile manufacturer.
The Société anonyme des automobiles Th. Schneider was registered at Besançon on 16 June 1910. [2] Vehicle production finally ended early in 1930, some ten months after the company's second declaration of bankruptcy, in March 1929.
A significant proportion of the manufacturer's output was exported to England.
By the time he established the company that carried his name, Schneider was already a very well seasoned automobile manufacturer. With Edouard Rochet, Schnieder had been involved since 1889 or 1894 with the Lyon based Rochet-Schneider company.
Although Schneider had apparently been registered at birth with the name "Théodore Schneider", many friends and business partners knew him as "Théophile Schneider". [3] Use of the name Th. Schneider for his automobile company avoided the need to arbitrate between the two names.
The manufacturer started out producing a range of cars with side valve 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines. [4] In most respects these were conventional cars, apart from the "dashboard mounted" radiators, positioned ahead of the driver but behind the (front mounted) engine. [4] By the time war broke out in August 1914, the Th. Schneider range comprised seven 4-cylinder engined cars with engine sizes that ranged from 1.8-litres to 6.1-litres. [4] There was also a 3.2-litre 6-cylinder engined model. [4]
During these years the manufacturer also participated in motor racing, taking part in the French Grand Prix in two successive years. [4]
In October 1919 the manufacturer took a stand at the 15th Paris Motor Show, and was already exhibiting a range of four different cars, with wheelbases of between 3,000 mm (118.1 in) and 3,400 mm (133.9 in). [5] They all used 4-cylinder engines with cylinder diameters that placed them respectively in the 12HP, 14HP, 18HP and 26HP car tax bands. [5] The engine capacities were 2,292cc, 3,030cc, 3,958cc and 5,500cc. [5] The cars offered for the 1920 model year were not strikingly different from those that had been offered before the war, but the radiators were mounted in front of the engines, which by now was becoming standard practice across most of the French auto-industry [4] (although Renault would persist in placing the radiator behind the engine till 1929). During the early 1920s the Th. Schneider range became broader (and more complex). [4]
The business prospered through the middle 1920s. One of the best remembered models, built since 1922, was the Th. Schneider 10HP which sat on a 3,000 mm (118.1 in) wheelbase, and was powered by a 1,947cc engine that was offered with a side-valve engine for "normal" use or with overhead valves in a "sport" version. [6] At the 19th Paris Motor Show in October 1924 the manufacturer was offering this car with a "Torpedo" type body for 29,000 francs. [6] From the volume makers, a "Torpedo" bodied Renault 10HP was listed only 22,500 francs at the same show and a comparably sized "all-steel" Citroën Type B10 was offered for even less, [7] but the mass-produced Citroën still had serious structural issues to overcome, [7] and at this stage the French automarket was still able to absorb cars in this class from the smaller automakers as well as from the high volume companies.
The company was declared bankrupt for the first time in November 1921, but was able to persuade the court to permit resumption of its activities thirteen months later. [8] Th. Schneider was then able to enjoy several years of successful business due to the excellent reputation of its cars. [8] Nevertheless, financial problems hit the business again in 1928, ending in a second bankruptcy in March 1929. [8] Production was progressively run down, presumably in order to use up existing inventory, but early in 1930 the factory doors were closed for the last time. [8]
Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005, and then by Renault in 2012. In 2018 Renault Trucks Defense, ACMAT and Panhard combined under a single brand, Arquus.
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.
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.
The Peugeot 403 is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot between May 1955 and October 1966. A total of 1,214,121 of all types, including commercial models, were produced, making it the first Peugeot to exceed one million in sales.
The Renault NN, generally known to contemporaries simply as the Renault 6 CV, is a compact car or small family car manufactured by Renault from 1924 until 1930.
The Renault Vivastella was an executive car introduced by Renault in October 1928 and produced for the model years 1929 - 1939.
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 1911 and 1930.
Tracta was a French car maker based in Asnières, Seine, that was active between 1926 and 1934. They were pioneers of front-wheel-drive vehicles.
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.
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.
Automobiles J. Suère was a French manufacturer of automobiles between 1909 and 1931.
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.
Louis Chenard was a French producer of automobiles, making cars at Colombes, near Paris from 1920 till 1932. Louis Chenard was always a relatively low volume manufacturer. Engines were bought in, mostly from Chapuis-Dornier.
Octo was a French automobile manufactured at Courbevoie by Louis Vienne between 1921 and 1928.
Automobiles Oméga-Six was a French automobile manufactured in the Paris region by Gabriel Daubeck between 1922 and 1930.
The Renault Vivasport was a 6-cylinder engined executive automobile introduced by Renault in September 1933 and produced till April 1935. A larger engined version was produced between December 1934 and February 1938. As with many Renaults during the 1930s, type changes as well as small often cosmetic facelifts and upgrades appeared frequently.
