DELAGE Cars 1905 – 1953 Levallois-Perret, France

Delage     

Founded	1905
Founder	Louis Delage
Defunct	1953
Headquarters	Levallois-Perret, France
Products	Cars
Website	www.delage.org

Delage D8-120

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.

Early history

The company was founded in 1905 by Louis Delage, who borrowed Fr 35,000, giving up a salary of Fr 600 a month to do so.

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 Peugeot‘s 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. It was powered by a one-cylinder De Dion-Bouton of 4.5 or 9 hp (3.4 or 6.7 kW; 4.6 or 9.1 PS). Like other early carmakers, Delage participated in motor racing, entering the Coupe de Voiturettes held at Rambouillet in November 1906 with a 9 hp (6.7 kW; 9.1 PS) racer. Seven days of regularity trials decided the entrants, and one of the two 9 hp (6.7 kW; 9.1 PS) Delage specials was wrecked in the rain on the fifth; nevertheless, Ménard, the other works driver, came second in the event, behind a Sizaire-Naudin.

In 1907 the factory moved to the Rue Baudin Levallois, where a 4,000 m² (43,000 sq ft) 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. That year, racing success returned: Delage won the Grand Prix des Voiturettes held 6 July. This event, six laps of the 47.74 mi (76.83 km) Dieppe Grand Prix circuit, saw 47 starters. Delage fielded three cars: a pair with 1,242 cc (75.8 cu in) (78 by 130 mm (3.1 by 5.1 in)) De Dion-Bouton twins, driven by Thomas and Lucas-Bonnard, and a radical 28 hp (21 kW; 28 PS) 1,257 cc (76.7 cu in) (100 by 160 mm (3.9 by 6.3 in)) one-cylinder (built by Nemorin Causan) in the hands of Delage dealer Albert Guyot. Guyot won at an average 49.8 mph (80.1 km/h), not needing to stop for fuel. All three Delages finished this time, Thomas the quickest of the two-cylinder 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 existing facilities were too small, so in 1910 the factory moved to a new facility at 138 Boulevard de Verdun, Courbevoie. 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 (276.1 cu in) (80 by 150 mm (3.1 by 5.9 in)) 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. After that came a new generation of six-cylinder cars, like the MD (3174 cc) and DR (2516 cc), the best-selling vehicle in the history of the brand, designed by engineer Gaultier.

Both the CO and DO were replaced in 1922. The CO became the CO2, which changed to an overhead valve twin-plug head, producing 88 hp (66 kW; 89 PS), while the DO was supplanted by the DE with a 2,117 cc (129.2 cu in) (72 by 130 mm (2.8 by 5.1 in)) sidevalve four and, unusual in a production car even in this era, four-wheel brakes. The CO2 completed the Paris-Nice run in 16 hours, an average of 67 km/h (42 mph).

The next year, the new 14 hp (10 kW; 14 PS) DI also switched to OHV with a 2,121 cc (129.4 cu in) (75 by 120 mm (3.0 by 4.7 in)) four, fitted with magneto ignition and thermosyphon cooling; all had four-speed gearboxes and Zenith carburettors. At the other end of the scale, the GL (Grand Luxe), also known as the 40/50, replaced the CO2, being fitted with a magneto-fired 5,344 cc (326.1 cu in) (90 by 140 mm (3.5 by 5.5 in)) overhead cam six.

In 1923, a hillclimb car with DI chassis, larger wheels and tires, and 5,107 cc (311.6 cu in) (85 by 150 mm (3.3 by 5.9 in)) CO block (with three Zenith carburetors) was produced. Delage scored successes at La Turbie and Mont Ventoux. This car was joined by a 10,688 cc (652.2 cu in) (90 by 140 mm (3.5 by 5.5 in)) V12, which broke the course record at the Gaillon hillclimb, with Thomas at the wheel. Thomas would set the land speed record at Arpajon in this car, at a speed of 143.24 mph (230.52 km/h), in 1924. A 1925 car had a 5,954 cc (363.3 cu in) (95 by 140 mm (3.7 by 5.5 in)) six, again using the GL block, with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead cams. Driven by Divo, it broke the Mont Ventoux course record in its debut. It would be destroyed by fire at the Phoenix Park meet in 1934.

The 1924 and 1925 DIS, with a 117 in (3,000 mm) wheelbase, switched from Rolls-Royce-type locking wheel hubs to Rudge knock-ons, better cam, and bigger valves, while the 1925 and 1926 DISS on the same wheelbase. Some of the DISes were bodied by Kelsch. The DIS became the Series 6 in 1927, switching to coil ignition and water pump.

In 1926, Delage introduced the DM, with a 3,182 cc (194.2 cu in) (75 by 120 mm (3.0 by 4.7 in)) six, which made it emblematic of the era for the marque. The high-performance DMS had hotter cam, twin valve springs, and other improvements. A DR, with a choice of 2.2- and 2.5-liter sidevalve engines, also briefly appeared.

Competition

Delage entered the 1911 Coupe de l’Auto at Boulogne with a 50 hp (37 kW; 51 PS) 2,996 cc (182.8 cu in) (80 by 149 mm (3.1 by 5.9 in)) four with two 60 mm (2.4 in)-diameter bellcrank-operated valves per cylinder controlled by camshafts in the crankcase. The five-speed gearbox gave a top speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), and the four voiturettes each carried 26 imp gal (120 l; 31 US gal), as the factory planned for a no-stop race. Works driver Paul Bablot won, at an average 55.2 mph (88.8 km/h), with a 1m 11s over Boillot’s Peugeot, followed home by Thomas in a second Delage; Delage also took the team prize.

Delage would move up to Grand Prix racing in 1912, with a Léon Michelat-designed car powered by a four-valve 6,235 cc (380.5 cu in) (105 by 180 mm (4.1 by 7.1 in)) four-cylinder of 118 hp (88 kW; 120 PS), coupled again to a five-speed gearbox and fitted this time with 43 imp gal (200 l; 52 US gal). Three cars were built for the 569 mi (916 km) Amiens Grand Prix, though only two, Bablot’s and Guyot’s, actually entered. On the day, Bablot’s Delage proved the fastest car in the field, turning in a lap at 76.6 mph (123.3 km/h), but it was Guyot who would fall out of the lead with a puncture, and the race went to Peugeot, while the Delages were fourth and fifth. At the French Grand Prix, Delage put Bablot first, Guyot second, ahead of Pilette’s 1908 Mercedes GP car, Salzer in a Mercedes, with Duray coming in fifth in the third Delage.

In 1913, the new type Y set the fasted lap time at the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, and in 1914, this same car won the 1914 Indianapolis 500 with René Thomas at the wheel. Thomas, Guyot, and Duray would return to the French Grand Prix with 4½-liter twin-cam desmodromic valved racers featuring twin carburettors, five-speed gearbox, and four-wheel brakes. While quick, they proved unreliable; only one finished, Duray’s, in eighth.

In 1914, Delage emphasized its focus on competition by creating the type O Lyon Grand Prix, while at the same time moving towards the luxury car market with 6 cylinders of a large class. However, racing was severely curtailed during World War One.

Delage D6

In 1923 Louis Delage returned to competition with the innovative 12-cylinder 2-liter type 2 LCV. This car won the 1924 European Grand Prix in Lyon and the 1925 Grand Prix of ACF Montlhéry. The 12-cylinder DH (10,5 liters) of 1924 beat the world speed record on the highway, at 230 km/h (143 mph). A Delage 155 B won the first Grand Prix of Great-Britain in 1926, driven by Louis Wagner and Robert Senechal. The production of cars continued with the DI and the DI S SS. The DM evolved into the DMS and DML, equipped with a 6-cylinder 3-liter engine designed by Maurice Gaultier.

Delage’s Grand Prix effort saw a Plancton-designed 1,984 cc (121.1 cu in) (51.3 by 80 mm (2.02 by 3.15 in)) four overhead cam V12. The 110 hp (82 kW; 110 PS) car, driven by Thomas, fell out of the French Grand Prix in 1923, but went on to perform well for the bulk of the 1923 and 1924 season. With supercharger added in 1925, bringing output to 195 hp (145 kW; 198 PS), it won at Montlhéry and Lasarte, proving as fast as the Alfa Romeo P2, but rarely racing it directly. This car was supplanted in 1926 by a Lory-designed supercharged 1.5-liter twincam straight eight of 170 hp (130 kW; 170 PS); capable of 130 mph (210 km/h), it was the company’s last Grand Prix entrant.

A Delage supercharged straight-8 racing engine

Always passionate about racing, Louis Delage designed an 8-cylinder 1500 cc, the type 15 S 8. This car won four European Grands Prix races in 1927, and won Delage the title “World Champion of Car Builders” that same year.

A 2,988 cc (182.3 cu in)-powered D6 won the 1938 Tourist Trophy at Donington Park and came second at Le Mans. A single V12-powered car, intended for Le Mans, tragically caught fire at the 1938 International Trophy at Brooklands.

Postwar, the best results Delage had were seconds at the 1949 Le Mans and 1950 Paris Grand Prix.

The D6 and the D8: The Classic Era

1930 saw the launch of the 6-cylinder Delage D6 which would form the mainstay of the manufacturer’s passenger car range until 1954.

For 1930 Maurice Gaultier designed an 8-cylinder in-line 4,061 cc, evolving the type D8 into the type D8 S (S for Sport).

1939 Delage D8

The D8 was the pinnacle of the marque. It was offered in three wheelbases, “S” or “C” at 130 in (3,300 mm), “N” at 140 in (3,600 mm), and “L” at 143 in (3,600 mm), all powered by a 4,061 cc (247.8 cu in) (77 by 109 mm (3.0 by 4.3 in)) straight eight, making it capable of 85 mph (137 km/h). Delage followed in 1932 with the Grand Sport, on a 123 in (3,100 mm) 130 in (3,300 mm) in 1934) wheelbase, capable of 100 mph (160 km/h).

But the backlash of the economic crisis of 1929 arrived and manufacturers of luxury cars all over the world suffered from poor sales. The commercial and financial situation of the firm was badly shaken. In 1932 Delage introduced the type D6-11 (6-cylinder 2101 cc), and two years later the new eight-cylinder Delage, type D8-15 (2768 cc). These two models, equipped with independent front wheel suspension did not increase sale figures. The transverse leaf and wishbone independent front suspension was licensed by Studebaker for their cars.

The junior D6s shared Delahaye front suspension design, but had hydraulic rather than Delahaye cable-actuated brakes, also shared the Cotal gearbox with the D8. The D6/70 of 1936 was powered by a 2,729 cc (166.5 cu in) (80 by 90.5 mm (3.15 by 3.56 in)) six, the 1938 D6/75 a 2.8-liter six, and the postwar D8/3L Olympic a 3-liter six. At the bottom of the range was a 1.5-liter four that lasted until 1936.

