Villard (automobile/cyclecar)

Last updated
Société des Automobiles Villard
Founded1925
Defunct1935
Headquarters,
Products Automobiles
Cyclecars
Share of the Societe des Automobiles Villard, issued 14. February 1930 Automobiles Villard SA 1930.jpg
Share of the Société des Automobiles Villard, issued 14. February 1930

Villard was a French automobile manufacturer between 1925 and 1935. [1]

Contents

Beginnings

The first 4HP Villard was constructed in 1923. [2] It appeared to be a late-comer to the Cyclecar boom that had followed the First World War. [1] It had only three wheels, with the single wheel, at the front, providing both the traction and the steering. [2] The wheelbase was of 1,850 mm (72.8 in) and the two-stroke engine of 345cc. [2]

Launch

The car made its public debut in October 1924 at the 19th Paris Motor Show, priced by the manufacturer at 4,950 francs. [2] In 1925 the Société des Automobiles Villard was registered.

Middle period

Four years later the vehicle on the show stand at Paris was again a three wheel cycle car with a 1,850 mm (72.8 in) wheelbase and a single cylinder two-stroke engine, but the engine capacity was now given as 350cc. [3] Many of these little three-wheeler cyclecars used bodies adapted for use as small delivery vans. [1]

Later years

In 1927 a small number of four wheeled cars were produced: these used a chain drive to deliver power to the front wheels. Now a 500cc V4-cylinder was also available.

Reading list

Sources and notes

  1. 1 2 3 Georgano, Nick (1968). The Complete Encyclopaedia of Motorcars 1885-1968. London: George Rainbird Ltd for Ebury Press Limited. p. 586.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1925 (salon [Oct] 1924). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 72s: Page 80. 2005.
  3. "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1929 (salon [Oct] 1928). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 84s: Page 81. 2006.

Related Research Articles

The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1940.

Donnet

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.

Bucciali French automobile

The Bucciali was a French automobile manufactured from 1922 until 1933.

Buchet was a French motorcycle and automobile manufacturer between 1911 and 1930.

Automobiles Stabilia was an automobile manufacturer based on the north side of Paris between 1906 and 1930. Although the name of the company changed a couple of times, the cars were branded with the Stabilia name throughout this period. The company specialised in lowered cars featuring a special patented type of suspension.

Ryjan French automobile manufacturer

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.

Sénéchal (automobile)

Sénéchal was a French automobile manufacturer between 1921 and 1929.

Suère

Automobiles J. Suère was a French manufacturer of automobiles between 1909 and 1931.

SIMA-Violet

Sima Violet was a French manufacturer of cyclecars between 1924 and 1929.

Benjamin (automobile)

Benjamin was a French manufacturer of cyclecars between 1921 and 1927 and based on the north-west edge of Paris. 1927 was a year of changes which included a name change, and between 1927 and 1929 the company operated under a new name, Benova.

Galba was a French automobile produced by a company created for the purpose between 1929 and 1930.

Th. Schneider

Th. Schneider was a French automobile manufacturer.

Raymond Siran, Cyclecars D'Yrsan was a French manufacturer of automobiles in the cyclecar class.

Majola French automobile and engine manufacturer

Majola was a French producer of engines and automobiles, established in 1908 and producing automobiles from 1911 till 1928.

Louis Chenard

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.

Maximag

Maximag was the name of a Swiss automobile, produced by Motosacoche, based at Carouge, a suburb of Geneva, from 1923 till 1928.

Messier (automobile)

Messier was a French automobile manufacturer, based at Montrouge, on the southern edge of Paris, from 1925 till 1931.

Octo was a French automobile manufactured at Courbevoie by Louis Vienne between 1921 and 1928.

Oméga-Six

Automobiles Oméga-Six was a French automobile manufactured in the Paris region by Gabriel Daubeck between 1922 and 1930.

Bel Motors French automobile manufacturer

The Société Bel Motors was a French microcar (automobile) manufacturer established at Les Sables-d'Olonne in 1976 by Jean Bellier. The cars used the name Véloto which reflected aspects of their light-weight design, notably in respect of the spoked wheels which would not have looked out of place on a bicycle.