Financial pressures never disappeared, however, and during the Spring of 1932 Louis Delage was obliged to take out a 25 Million franc loan in order to finance the tooling needed to put the D6 into production. It was at this time that he also entered into negotiations with Peugeot about using their dealership and service network. These negotiations went nowhere, and discussions with other possible partners/rescuers also came to nothing. There were also personal problems involving his marriage which necessitated a rearrangement of Delage’s personal finances, although in the event it was the sale of his expensive home in the Champs-Élysées that reduced the pressure on his finances if only in the short term.

The last models to emerge from the factory in Courbevoie were the types D6-65, D8-85 and D8-105, designed by engineer Michelat. On 20 April 1935 the factory in Courbevoie went into voluntary liquidation.

But Louis Delage would not admit defeat, and with the help of a businessman called Walter Watney created the Société Nouvelle des Automobiles Delage (SAFAD), to market Delage cars, assembled from production Delahayes. This union created the 4-cylinder DI 12 and the D8 120, and also the 6-cylinder D6 70. Watney had taken control as president of SAFAD, but he was a British national and in June 1940 he was obliged to leave Paris as the German Army arrived. Watney stayed in France, at his villa in Beaulieu, until the end of 1942 after the Germans had completed their occupation, but already in December 1940 the presidency of the SAFAD business had passed directly into the control of Delahaye. In any event, since the outbreak of the war Delage had been largely inactive, although they did undertake work on a project to replace the six-cylinder engine of the Hotchkiss H39 tank with the more powerful 8-cylinder unit from the Delage D8 120.

Racing aero-engines

Delage produced at least two types of racing aero-engine during the early 1930s. The Delage 12 CED was fitted to the Kellner-Béchereau 28VD racing aircraft, intended to compete in the 1933 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe air race. Unfortunately the aircraft crashed during qualification trials for the race on 12 May 1933. The second engine type, the Delage 12 GV, remains a mystery, with very little information available.

After the Second World War

A large prototype Delage D-180 limousine appeared at the 1946 Paris Motor Show but there were evidently no further developments on this project and by the next year the big prototype had quietly disappeared. At the 1947 Paris Motor Show only a single model was exhibited as the business focused on its six-cylinder 3-litre Delage D6 which in most respects will have been familiar to anyone who had known the 3-litre Delages of the 1930s. The car was offered with bodies by firms such as Chapron, Letourner & Marchand and Guilloré. A variety of coupe and cabriolet bodied D6s were produced. In addition, both Guilloré and Chapron produced a large saloon/sedan body. The two were remarkably similar, both being six-light four-door cars with conservative 1930s style shapes. Something else the two had in common was unexpectedly narrow rear doors, enforced by the combination of a long body, a long rear overhang and a relatively short wheelbase provided by the D6 chassis. A longer wheelbase 1952 special version, bodied by Guilloré, was owned by National Assembly president Edouard Herriot.

Nevertheless, these were difficult times for luxury auto-makers in France and by now the company’s registered head office was the same as that for Delahaye: production statistics from the period group Delage and Delahaye together. Louis Delâge himself, who had lived in poverty and quasi-monastic isolation since bankruptcy in 1935 had enforced the transfer of his company to Delahaye, died in December 1947, and during the next few years any residual autonomy that the business had enjoyed disappeared. Increases in motoring taxes, most notably in 1948 and most savagely targeting cars with engines of above 2 litres, combined with the depressed economic conditions of post-war France to create a difficult market for luxury car manufacturers. In 1950 Delahaye produced 235 cars which will have included a significant number of Delages. In 1951 the combined production figure for the two brands slumped to 77: in 1952 it was down to 41. In 1953 Delage production ended.

Delage was absorbed into Hotchkiss along with Delahaye in 1954, and car manufacturing ended.

Models

1920 Delage (type S) CO 4 ½ litre Salamanca (1918, 6 cyl, 4,524 cc)

1924 Delage Di(1920, 2,121 cc)

1920-delage-type-co2-22d181v-dual-cowl-tourer Delage CO2 (1921)

Delage 2 LCV (1923, 12 cyl, 2L)

Delage GL (5,954 cc)

Delage DE

Delage DH (12 cyl DH, 10,5L)

Delage DI S

Delage DI SS

Delage DMS (6 cyl, 3L)

Delage DML (6 cyl, 3L)

Scuderia Giddings black 1927
Delage. Beautiful 1500cc twin cam straight eight, blown alloy engine created almost 200 horse power.

Delage 15 S 8 (8 cyl, 1,500 cc)

1924 Delage GL Labourdett DV-08

Delage GL (5,954 cc)

Delage DM (6 cyl, 3,174 cc)

Delage DR (6 cyl, 2,516 cc)

Delage D4 (4 cyl, 1,480 cc)

Delage D6-11 (6 cyl, 2,101 cc)

Delage D8-15 (2,768 cc)

Delage D6-65

1935 Delage D8-85

Delage D8

Delage D8 S (8 cyl, 4,061 cc)

Delage D8-105

1926 Delage DI Torpedo 11CV 4Cyl

1936 Delage DI-12 Pillarless Saloon Delage DI 12 (4 cyl)

Delage D8 120

Delage D6 70 (6 cyl)

My personal collection, found on www:

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Scuderia Giddings black 1927
Delage. Beautiful 1500cc twin cam straight eight, blown alloy engine created almost 200 horse power.

Delage DI 1926 All Weather Tourer. Launched in 1923 the Delage DI was given a 4-cylinder ohv 2120cc 30bhp engine

Delage DI 1926 Drophead Coupe

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Delage op You Tube:

Production volumes

During their years of independence, Delage made almost 40,000 cars at their workshops in Levallois and Courbevoie. After Delage production was subsumed into the Delahaye operation, approximately another 2,000 Delage badged cars were manufactured between 1935 and 1940. With the post-war resumption of passenger car production, 330 Delage cars appear to have been produced by Delahaye between 1946 and 1953.

Sources and further reading

1. Jump up^ Hull, Peter. “Delage: Speed and Elegance in the French Tradition”, in Ward, Ian, executive editor. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 5, p.517.
2. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h} Hull, p.517.
3. Jump up^ Hull, p.517. One was de Dion powered, the other Aster-engined; it is unclear from Hull which was involved in this crash.
4. Jump up^ It featured four spark plugs, four valves per cylinder, two flywheels, and thermosyphon cooling. Hull, p.518.
5. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Hull, p.518.
6. Jump up^ Hull, p.518-519.
7. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h i} Hull, p.519.
8. Jump up^ Hull, p.520. It would later be famous at Brooklandsin the hands of John Cobb. In the 1970s, it was still campaigned in veteran and vintage racing by Johnty Williamson and Cecil Clutton.
9. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t} Hull, p.520.
10. Jump up^ Hull, p.519 caption.
11. Jump up^ Powered by an experimental overhead cam six. Hull, p.518.
12. Jump up^ Hull, p.520, says 1995cc, which is belied by the cylinder dimensions.
13. Jump up^ Hull, p.520, says 4,050 cc (247 cu in) which is belied by the quoted cylinder dimensions.
14. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “Automobilia”. Toutes les voitures françaises 1934 (salon [Paris, Oct] 1933). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 22: 30. 2002.
15. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “Automobilia”. Toutes les voitures françaises 1940 – 46 (les années sans salon). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 26: 32. 2003.
16. Jump up^ Léglise, Pierre (October 1933). TECHNICAL MEMORANDUMS NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS; No.724; THE 1933 CONTEST FOR THE DEUTSCH DE LA MEURTHE TROPHY; AIRPLANES PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST (PDF). Washington D.C.: NACA. pp. 31–33. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
17. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “Automobilia”. Toutes les voitures françaises 1948 (salon Paris oct 1947). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 7: 9. 1998.
18. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “Automobilia”. Toutes les voitures françaises 1953 (salon Paris oct 1952). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 19: 22. 2000.
19. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “Automobilia”. Toutes les voitures françaises 1954 (salon [Oct] 1953). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 24: 23. 2002.
20. Jump up^ The chassis number range runs from 1 in 1905 to 39,100 in 1935.
21. Jump up^ Chassis numbers 50,000 to 51,999.
22. Jump up^ Chassis numbers 880,000 to 880,330.

Hull, Peter. “Delage: Speed and Elegance in the French Tradition”, in Ward, Ian, executive editor. World of Automobiles, Volume 5, pp. 517–520. London: Orbis, 1974.

External links

Les Amis de Delage, website of Delage-collectors

Delage World, web site maintained by collector Peter Jacobs

AUSTIN Car pictures, videos and ads. II

Austin Motor Company, Longbridge, England, UK, 1905-1952

Austin-ADO-BMC-Hillman-Hudson-Humber-Innocenti-Leyland-MG-Morris-Princess-Riley-Rosengart-Rover-Sunbeam-Vanden Plas-Wolseley

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NCA001000430_001, 15-08-2007, 10:52, 8C, 7926×4014 (0+4), 100%, NCAD, 1/80 s, R42.6, G11.4, B8.9

Fifty years of caring for the capital
London Ambulance Service is 50 years old today (Wednesday 1 April) and will be celebrating with ‘ambulance drivers’ from the sixties meeting 21st century paramedics in old and new vehicles.
Fifty years ago suited ‘ambulance drivers’ picked up patients and took them straight to hospital but today, highly skilled clinicians, many with paramedic science degrees, diagnose and treat patients at the scene of incidents.
Chief Executive Dr Fionna Moore said: “Back in the old days we used to ‘scoop and run’ patients straight to hospital. There was just a stretcher, a splint and breathing apparatus in the back of an ambulance and staff had eight weeks training.
“In contrast, today, we have a wide range of frontline staff, from emergency ambulance crew, through to advanced and consultant paramedics and have a paramedic at director-level on our Trust Board. Increasingly, our paramedics have a three-year paramedic science degree. They carry up to 30 different drugs and make life and death decisions about the most appropriate place to take a patient for treatment. Our ambulances are now kitted out with defibrillators to restart patients’ hearts and ECG machines to detect heart attacks.”
Peter Hayman, 74, who worked for the Service from 1965 to 1994, attended the ceremony at County Hall to mark the creation of the new ambulance service. He said: “I remember we introduced an inflatable splint which we thought was revolutionary because all we really had back then was a satchel of bandages and dressings but it’s nothing compared to the kit they have on an ambulance today.”
While technology and training has transformed the Service, Fionna says one thing which hasn’t changed is the commitment of ambulance staff to the health and well-being of Londoners.
She said: “Fifty years ago the whole of the UK only had one million emergency calls for an ambulance. In London alone we now receive over 1.7m a year.
“Ambula

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KF2-2206

Leyland-Daf 400 V8 1991 Ambulance by ‘Mountain’

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NCA001000430_001, 15-08-2007, 10:52, 8C, 7926×4014 (0+4), 100%, NCAD, 1/80 s, R42.6, G11.4, B8.9

NCA001000427_006, 15-08-2007, 10:33, 8C, 7926×3654 (0+3), 100%, NCAD, 1/80 s, R42.6, G11.4, B8.9

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Austin A40 Countryman MkI. The Countryman retained the same profile as the saloon

Austin A40 mkI

Austin GP4 A40 Countryman. Launched in 1949, the A40 Countryman provided an Estate car by using the Van as a base. This model continued even after the Somerset replaced the Devon and 35,000 were sold until 1956.

Austin A50 Cambridge

Austin A55 Mk II Cambridge Countryman. The A%% MkII Countryman was not launched until 1960, and was on sale for only about one year before the A60 Countryman superseded it.

Austin A125 Limousine DM1. An extended wheelbase limousine version of the Austin sheerline was offered, but it was not a success

Austin K8 Three-Way. Known as the ‘Three-Way’ Van because it had doors at the back and on both sides, the K8 was built from 1948-54 with bodywork by Carbodies.

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Ex-John Lennon 1956 Austin Princess, A 60-year-old Austin Princess hearse with aircraft seats fitted by its previous owner JOHN LENNON is expected to fetch £250,000 at auction. See SWNS SWLENNON; The Beatles legend used the British car as his personal limousine after buying it secondhand in August 1971. Records show the car was registered in the name of John Ono Lennon to 3 Savile Row, which was the Mayfair address of The Beatles.

NCA001000431_001, 15-08-2007, 11:05, 8C, 7926×4014 (0+4), 100%, NCAD, 1/80 s, R42.6, G11.4, B8.9

Austin Seven Swallow 1931. In 1927 the Swallow Sidecar Company decided to diversify into coachbuilding and commissioned Cyril Holland to design this body for the Austin Seven Chassis, thus producing the Austin Seven Swallow.

1936-Austin 10 Lichfield

Austin 12/4 Pickup 1934. The Austin ‘Light 12/4’ had been introduced in 1933 with a 4-cylinder 1525cc engine. This replaced the older 12/4 which became known as the ‘Heavy 12/4’. Austin trucks and vans were thought to be non factory products, but Austin advertisements for goods vehicles have been found

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Austin Twelve ‘New Ascot’ 1937. In 1937 the Austin 12/4 was restyled with a cowled radiator and more rounded bodywork. Only a 4-cylinder 1525cc side valve engine was offered, the 12/6 being dropped.

JX 6282 1938 Austin 14/6 Goodwood Haworth

1957. This is when the BMC ‘B’ Series OHV engine and 4-speed gearbox were adopted and vehicles became known as ‘JB’ vans or for the badge engineered Austin alternative ‘101 vans’. Production continued until 1961 (Austin and Morris chassis numbers were not separated), with a final total of 48,620.

Austin A35 RAC Van 1967. The AV8 Austin A35 Van was available until 1968, the last versions being offered with the 848cc engine for local journeys.

Austin A40 MkII Countryman is the ‘Estate’ version of the A40, differing only from the saloon by having a lift-up rear window and drop-down bootlid.

Austin A70 Utility 1952. This pickup used the chassis-cab unit which Austin already supplied to those who wanted to build their own coachwork onto it. The Hereford-based pickup was introduced in 1951, and prior to that Austin sold the Hampshire-based pickup. In Australia they had their own version, possibly locally built, and this had a longer cab superstructure and a wraparound rear window made of two pieces of glass.

Austin A95 Six. Launched in September 1956 the A95 superceded the A90 and was given a revised body without the ‘cow hips’ boot, and with a new grille. The 2,639cc six cylinder engine was upgraded to 92bhp. 28,000 were sold until the A99 Westminster replaced it

Austin A99 Westminster. With a body designed by Carozzeria Pininfarina, the Austin A99 wrapped a monocoque body around the C-series 2912cc ohv 6-cylinder engine.

Austin A105 Westminster. The A105 had been introduced in May 1956, but in October 1956 it received the same longer boot body given to Westminsters and Cambridges.

Austin Ambassador 2.0 HL. Austin’s Ambassador was able to have a lower bonnet line because the tall E-series 2200cc engine was discontinued and the O-series engines were lower.

Austin Ambassador 1.7 L. The re-design of the Princess to make it into the 5-door Ambassador required extensive engineering. Harris Mann’s team did the work

Following a great day at Software Craftsmanship, Jason and I had a wonder around the grounds at Bletchley Park. I’d already spotted vintage cars on the internet so had already got my Tokina mounted ready for these kind of shots.
We walked up the two garages, me stopping at each car to get bracketed exposures, and this Austin Ambulance was joint favourite. I do have another car I will upload soon, but a little more post processing will be needed…

Austin FE 1957. The FE from 1955 wears the ‘Series III’ iteration of the Morris FV cab.

London Black Cab Model?

TBT 768 1957 Austin FV “Jessica”

Austin FX3 Taxi. Produced from 1948 until 1958, the FX3 sold 13700 units. FX3s were not fitted with a front nearside door, as this was used for storing luggage.

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Austin 152 Camper Van. The Austin 152 was the Austin version of the Morris J2 launched in 1956

Austin 152 Van. Introduced in 1956 the Austin 152 (and Morris J2) was a 15cwt commercial with a unitary body and a 1489cc B-series engine.

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Morris LD Van 1966. Launched in 1952 as a 1-tonne van, the LD was available as both Austin and Morris. By 1960 the LD was upgraded to LD-M20 and the 1½ton LD-30.

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Austin Mini Moke. The Mini Moke was designed by Alec Issigonis and intended for the British Army as a lightweight vehicle that could be dropped from aircraft. The military did not take to the Moke and it 1964 it was launched as a recreational vehicle to the general public.

Photographic Negative – Glass

Austin Eighteen. Available for 1938 and 1939 the Austin Eighteen had a six cylinder 2510cc engine.

Austin Ten Light Utility 1943.

Austin Ten Light Utility 1941, Often called the ‘Tilly’

Austin Ten Light Utility 1941. The Austin Ten pickup was based on the Austin Ten saloon.

Austin Ten Light Utility 1943. Powered by the Austin Ten 1230cc sidevalve engine, this Tilly was the main car production during the War years.

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Shoreham airshow airshow,

MG Magnette IV became the Magnette IV when the 1622cc engine replaced the 1500

Morris Oxford Series VI – the curvy grille of the 1622cc Farina Oxford, the series VI

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Vanden-Plas Princess 4litre Limousine. In 1960 the Austin name was dropped and Vanden-Plas became the brand. This is the 4litre DM4 model

Vanden-Plas Princess 3-litre MkII. Launched in October 1959 as the Austin Princess 3-litre, it was rebranded “Vanden-Plas” in May 1960. Underneath the skin lay Austin A99/Wolseley 6/99 mechanics put together at the Vanden-Plas Kingsbury Works.

Vanden-Plas Princess 3-litre MkII. The MkII was launched in 1961 when siblings Austin A99 and Wolseley 6/99 were upgraded to Austin A110 aqnd Wolseley 6/110. All got a 120bhp engine and handling changes

Vanden-Plas Princess 4-litre R was an amalgamation of the Princess 3-litre (Austin A110) body to the Rolls-Royce 3909cc FB60 engine. Intended to be a “mini Bentley” (Both Rolls-Royce and Bentley versions were prototyped), sales were slow. From 1964 to 1968 only 6500 were sold, but 10% of projection.

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Austin A55 Hearse. This conversion is by Woodall Nicholson.

Austin A55 Hearse. This conversion is by Woodall Nicholson.

STUDEBAKER – E-M-F – ERSKINE – ROCKNE South Bend Indiana USA 1852 – 1967

 Studebaker

Studebaker Corporation

Badge used in the 1950s and 1960s
Industry	Vehicle manufacture
Founded	February 1852
Founders	Studebaker brothers (pictured below)
Defunct	May 1967
Headquarters	South Bend, Indiana, USA
Products	Automobiles historic wagons, carriages, buses and harness
Parent	Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company

1917 Studebaker logo

Studebaker “turning wheel” badge on cars produced 1912–1934

Studebaker (1852-1967, /ˈst(j)uːdəbeɪkə/ stew-də-bay-kər) was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the military.

Studebaker entered the automotive business in 1902 with electric vehicles and in 1904 with gasoline vehicles, all sold under the name “Studebaker Automobile Company”. Until 1911, its automotive division operated in partnership with the Garford Company of Elyria, Ohio and after 1909 with the E-M-F Company. The first gasoline automobiles to be fully manufactured by Studebaker were marketed in August 1912. Over the next 50 years, the company established an enviable reputation for quality and reliability. After years of financial problems, in 1954 the company merged with luxury carmaker Packard to form Studebaker-Packard Corporation. However, Studebaker’s financial problems were worse than the Packard executives thought. The Packard marque was phased out and the company returned to the Studebaker Corporation name in 1962. The South Bend plant ceased production on December 20, 1963 and the last Studebaker automobile rolled off the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, assembly line on March 16, 1966.

History

1910

19th-century wagonmaker

1912 E-M-F Model 30 Roadster 1912

German forebears

1913

According to the official Studebaker history written by Albert R. Erskine, History of the Studebaker Corporation, South Bend, Indiana, published in 1918, “The ancestors of the Studebaker family first arrived in America at the Port of Philadelphia on September 1, 1736, on the ship Harle, from Rotterdam, Holland, as shown by the original manuscripts now in the Pennsylvania State Library at Harrisburg, and included Peter Studebecker, age 38 years; Clement Studebecker, age 36 years; Henry Studebecker, age 28 years; Anna Margetha Studebecker, age 38 years; Anna Catherine Studebecker, age 28 years. The last part of the name, “becker,” was afterwards changed to “baker.” The tax list of what was then Huntington Township, York County, Pennsylvania, in 1798-9, showed among the taxable were Peter Studebaker, Sr., and Peter Studebaker, Jr., wagon-makers, which trade later became the foundation of the family fortune and the corporation which now bears the name.

1916 Studebaker SF Tourer

In Albert Russel Erskine‘s official history, John Studebaker, father of the five brothers, born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, was the son of Peter Studebaker. Anyone with interest can view the pages of Erskin 1918 annual report on Bakers Lookout exhibit page for Albert R. Erskine.

1916 Studebaker 16 pass. winnipeg Buses

In any event, John Studebaker (1799–1877) moved to Ohio in 1835 with his wife Rebecca (née Mohler) (1802–1887)—and taught his five sons to make wagons. They all went into that business as it grew to gigantic proportions with the country.

The five brothers

The five Studebaker brothers—founders of the Studebaker Corporation. Left to right, (standing) Peter and Jacob; (seated) Clem, Henry, and John M.

1916-studebaker-speedster

The five sons were, in order of birth: Henry (1826–1895), Clement (1831–1901), John Mohler (1833–1917), Peter Everst (1836–1897) and Jacob Franklin (1844–1887). The boys had five sisters. Photographs of the brothers and their parents are reproduced in the 1918 company history, which was written by Erskine after he became president, in memory of John M., whose portrait appears on the front cover.

South Bend operation

1916-studebaker-touring

Clement and Henry Studebaker, Jr., became blacksmiths and foundrymen in South Bend, Indiana, in February 1852. They first made metal parts for freight wagons and later expanded into the manufacture of complete wagons. At this time, John M. was making wheelbarrows in Placerville,California. The site of his business is California Historic Landmark #142.

1916

The first major expansion in Henry and Clem’s South Bend business came from their being in the right place to meet the needs of the California Gold Rush that began in 1849.

1918 Studebaker Ambulance by Armstrong & Hotson emergency

1918-studebaker-rhtcbus

From his wheelbarrow enterprise at Placerville, John M. had amassed $8,000. In April 1858, he quit and moved out to apply this to financing the vehicle manufacturing of H & C Studebaker, which was already booming because of a big order to build wagons for the US Army. In 1857, they had also built their first carriage—”Fancy, hand-worked iron trim, the kind of courting buggy any boy and girl would be proud to be seen in”.

1919

1919 Studebaker WECo 16 seats Winnipeg

That was when John M. bought out Henry’s share of the business. Henry was deeply religious and had qualms about building military equipment. The Studebakers were Dunkard Brethren, conservative German Baptists, a religion that viewed war as evil. Longstreet’s official company history simply says “Henry was tired of the business. He wanted to farm. The risks of expanding were not for him”. Expansion continued from manufacture of wagons for westward migration as well as for farming and general transportation. During the height of westward migration and wagon train pioneering, half of the wagons used were Studebakers. They made about a quarter of them, and manufactured the metal fittings for other builders in Missouri for another quarter-century.

1920

The fourth brother, Peter E, was running a successful general store at Goshen which was expanded in 1860 to include a wagon distribution outlet. A major leap forward came from supplying wagons for the Union Army in the Civil War (1861–65). By 1868, annual sales had reached $350,000. That year, the three older brothers formed the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company—Clem (president), Peter (secretary), and John M. (treasurer). By this time the factory had a spur line to the Lake Shore railroad and, with the Union Pacific Railroad finished, most wagons were now dispatched by rail and steamship.

1920 NL

World’s largest vehicle house

Studebaker wagon hauled by eight Budweiser Clydesdales in Wisconsin, 2009

In 1875, the youngest brother, 30-year-old Jacob, was brought into the company to take charge of the carriage factory, making sulkies and five-glass landaus. Following a great fire in 1874 which destroyed two-thirds of the entire works, they had rebuilt in solid brick, covering 20 acres (81,000 m²) and were now “The largest vehicle house in the world”.^[8]:p.43 Customers could choose from Studebaker sulkies, broughams, clarences,phaetons, runabouts, victorias, and tandems. For $20,000 there was a four-in-hand for up to a dozen passengers, with red wheels, gold-plated lamps and yellow trim.

1922

In the 1880s, roads started to be surfaced with tar, gravel, and wooden blocks. In 1884, when times were hard, Jacob opened a carriage sales and service operation in a fine new Studebaker Building on Michigan Avenue, Chicago. The two granite columns at the main entrance, 3 feet 8 inches (1.12 m) in diameter and 12 feet 10 inches (3.91 m) high, were said to be the largest polished monolithic shafts in the country. Three years later in 1887, Jacob died—the first death among the brothers.

1923 Studebaker van Maessen NL

In 1889, incoming President Harrison ordered a full set of Studebaker carriages and harnesses for the White House. The only issue was that the harness fell apart during a ride and all of the horses escaped. As the twentieth century approached, the South Bend plant “covered nearly 100 acres (0.40 km²) with 20 big boilers, 16 dynamos, 16 large stationary engines, 1000 pulleys, 600 wood- and iron-working machines, 7 miles (11 km) of belting, dozens of steam pumps, and 500 arc and incandescent lamps making white light over all”.

1924 Studebaker Ambulance-Hearse-Policecar

1924 Studebaker Buses in Wassenaar Holland

1924 Studebaker bus Gotfredson

The worldwide economic depression of 1893 caused a dramatic pause in sales and the plant closed down for five weeks, but industrial relations were good and the organized workforce declared faith in their employer.

1925-studebaker-bender-buses

1925-studebaker-bus

1925-studebaker-bus-catalog-08

1925-studebaker-bus

1925-studebaker-van-kerckhoffs-die-is-ingebracht-in-de-vad-central 1 NL

1925 Studebaker Police Paddy Wagon.

The impressive wagons pulled by the Budweiser Clydesdales are Studebaker wagons modified to carry beer, originally manufactured circa 1900.

Family association continues

The five brothers died between 1887 and 1917 (John Mohler was the last to die). Their sons and sons-in-law remained active in the management, most notably lawyer Fred Fish after his marriage to John M’s daughter Grace in 1891. Col. George M Studebaker, Clement Studebaker Jr, J M Studebaker Jr, and [Fred Sr’s son] Frederick Studebaker Fish served apprenticeships in different departments and rose to important official positions, with membership on the board. Erskine adds sons-in-law Nelson J Riley, Charles A Carlisle, H D Johnson, and William R Innis.

1926 Studebaker Hearse

1926-studebaker-six-duplex-phaeton

1926-studebaker-bus-middle-in-manitoba

1926-studebaker-camperbus-ad-mbldg-forum © Richard Zuinn

1926 Studebaker Carr. Pennock The Hague The Netherlands

1926-studebaker-six-duplex-phaeton

Studebaker automobiles 1897–1911

In the beginning

In 1895, John M. Studebaker’s son-in-law Fred Fish urged for development of ‘a practical horseless carriage’. When, on Peter Studebaker’s death, Fish became chairman of the executive committee in 1897, the firm had an engineer working on a motor vehicle. At first, Studebaker opted for electric (battery-powered) over gasoline propulsion. While manufacturing its own Studebaker Electric vehicles from 1902 to 1911, the company entered into body-manufacturing and distribution agreements with two makers of gasoline-powered vehicles, Garford of Elyria, Ohio, and the Everitt-Metzger-Flanders (E-M-F) Company of Detroit and Walkerville, Ontario). Studebaker began making gasoline-engined cars in partnership with Garford in 1904.

Garford

1908 Studebaker-Garford B limousine

1912 Studebaker bus

Under the agreement with Studebaker, Garford would receive completed chassis and drivetrains from Ohio and then mate them with Studebaker-built bodies, which were sold under the Studebaker-Garford brand name at premium prices. Eventually, vehicles with Garford-built engines began to carry the Studebaker name. Garford also built cars under its own name and, by 1907, attempted to increase production at the expense of Studebaker. Once the Studebakers discovered this, John Mohler Studebaker enforced a primacy clause, forcing Garford back on to the scheduled production quotas. The decision to drop the Garford was made and the final product rolled off the assembly line by 1911, leaving Garford alone until it was acquired by John North Willys in 1913.

E-M-F

Studebaker’s agreement with the E-M-F Company, made in September 1908 was a different relationship, one John Studebaker had hoped would give Studebaker a quality product without the entanglements found in the Garford relationship, but this was not to be. Under the terms of the agreement, E-M-F would manufacture vehicles and Studebaker would distribute them exclusively through its wagon dealers.

E-M-F 1909

The E-M-F gasoline-powered cars proved disastrously unreliable, causing wags to say that E-M-F stood for Every Morning Fix-it, Easy Mark’s Favorite, and the like. Compounding the problems was the infighting between E-M-F’s principal partners, Everitt, Flanders, and Metzger. Eventually in mid-1909, Everitt and Metzger left to start a new enterprise. Flanders also quit and joined them in 1912 but the Metzger Motor Car Co could not be saved from failure by renaming it the Flanders Motor Company.

E-M-F 1910

E-M-F 1911

Studebaker’s president, Fred Fish, had purchased one-third of the E-M-F stock in 1908 and followed up by acquiring all the remainder from J. P. Morgan in 1910 and buying E-M-F’s manufacturing plants at Walkerville, Ontario, Canada, and across the river in Detroit.

E-M-F 1912

Studebaker marque established in 1911

In 1910, it was decided to refinance and incorporate as the Studebaker Corporation, which was concluded on 14 February 1911 under New Jersey laws. The company discontinued making electric vehicles that same year. The financing was handled by Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs who provided board representatives including Henry Goldman whose contribution was especially esteemed.

1927

After taking over E-M-F’s facilities, Studebaker sought to remedy the customer dissatisfaction by paying mechanics to visit each disgruntled owner and replace defective parts in their vehicles, at a total cost of US$1 million. The worst problem was rear-axle failure. Hendry comments that the frenzied testing resulted in Studebaker’s aim to design ‘for life’—and the consequent emergence of “a series of really rugged cars… the famous Big and Special Sixes”. From that time, Studebaker’s own marque was put on all new automobiles produced at the former E-M-F facilities as an assurance that the vehicles were well built.

Engineering advances from WWI

The corporation benefited from enormous orders cabled by the British government at the outbreak of World War I. They included 3,000 transport wagons, 20,000 sets of artillery harness, 60,000 artillery saddles, and ambulances, as well as hundreds of cars purchased through the London office. Similar orders were received from the governments of France and Russia.

1928

The 1913 six-cylinder models were the first cars to employ the important advancement of monobloc engine casting which became associated with a production-economy drive in the years of the war. At that time, a 28-year-old university graduate engineer, Fred M. Zeder, was appointed chief engineer. He was the first of a trio of brilliant technicians, with Owen R. Skelton and Carl Breer, who launched the successful 1918 models, and were known as “The Three Musketeers“. They left in 1920 to form a consultancy, later to become the nucleus of Chrysler Engineering. The replacement chief engineer was Guy P. Henry, who introduced molybdenum steel, an improved clutch design, and presided over the six-cylinders-only policy favored by new president Albert Russel Erskine who replaced Fred Fish in July 1915.

End of horse-drawn era

John M. Studebaker had always viewed the automobile as complementary to the horse-drawn wagon, pointing out that the expense of maintaining a car might be beyond the resources of a small farmer. In 1918, when Erskine’s history of the firm was published, the annual capacity of the seven Studebaker plants was 100,000 automobiles, 75,000 horse-drawn vehicles, and about $10,000,000 worth of automobile and vehicle spare parts and harness.

1929

In the preceding seven years, 466,962 horse-drawn vehicles had been sold, as against 277,035 automobiles, but the trend was all too clear. The regular manufacture of horse-drawn vehicles ended when Erskine ordered removal of the last wagon gear in 1919. To its range of cars, Studebaker would now add a truck line to replace the horse-drawn wagons. Buses, fire engines, and even small rail locomotive-kits were produced using the same powerful six-cylinder engines.

First auto proving ground

In 1925, the corporation’s most successful distributor and dealer Paul G. Hoffman came to South Bend as vice-president in charge of sales. In 1926, Studebaker became the first automobile manufacturer in the United States to open a controlled outdoor proving ground on which, in 1937, would be planted 5,000 pine trees in a pattern that spelled “STUDEBAKER” when viewed from the air. Also in 1926, the last of the Detroit plant was moved to South Bend under the control of Harold S Vance, vice-president in charge of production and engineering.

1930

That year, a new small car, the Erskine Six was launched in Paris, resulting in 26,000 sales abroad and many more in America. By 1929, the sales list had been expanded to 50 models and business was so good that 90 per cent of earnings were being paid out as dividends to shareholders in a highly competitive environment. However, the end of that year ushered in the Great Depression that saw many layoffs and massive national unemployment for several years.

Facilities in the 1920s

Studebaker’s total plant area was 225 acres (0.91 km²), spread over three locations, with buildings occupying seven-and-a-half million square feet of floor space. Annual production capacity was 180,000 cars, requiring 23,000 employees.

The original South Bend vehicle plant continued to be used for small forgings, springs, and making some body parts. Separate buildings totaling over one million square feet were added in 1922–23 for the Light, Special, and Big Six models. At any one time, 5,200 bodies were in process. South Bend’s Plant 2 made chassis for the Light Six and had a foundry of 575,000 sq ft (53,400 m²), producing 600 tons of castings daily.

1931

Plant 3 at Detroit made complete chassis for Special and Big Six models in over 750,000 sq ft (70,000 m²) of floor space. Plant 5 was the service parts store and shipping facility, plus the executive offices of various technical departments. All of the Detroit facilities were moved to South Bend in 1926.

Plant 7 was at Walkerville, Canada, where complete cars were assembled from South Bend, Detroit, and locally-made components for the Canadian and British Empire (right-hand-drive) trade. By locating it there, Studebaker could advertise the cars as “British-built” and qualify for reduced tariffs. This manufacturing facility had been acquired from E-M-F in 1910 (see above). By 1929, it had been the subject of $1.25 million investment and was providing employment that supported 500 families.

Impact of the 1930s depression

Few industrialists were prepared for the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. Though Studebaker’s production and sales had been booming, the market collapsed and plans were laid for a new, small, low-cost car—the Rockne. However, times were too bad to sell even inexpensive cars. Within a year, the firm was cutting wages and laying off workers, but not quickly enough. Erskine maintained faith in the Rockne and rashly had the directors declare huge dividends in 1930 and 1931. He also acquired 95% of the White Motor Company‘s stock at an inflated price and in cash. By 1933, the banks were owed $6 million, though current assets exceeded that figure. Instead of reorganizing in receivership, Albert R. Erskine committed suicide, leaving it to successors Harold Vance and Paul Hoffman to deal with the problems.

1932

© Ken Goudy Collection

By December 1933, the company was back in profit with $5.75 million working capital and 224 new Studebaker dealers. With the substantial aid of Lehman Brothers, full refinancing and reorganization was achieved on March 9, 1935. A new car was put on the drawing boards under chief engineer Delmar “Barney” Roos—the Champion. Its final styling was designed byVirgil Exner and Raymond Loewy. The Champion doubled the company’s previous-year sales when it was introduced in 1939.

World War II

From the 1920s to the 1930s, the South Bend company had originated many style and engineering milestones, including the Light Four, Light Six,Special Six, Big Six models, the record-breaking Commander and President, followed by the 1939 Champion. During World War II, Studebaker produced the Studebaker US6 truck in great quantity and the unique M29 Weasel cargo and personnel carrier.

1933

© Ken Goudy Collection

© Ken Goudy Collection

© Ken Goudy Collection

Studebaker ranked 28th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. After cessation of hostilities, Studebaker returned to building automobiles that appealed to average Americans.

Post-WWII styling

1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner, showing the streamlined design of the 1950s Studebaker

1934

Studebaker prepared well in advance for the anticipated post-war market and launched the slogan First by far with a post-war car. This advertising premise was substantiated by Virgil Exner‘s designs, notably the 1947 Studebaker Starlight coupé, which introduced innovative styling features that influenced later cars, including the flatback “trunk” instead of the tapered look of the time, and a wrap-around rear window. Exner’s concepts were spread through a line of models like the 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlight coupe The new trunk design prompted a running joke that one could not tell if the car was coming or going.

Hamilton, Ontario plant

See also: Studebaker Canada Ltd.

On August 18, 1948, surrounded by more than 400 employees and a battery of reporters, the first vehicle, a blue Champion four-door sedan, rolled off of the Studebaker assembly line in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1935

The company was located in the former Otis-Fenson military weapons factory offBurlington Street on Victoria Avenue North, which was built in 1941. Having previously operated its British Empire export assembly plant at Walkerville, Ontario, Studebaker settled on Hamilton as a post-war Canadian manufacturing site because of the city’s centrality to the Canadian steel industry.

Industry price war brings on crisis

Studebaker’s strong post-war management team including president Paul G Hoffman and Roy Cole (vice-president, engineering) had gone by 1949 and was replaced by more cautious executives who failed to meet the competitive challenge brought on by Henry Ford II and his Whiz Kids.

1936

© Ken Goudy Collection

Massive discounting in a price war between Ford and General Motors could not be equalled by the independent carmakers, for whom the only hope was seen as a merger of Studebaker, Packard, Hudson, and Nash into a third giant combine. This had been unsuccessfully attempted by George W. Mason. In this scheme, Studebaker had the disadvantage that its South Bend location would make centralization difficult. Its labor costs were also the highest in the industry.

Merger with Packard

Ballooning labor costs (the company had never had an official United Auto Workers [UAW] strike and Studebaker workers and retirees were among the highest paid in the industry), quality control issues, and the new-car sales war between Ford and General Motors in the early 1950s wreaked havoc on Studebaker’s balance sheet. Professional financial managers stressed short-term earnings rather than long-term vision. There was enough momentum to keep going for another ten years, but stiff competition and price-cutting by the Big Three doomed the enterprise.

1937

From 1950, Studebaker declined rapidly and, by 1954, was losing money. It negotiated a strategic takeover by Packard, a smaller but less financially troubled car manufacturer. However, the cash position was worse than it had led Packard to believe and, by 1956, the company (renamed Studebaker-Packard Corporation and under the guidance of CEO James J. Nance) was nearly bankrupt, though it continued to make and market both Studebaker and Packard cars until 1958. The “Packard” element was retained until 1962, when the name reverted to “Studebaker Corporation”.

Contract with Curtiss-Wright

A three-year management contract was made by Nance with aircraft maker Curtiss-Wright in 1956 with the aim of improving finances. C-W’s president, Roy T. Hurley, attempted to cure Studebaker’s ruinously lax employment policies. Under C-W’s guidance, Studebaker-Packard also sold the old Detroit Packard plant and returned the then-new Packard plant to its lessor, Chrysler.

1938

The company became the American importer for Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, and DKW automobiles and many Studebaker dealers sold those brands as well. C-W gained the use of idle car plants and tax relief on their aircraft profits while Studebaker-Packard received further working capital to continue car production.

Last automobiles produced

The automobiles that came after the diversification process began, including the redesigned compact Lark (1959) and the Avanti sports car (1962), were based on old chassis and engine designs. The Lark, in particular, was based on existing parts to the degree that it even utilized the central body section of the company’s 1953–58 cars, but was a clever enough design to be popular in its first year, selling over 130,000 units and delivering a $28.6 million profit to the automaker. “S-P rose from 56,920 units in 1958 to 153,844 in 1959.”

1939

However, Lark sales began to drop precipitously after the big three manufacturers introduced their own compact models in 1960, and the situation became critical once the so-called “senior compacts” debuted for 1961. The Lark had provided a temporary reprieve, but nothing proved enough to stop the financial bleeding.

1940

There was a labor strike at the South Bend plant starting on January 1, 1962 and lasting 38 days. The strike came to an end after an agreement was reached between company president Sherwood H. Egbert and Walter P. Reuther, president of the UAW. Despite a sales uptick in 1962, continuing media reports that Studebaker was about to leave the auto business became a self-fulfilling prophecy as buyers shied away from the company’s products for fear of being stuck with an “orphan”. NBC reporter Chet Huntley made a television program called “Studebaker—Fight for Survival” which aired on May 18, 1962. By 1963, all of the company’s automobiles and trucks were selling poorly.

Exit from auto business

Closure of South Bend plant, 1963

1941

After insufficient initial sales of the 1964 models and the ousting of president Sherwood Egbert, the company announced the closure of the South Bend plant on December 9, 1963, and produced its last car in South Bend on December 20. The engine foundry remained open to supply the Canadian plant until the end of the 1964 model year, after which it was also shuttered. The Avanti model name, tooling, and plant space were sold off to Leo Newman and Nate Altman, a longtime South Bend Studebaker-Packard dealership. They revived the car in 1965 under the brand name “Avanti II”. (See main article Avanti cars (non-Studebaker).) They likewise purchased the rights and tooling for Studebaker’s trucks, along with the company’s vast stock of parts and accessories. Trucks ceased to be built after Studebaker fulfilled its remaining orders in early 1964. There were some ‘1965’ model Champ trucks built in South America using CKD parts ( completely knocked down ). These models used a different grill than all previous Champ models.

Closure of Hamilton plant, 1966

1966 Cruiser four-door sedan, the last Studebaker manufactured

Limited automotive production was consolidated at the company’s last remaining production facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which had always been profitable and where Studebaker produced cars until March 1966 under the leadership of Gordon Grundy. It was projected that the Canadian operation could break even on production of about 20,000 cars a year, and Studebaker’s announced goal was 30,000–40,000 1965 models. While 1965 production was just shy of the 20,000 figure, the company’s directors felt that the small profits were not enough to justify continued investment. Rejecting Grundy’s request for funds to tool up for 1967 models, Studebaker left the automobile business on March 16, 1966 after an announcement on March 4. A turquoise and white Cruiser sedan was the last of fewer than 9,000 1966 models manufactured. In reality, the move to Canada had been a tactic by which production could be slowly wound down and remaining dealer franchise obligations honored. Final 1966 cars used Chevrolet engines and drivetrains when Studebaker drivetrains were no longer available.

1942

The closure adversely affected not only the plant’s 700 employees, who had developed a sense of collegiality around group benefits such as employee parties and day trips, but the city of Hamilton as a whole; Studebaker had been Hamilton’s tenth largest employer.

Network and other assets

Many of Studebaker’s dealers either closed, took on other automakers’ product lines, or converted to Mercedes-Benz dealerships following the closure of the Canadian plant. Studebaker’s General Products Division, which built vehicles to fulfill defense contracts, was acquired by Kaiser Industries, which built military and postal vehicles in South Bend. In 1970, American Motors(AMC) purchased the division, which still exists today as AM General.

1943

The grove of 5,000 trees planted on the proving grounds in 1937, spelling out the Studebaker name, still stands and has proven to be a popular topic on such satellite photography sites as Google Earth. The proving grounds were acquired by Bendix in 1966 and Bosch in 1996. After Bosch closed its South Bend operation in 2011, a part of the proving ground was retained and, as of April 2013, has been restored to use under the name “New Carlisle Test Facility”. For many years a rumor persisted of a Studebaker grave yard. The rumor was later confirmed to be fact when the remains of many Studebaker prototype automobiles and a few trucks were discovered at a remote site within the confines of the former Studebaker proving grounds. A few of the prototypes were rescued and are in private collections. The only example of a never-produced wood-sided Champion station wagon has been restored and is on display at the Studebaker National Museum. Unfortunately, most of the prototypes were left to rot in direct contact with the ground and full exposure to the weather and falling trees. Attempts to remove some of these rusting bodies resulted in the bodies crumbling under their own weight as they were moved, so now they exist only in photographs.

1944

In May 1967, Studebaker and its diversified units were merged with Wagner Electric. In November 1967, Studebaker was merged with the Worthington Corporation to form Studebaker-Worthington Inc., a Delaware corporation. The Studebaker name disappeared from the American business scene in 1979, when McGraw-Edison acquired Studebaker-Worthington, except for the still existing Studebaker Leasing, based in Jericho, NY. McGraw-Edison was itself purchased in 1985 by Cooper Industries, which sold off its auto-parts divisions to Federal-Mogul some years later. As detailed above, some vehicles were assembled from left-over parts and identified as Studebakers by the purchasers of the Avanti brand and surplus material from Studebaker at South Bend. (See article Avanti (car) (non-Studebaker).)

1945

Now the Studebaker company continues with their current prodigal son Michael Studebaker who resides in Hawaii

Diversified activities

By the early 1960s, Studebaker had begun to diversify away from automobiles. Numerous companies were purchased, bringing Studebaker into such diverse fields as the manufacture of tire studs and missile components.

1946

The company’s 1963 annual report listed the following divisions:

• Clarke – Floor Machine Division, Muskegon, Michigan
• CTL – Missile/Space Technology Division, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Franklin – Appliance Division, Minneapolis, Minnesota (home office; other locations also in Minnesota, Iowa, and Ontario). Manufactured private label kitchen and laundry appliances for major retailers until sold to White Consolidated Industries.
• Gravely Tractor – Tractors Division, Dunbar, West Virginia, and Albany, Georgia
• International – South Bend, Indiana (handled business matters for all divisions doing business overseas)
• Onan – Engine/Generator Division, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Paxton Automotive – automobile superchargers
• STP – Scientifically Treated Products Division, Des Plaines, Illinois, and Santa Monica, California. Produced automotive engine additives.
• Schaefer – Commercial Refrigeration Division, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Aberdeen, Maryland
• Studebaker of Canada – Automotive Manufacturing, Hamilton, Ontario
• SASCO – Studebaker Automotive Sales Corp., South Bend, Indiana.
• Studegrip – Tire Stud Division, South Bend, Indiana, Jefferson, Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Trans International Airlines – founded by Kirk Kerkorian

Having built the Wright R-1820 under license during World War II, Studebaker also attempted to build what would perhaps have been the largest aircraft piston engine ever built. With 24 cylinders in an “H” configuration, a bore of 8 in (203 mm) and stroke of 7.75 in (197 mm), displacement would have been 9,349 cubic inches (153.20 L), hence the H-9350 designation. It was not completed.

1947

The impressive wagons pulled by the Budweiser Clydesdales are Studebaker wagons modified to carry beer, originally manufactured circa 1900.

1948

Products

See also List of Studebaker vehicles

Studebaker National Museum

Studebaker automobile models

• Studebaker Electric (1902–1912)
• Studebaker-Garford (1904–1911)
• Studebaker Six monobloc-engine models (1911–1918)
• Studebaker Light Four (1918–1920)
• Studebaker Big Six (1918–1927)
• Studebaker Special Six (1918–1927)
• Studebaker Light Six (includes Standard Six model) (1918–1927)
• Studebaker Commander (1927–35, 1937–58, 1964–66)
• Studebaker President (1928–42, 1955–58)
• Studebaker Dictator/Director (1927–37)
• Studebaker Champion (1939–58)
• Studebaker Land Cruiser (1934–54)
• Studebaker Conestoga (1954–55)
• Studebaker Speedster (1955)
• Studebaker Scotsman (1957–58)
• Hawk series:
  • Studebaker Golden Hawk (1956–58)
  • Studebaker Silver Hawk (1957–59)
  • Studebaker Sky Hawk (1956)
  • Studebaker Flight Hawk (1956)
  • Studebaker Power Hawk (1956)
  • Studebaker Hawk (1960–61)
  • Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (1962–64)
• Studebaker Lark (1959–1966) (Includes the Lark-based 1964–66 Cruiser, Daytona, Commander, and Challenger)
• Studebaker Avanti (1962–64)
• Studebaker Wagonaire (1963–66)

1949

Studebaker trucks

• Studebaker Coupe Express (1937–1939)
• Studebaker US6 (1941–1945)
• Studebaker M29 Weasel (1942–1945)
• Studebaker 2R Series (1949–1953)
• Studebaker 3R Series (1954)
• Studebaker E Series Truck (1955-1964)
• Studebaker Transtar (1956–1958, 1960-1964)
• Studebaker Champ (1960–1964)
• Studebaker M series (1940–1948)
• M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck (early 1950s)

1950

Studebaker body styles

• Studebaker Starlight (1947–55, 1958)
• Starliner
• Coupe Express

1951

Affiliated automobile marques

• Tincher: An early independent builder of luxury cars financed by Studebaker investment, 1903–1909
• Studebaker-Garford: Studebaker-bodied cars, 1904–1911
• E-M-F: Independent auto manufacturer that marketed cars through Studebaker wagon dealers, 1909–1912
• Erskine: Brand of automobile produced by Studebaker, 1926–1930
• Pierce-Arrow: owned by Studebaker 1928–1933
• Rockne: Brand of automobile produced by Studebaker, 1932–1933
• Packard: 1954 merger partner of Studebaker
• Mercedes-Benz: Distributed through Studebaker dealers, 1958–1966

1952

See also

• Automotive industry
• Charles Brady King
• List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
• South Bend Watch Company (maker of Studebaker watches)
• Studebaker Canada Ltd.
• Studebaker National Museum
• Story Monument
• The Three Musketeers (Studebaker engineers)
• Tippecanoe Place

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

Then it was suddenly over for Studebaker 

Erskine (automobile)

1927 Erskine 50 Regal Sedan

 Erskine Model 50 Touring 1927

1927 Erskine-50-Custom-Coupe

1927 Erskine-50-Sport-Roadster

1927 Erskine-50-Touring-Car

1927 Erskine-Custom-Coupe

1927 Erskine-Custom-Sedan

The Erskine was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, USA, from 1926 to 1930. The marque was named after Albert Russel Erskine (1871–1933), Studebaker’s president at the time.

Erskine Model 51 Sedan 1928

1928 Erskine

During his term as president, Erskine encouraged Studebaker engineers to develop advanced engines. As a result, the company achieved numerous racing wins and a bigger share of the upper-price market. This left Studebaker without an entry level automobile in the United States, and Erskine, who had always been fascinated by smaller European vehicles, saw market potential in a short-wheel-base compact car, especially if it could expand Studebaker’s presence in the European market. The Erskine Six was therefore first launched in Paris.

Erskine ad 1929

1929 Erskine-Royal-Sedan

When introduced in time for the American 1927 model year, the car was named after its creator, and marketed as The Little Aristocrat. To make the Erskine affordable, Studebaker fitted the cars with six-cylinder Continental engines rather than the more advanced Studebaker units and priced the cars at $995. Body design was by Ray Dietrich; the design proved to be quite a head-turner, and received numerous accolades from the British and French press. Initially, sales demand was promising. However, within a year Ford introduced its Model A and priced it at $525, undercutting the Erskine by $470.

1930 Erskine Regal Sedan

To remedy this, Studebaker marketing suggested that the Erskine become a larger car which, when implemented, grew the wheelbase from 108 in (2,743 mm) to 114 in (2,896 mm). The Erskine was no longer small, and became more like its Studebaker brethren. Ultimately, the Erskine was absorbed into Studebaker by May 1930. A little over a year later, Studebaker would try again with the 1931 Rockne brand automobile.

To his credit, Albert Russel Erskine successfully strengthened Studebaker’s core automobile business and helped to guide the corporation toward technical advancements that eventually would help the company through the first few years of the depression.

However Erskine also encouraged the payment of stockholder dividends from Studebaker’s capital reserves as the depression deepened; this inflated the value of the stock, and eventually weakened the company. In addition to the two failed marques he created (Rockne and Erskine), Erskine also had purchased luxury car maker Pierce-Arrow during the high rolling 1920s, which had to be sold off to investors as a means of improving cash flow.

1930 Erskine ad

Faced with loss of control of Studebaker, Albert Russel Erskine committed suicide in 1933 on the Studebaker proving grounds (now Bendix Woods Park) outside of South Bend, Indiana.

Production totals (model year) for Erskine

• 1927, 24,893 units
• 1928, 22,275 units
• 1929, 25,565 units
• 1930, 22,371 units

Rockne

A Studebaker Rockne at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana

The Rockne was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1932-1933. The brand was named for University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.

Discussions between Studebaker and Knute Rockne began in 1928. Rockne was offered a high-visibility job by Studebaker president Albert Erskine. Studebaker planned for a durable, inexpensive car. The Rockne would replace the slow-selling, unduly expensive Erskine car.

There were two prototypes that some would consider 1931 Rocknes. In 1930, Ralph Vail and Roy Cole operated an engineering/consulting firm in Detroit. Willys-Overland commissioned them to design a new small six and build two prototypes. Upon presenting the two vehicles to W-O the independent designers/engineers where told W-O was on the verge of bankruptcy and they could do what they wanted with the cars, one a sedan, one a coupe. Vail stopped in South Bend and demonstrated the car to Albert Erskine. Erskine bought the design that day and both Vail and Cole would be brought into the Studebaker organization. The Rockne moniker was a later adoption so, technically, there were no 1931 Rocknes.

On March 31, 1931, 12 days after being appointed manager of sales promotion, Knute Rockne was killed in an airplane crash. In September, 1931, George M. Graham, formerly of Willys-Overland, was named sales manager of the new Rockne Motor Corporation. Two models were approved for production, the “65” on 110 in (2,800 mm) wheelbase and the “75” on a 114 in (2,900 mm) wheelbase. The “75” was based on the Studebaker Six, while the “65” was based on designs by Vail and Cole, the two engineers under contract for Willys-Overland. The “75” was designed under Studebaker’s head of engineering, Delmar “Barney” Roos.

Production of the Rockne “75” began at South Bend on December 15, 1931. The smaller “65” went into production at the old E-M-F plant on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, February 22, 1932. This was the same plant at which the 1927 and 1928 Erskine models had been built. The Rockne also went into production at Studebaker’s Canadian plant at Walkerville, Ontario, near Windsor.

The 1933 Rockne line was reduced to one line, the “10”. The Rockne “10” was an update of the “65”. When Studebaker went into receivership on March 18, 1933, it was decided to move production of the Rockne to the Studebaker plant in South Bend. The Rockne “10” was built in South Bend from April through July, 1933.

The Rockne “65/10” engine would replace all the six-cylinder Studebaker car engines then in production and power Studebaker cars and trucks through 1961.

Although the Rockne was not a success, its failure was a product of the times. The year 1932 was the bottom of the depression, not a good time to introduce a new name. Leftover Rocknes were sent to Norway in kits, where they were reassembled and sold.

Studebakers without Date

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Buses and Traincars SCEMIA from 1918-1958 France

SCEMIA

Société de construction et d’entretien de matériel industriel et agricole

Publicité de la firme.

 Automotrice Renault Scemia

 Automotrice Scemia des chemins de fer des Côtes du Nord

La Société de construction et d’entretien de matériel industriel et agricole (Scemia) a construit du matériel industriel et agricole depuis 1918, jusqu’à 1958. Elle s’est aussi spécialisée dans les véhicules de transport en commun.

À l’origine de la société se trouve monsieur André Mariage administrateur de la STCRP. Son siège se trouvait 32, rue Championnet, à Paris dans le 18^earrondissement, puis 3 rue Tronchet dans le 8^e arrondissement puis 67 rue Arago à Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine)

Histoire

La Scemia commence son activité en 1918, par la construction des tracteurs agricoles Universel, sous licence anglaise comme suite à un accord établi avec la firme Saunderson. Cette production est abandonnée en 1921.

La Scemia oriente son activité après cette date vers la construction de véhicules routiers et ferroviaires en association avec Schneider puis Renault en 1923.

La Production

• Tracteurs agricoles:
• Véhicules ferroviaires
• Carrosseries d’autobus
• Carrosserie de véhicules utilitaires

Le site de production se trouvait à Villetaneuse.

Notes et références

1. ↑ (en) Fiche sur la société Scemia, sur steel-wheels.net. Consulté le 4 avril 2013.
2. ↑ http://www.renaultoloog.nl/bussen-francais.htm 

PENNOCK ‘s Gravenhage The Netherlands 1886 – 1954

Pennock

Pennock was een Nederlandse fabrikant van rollend materieel en carrosseriebouwer, gevestigd in Den Haag van 1886 tot 1954. De fabriek was gevestigd aan het Bleijenburg, later aan de Binckhorstlaan en nog later aan de Weteringkade.

Geschiedenis

Voorgeschiedenis

Zadelmaker Johannes Boon had een bedrijf in Rijswijk (Zuid-Holland). Hij fabriceerde hier ook koffers en rijtuigen. Hij overleed in 1877. Zijn weduwe zette de zaak voort en nam Johannes Jacobus Pennock Lzn. (geb. 4 augustus 1849 te Dordrecht) in dienst, van beroep rijtuig- en zadelmaker. Deze kreeg de technische leiding. Het bedrijf heette daarna de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Fabriek van Rijtuigen en Tramwegrijtuigen J. Boon (KNFRT) en ging voortaan ook paardentramrijtuigen bouwen. In 1883 werd het bedrijf omgezet in een naamloze vennootschap onder de naam Nederlandsche Fabriek van Rijtuigen en Tramwegrijtuigen (NFRT). Dit bedrijf kreeg twee directeuren: Pennock en Haije, maar in 1884 verliet Pennock het bedrijf en werd Haije tot enige directeur benoemd. Pennock verhuisde naar Den Haag en verbond zich aan de rijtuigfabriek van Jacob van den Bergh aan het Bleijenburg, die hij in 1886 onder eigen naam voortzette. De NFRT ging eind 1886 in liquidatie, maar Pennock ging in Den Haag ook stoomtramrijtuigen bouwen.

Pennock

Pennock bouwde carrosserieën voor zowel tramrijtuigen als personenauto‘s, vrachtauto‘s en autobussen. O.a. voor de Haagsche Tramweg-Maatschappij bouwde hij paardentrammaterieel en later autobussen. Aan de Stoomtramweg-Maatschappij Oostelijk Groningen werden veel goederenwagons geleverd en ook bouwde Pennock zeven elektrische trammotorwagens voor de Twentsche Electrische Tramweg Maatschappij.

Pennock heeft rond 1900 een stoomomnibus gebouwd die een half jaar gereden heeft tussen Den Haag en Wassenaar en daarna nog korte tijd rond Papendrecht. De ervaringen met dit voertuig waren niet zodanig dat men hiermee is doorgaan. Ook zou Pennock in diezelfde periode een eigen auto ontwikkeld hebben, maar dat bleek te berusten op een misverstand: deze auto was geregistreerd als Pennock, maar was gebouwd op een chassis van Mors. Personenauto’s werden gebouwd op basis van chassis’ van onder meer Delahaye, Lagonda, Austin, Minerva en Armstrong Siddeley. Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog bouwde Pennock carrosserieën voor de Story (een elektrisch aangedreven wagentje).

Autobussen werden gebouwd op chassis’ van onder meer Scemia en Studebaker. Ondanks de goede ervaringen met de Scemia besloot de HTM in 1926 toch niet over te gaan op nieuw materieel van dit merk, maar over te stappen op het Belgische Minerva. De HTM droeg de levering van de Minerva’s op aan de Amsterdamsche Rijtuig Maatschappij (ARM), die de complete bussen leverde onder eigen naam, maar de bouw van de carrosserieën uitbesteedde aan Pennock.

In later jaren heeft de HTM weer een beroep gedaan op Pennock, toen na de bevrijding bussen moesten worden aangepast en zelfs wrakken herbouwd moesten worden.

In 1949 kreeg op het Scheveningse Concours van Koetswerken een Pennock Healey de prijs voor het beste Nederlandse koetswerk. Pennock leverde in 1952 een Austin Sheerline (Princess)aan het Nederlandse Koninklijk Huis. Men had rond deze tijd al veel moeite het hoofd boven water te houden en in 1954, na het overlijden van de laatste directeur Pennock, werd het bedrijf geliquideerd.

Na de opheffing

In het fabrieksgebouw aan de Weteringkade vestigde zich daarna de bussenbouwer König, die echter met het oorspronkelijke bedrijf Pennock niets te maken had. Wel gebruikte hij materialen en werktuigen van Pennock die tot de overgenomen inboedel van het pand behoorden. Ook nam hij personeel van Pennock in dienst en noemde hij zijn bedrijf aanvankelijk Carrosseriefabriek König v/h Pennock. Al begin jaren zestig werd de fabriek gesloten.

Pennock

Carrosseriefabriek P.J. Pennock & Zonen was established in 1898 in The Hague by Johannes Jacobus Leonarduszoon Pennock. It became one of the largest coachbuilders in the Netherlands. The firm built various coachworks for public transport vehicles and trucks, but also both bespoke bodies for individual clients and series-built styles like convertibles, often on higher-priced chassis from the USA and France. In their haydays they created many beautiful bodies on the chassis of brands like Delahaye, Lagonda, Talbot-Lago, Austin, Minerva and Armstrong Siddeley.

Pennock is especially well known for their ‘un-Dutch’ flamboyant designs on Delahayes. After World War II, the Dutch government encouraged coachbuilding for export, and a number of prestige chassis, especially Delahayes, were imported for that purpose. Delahaye had no in-house coachworks, so all their chassis were bodied by independents, who created some of their most attractive designs on the Type 135. One of them was commissioned by Prince Bernard of The Netherlands. His wife, Queen Juliana had also commissioned a special car, a stretched Austin Sheerline Double Convertible Town Car.

Pennock closed its doors in 1953

Extra INFO // New Information.

De omroep was hard getroffen door de oorlog. Van de 5 reportagewagens  waren er nog 2 over De NCRV wagen had de oorlog overleeft. Verder waren op de Diamond T de antraciet  Gasgenerator gebruikt, waardoor de motoren, de banden en verder ook alles in slechte staat waren. Verder was een wagen door de Nederlandse Omroep  weggegeven voor oorlogs  verslaggeving en is later gebruikt, net als twee andere wagens als vluchtauto op Dolle dinsdag. Wel kreeg de Omroep een Opel Biltz  die door de Duiters was gebruikt bij Stalinggrad en bij de invasie in Normandie. Helaas zijn bij deze acties veel collega’s dood geschoten, waaronder een chauffeur van net 23 jaar.. Na de oorlog was duidelijk dat niet iedere Omroep zijn eigen wagen meer kon hebben. Het was financieel niet haalbaar. De Nederlandsche Radio Unie werd opgericht om studio’s ,wagens en materiaal te beheren . Met veel pijn en moeite kocht de NRU  5 chassis in (1949) Diamond  T –  4 voor de grote omroepen en een voor de Wereld Omroep . Ze werden ingericht als Reportagewagen met opname ter plekke 3 waren voor zien van plaatsnijmachine een een al met Bandrecorder.  Deze werden in 1949 gelanceerd aan Garage Spoorstraat in Hilversum. Ze kregen 4 vaste chauffeurs.  De carrosserie werd gemaakt door Pennock te Den Haag en Technisch werden ze ingericht door de NRU. In 1950 kwamen er door de Marshal hulp nog 4 wagens beschikbaar  als Lijnwagen waren en 6 koffers apparatuur beschikbaar voor live uitzendingen  3 voor de omroepen en 1 voor de WO die een andere kleur had. Gemaakt door de NSF in 1935.  De Carrosserie werd gemaakt door LITH in Rotterdam. Het Chassis was Diamond T  voorzien van grote sticker op de zijkant . Technisch ingericht door de NRU. Ze hebben dienst gedaan tot 1958-1959  met ongeveer 250.000 km op de teller.

1950 Diamond T Reportagewagens van de diverse Omroepen aangesloten bij de NRU. De wagens hadden een carroserie van Lith te Rotterdam

1949 Diamond T Reportagewagen van de NRU voor het AVRO gebouw met carroserie van Pennock ‘s Gravenhage

Met hartelijke dank aan Eric van Dijk voor de toegezonden info.

Buses Bodybuilder KÖNIG The Haque The Netherlands

In de lijst van kleine carrosseriebouwers behoord ook het bedrijf van A.J. König, gevestigd in Den Haag. Het bedrijf heeft bestaan heeft van 4 april 1954 tot in het begin van de jaren ’60. In die korte periode heeft het een pioniersrol gespeeld door moderne productieprocessen en verkoopmethoden. De aanvankelijke bedrijfsnaam Carrosseriefabriek König v/h Pennock heeft men al snel laten vallen.

1954 Baaren van 9 DAF König

Het bedrijf van A.J. König is te beschouwen als de voortzetting van die van twee andere busbouwers, Pennock in Den Haag en Jongerius te Utrecht (beide bedrijven in 1954 geliquideerd). König vestigde zich in het fabriekspand van Pennock aan de Weteringkade in Den Haag en nam van beide bedrijven personeel, materialen en werktuigen over.

1954 Bruyns 20 Ford König

De technische leiding kreeg ir. V.J.J. Zweypfennig. Deze was afkomstig van Jongerius en oorspronkelijk vliegtuigbouwkundige. Hij paste bij de bussenbouw moderne principes toe. Zo werd de buscarrosserie gebouwd uit naadloos getrokken vierkante stalen buizen. De beplating werd niet op het frame geschroefd, maar d.m.v. puntlassen. Gekromde beplating werd niet gebogen, maar m.b.v. een pers van 500 ton voorgevormd. Door de voorfabricage van onderdelen kan men van een vroege vorm van modulaire bouw spreken. Voor sommige onderdelen werd polyester toegepast. Ook experimenteerde Zweypfennig al vroeg met airconditioning. Op het model Atlantic (wat hij bij Jongerius had ontwikkeld) bouwde hij bij König voort.

1954 Habo 7 König Bedford

Ook in commercieel opzicht sloeg König nieuwe wegen in. De eerste bussen rolden in 1955 uit de fabriek. Ze waren besteld door de handelaar Hendriks uit Helmond. Deze liet grote aantallen bussen bouwen en verkocht die vervolgens, onder de naam Hentocar, door aan busbedrijven. Aanvankelijk had hij zijn orders bij Jongerius geplaatst, maar na het faillissement van dat bedrijf werd hij klant bij König. Zijn werkwijze was nieuw voor Nederland, doordat hij gestandaardiseerde bussen liet bouwen. De vervoerders kochten dus een bijna kant-en-klare bus, waaraan zij hun eigen inrichting, kleuren en huisstijl konden geven. Tot dan toe waren bussen altijd op bestelling gebouwd, waarbij voor elke klant in overleg tot een passend ontwerp werd gekomen voordat de bouw kon beginnen. Door de veel goedkopere seriebouw verwierf König zich al direct een sterke concurrentiepositie t.o.v. traditioneel werkende Nederlandse carrosseriebouwers (zoals Smit Appingedam, Medema, Groenewold, Domburg, Van Rooijen en Roset).

1954 KVD 10 Köning Büssing

Niet alleen via Hentocar, maar bedrijven konden ook zelf rechtstreeks bij König bussen “van de toonbank” aanschaffen en daarmee veel geld en tijd besparen. Het ging hierbij vooral om touringcars op chassis van merken als DAF, Bedford, Mercedes-Benz en Volvo. Door de gestandaardiseerde bouw verschilden deze bussen (met type-aanduidingen als Benelux ’56) nauwelijks van elkaar. Dit ongeacht het merk. Ook heeft König kleine aantallen bussen geleverd aan diverse particuliere lijndienstondernemers in het openbaar vervoer. Aan het eind van de jaren ’50 waren er meer dan 300 König-bussen in Nederland. Een relatief groot aantal dat in slechts enkele jaren was bereikt. Verreweg de meeste touringcarbedrijven hadden wel één of meer König-bussen in hun wagenpark. Ook was er een bescheiden exportsucces door de bouw van 15 bussen voor Uruguay.

1954 Lammertink 14 König Daf 1

In de praktijk bleek het König-product tekortkomingen te hebben. Waarschijnlijk gingen de lage prijs en de korte levertijd ten koste van de kwaliteit. Grote problemen met corrosie beperkten de levensduur. Begin 1960 staakte König de bussenbouw. De fabriek is daarna nog enige jaren blijven bestaan en legde zich toe op de bouw van o.a. caravans. De Hentocars voor handelaar Hendriks werden inmiddels vervaardigd door de Belgische bouwer Van Hool.

1958 Bax 6 König Daf

De periode König in de bussenbouw heeft slechts enkele jaren geduurd, maar de productiewijze en de commerciële aanpak van deze fabriek zijn inmiddels algemeen aanvaard.
1954-59 Blok 5 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Blok 6 DAF König

1954-59 Brouwer 7 König Daf

1954-59 Bruyns 22 Scania Vabis König

1954-59 Bruyns 26 König-Daf

1954-59 Dijk W-van 17 König-Daf

1954-59 Dusseldorp 19 König-Scania-Vabis

1954-59 Ebato 25 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Egberts 12 König

1954-59 Egberts 14 König DAF

1954-59 Egberts 17 König

1954-59 Egten-Blok van 6 König Daf

1954-59 Enhabo 43 König

1954-59 Enhabo 44 2 König

1954-59 Enhabo 46 König Scania Vabis

1954-59 ESA 96 DAF König

1954-59 Gerwen van 24 König Daf

1954-59 Groeneveld 97 König Austin

1954-59 GTW-lado 18 König-Daf

1954-59 Haas de 50 Mercedes Benz König

1954-59 Hofstad 4 König-Volvo

1954-59 Hofstad 5 König-Volvo

1954-59 Hotam 23 König-Volvo

1954-59 Huizing 15 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Jansen 17 König-Daf

1954-59 Jong de 77 König-Daf

1954-59 Kemcars 4 König Bedford

1954-59 Kool K 21 König Austin

1954-59 Kras 18 König-Daf

1954-59 KVD 3 König-Daf

1954-59 Lad 29 König-Daf 1

1954-59 Lad 29 König-Daf 2

1954-59 Lad 36 König-Daf 1

1954-59 Lado 17 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Lammertink 8 1 König Bedford

1954-59 Lammertink 14 König Volvo 2

1954-59 Lijster 17 en 18 König

1954-59 Lindbergh 65 König Daf 1

1954-59 Lindbergh 65 König Daf 2

1954-59 Merkus 68 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Merkus 70 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Merkus 81 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Merkus 84 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Merkus 85 König-Mercedes

1954-59 Merkus 91 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Merkus 119 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Mill van 139 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Morkhoven van 9 König-Mercedes Benz 2

1954-59 Morkhoven van 11 König-Mercedes Benz

1954-59 OAD 15 König Mercedes Benz

1954-59 OAD 16 Mercedes Benz König

1954-59 OAD 17 König Mercedes Benz

1954-59 OAD 18 Mercedes Benz König

1954-59 OAD 22 Mercedes Benz König

1954-59 OAD 23 König Mercedes Benz

1954-59 Onze Tram 38 DAF König

1954-59 Oosterom 26 Volvo König

1954-59 Speedwell 101 König Volvo

1954-59 Spijkers 27 König DAF

1954-59 Stevenaart 5 König Volvo

1954-59 VAVO 70 König Büssing

1954-59 VAVO 73 König Magirus Deutz

1954-59 Veldhuis 15 König Volvo

1954-59 Westercoach 14 König Volvo

1955 AMZ 65 König

1955 Brouwer 7 DAF König

1955 Brouwer 16 DAF König

1955 DAF autobus van de LAD met Konig opbouw

1955 Enhabo 44 1 König

1955 Morkhoven van 9 König-Mercedes Benz 1

 1955 Sijpersma 6 König DAF

1955 VAVO 32 König Volvo

1955 Winnemuller 15 König Volvo

1956 DAF B1500 DAF carr König LADO 16

1956 DAF touringcar met Konig opbouw

1956 DAF-Perkins B1500P533 carr. König, Den Haag SB-44-25

1956-fsz-tours-9-könig-daf

1956 Seegers 16 König Volvo

1956 Tensen Volvo B615 König RB 21 21

1957 Bax 6 DAF König

1957 Blok 5 Mercedes Benz König

1957 DAF B1500 P533 BMC carr König GTW 17

1957 DAF B1500 P533 Perkins carr König GTW 18

 

1957 Haas de 48 Kromhout König

1957 Haas de 49 Kromhout König

1957 Jansen 18 König-Daf

1957 Lammertink 8 2 König

1957 Ploeg vd 12 König FIAT

1957 Seegers 18 König Volvo

1957 TESO Texel 20 König Volvo

1957 Volvo-König met 46 zitplaatsen

1958 AMZ 17 DAF König

1958 AMZ 51 König Leyland

1958 AMZ 85 König Mercedes Benz

1958 AMZ 142 König DAF

1958 AMZ de Muynck 143 König DAF

1958 ARKE 4 König Mercedes Benz

1958 Baaren van 19 Volvo König

1958 Baaren van 71 DAF König

1958 Brouwer 25 DAF König

1958 Brouwer 37 DAF König

1958 Bruinsma 8 DAF König

1958 Hooyberg 9 König-Volvo

1958 Lad 36 König-Daf 2 Arnhem NL

1958 OAD Mercedes Benz König 27

1958 Pool 18 DAF König

1958 Riet ter 8 König DAF

1958 Sijpkes 11 König Volvo

1958 Streef 7 König Mercedes Benz

1958 TB-09-26 DAF B-1300 carr. König

1958 Ter Riet 8 König Mercedes Benz

1958 Werff vd 9 König Austin

1958 Werff vd 11 König DAF

König bus inclusief met een Perkins dieselmotor

That’s all I could find about König

de meeste foto’s: Gerrit Gunnink, Dick van Beek, Jan Willemse, Henk Takken, L.P.J. Bollen, Cees de Koning, Herman van ’t Hoogerhuys en Karina van den Boom.

Buses DE DION-BOUTON Puteaux France

Buses DE DION-BOUTON Puteaux France

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Dion-Bouton_(Puteaux)

De Dion-Bouton (Puteaux)

La Marquise 1884 De Dion Bouton Tr pardoux

De Dion Bouton 1884

Graaf Albert de Dion op de stoomdriewieler (een tricar) (Puteaux, 1890)

de-dion-bouton-steam-bus

Vis à vis model van De Dion-Bouton

Dit eencilindermodel Tonneau uit 1904 rijdt nog steeds

De Dion-Bouton uit 1899

De Dion-Bouton is een bekend historisch Frans merk van auto‘s, inbouwmotoren, tricycles en motorfietsen. Het werd in 1883 te Parijs opgericht door graaf Albert de Dion, George Bouton en diens zwager Trépardoux als De Dion, Bouton et Trépardoux. Later was het in Puteaux gevestigd. Aanvankelijk werden stoommachines gebruikt om hun driewielige voertuigen aan te drijven. Trépardoux, die aan stoom wilde vasthouden, vertrok in 1893.

Albert de Dion, die zijn tricycles al als vierwieler (quadricycle) had verkocht en later ook automobielen ging maken, wordt als de vader van de Franse auto-industrie beschouwd.

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1909 De Dion Bouton

De Dion Bouton

1912 De Dion-Bouton modelo DA

1913 De Dion Bouton omnibus

1913 De Dion Bouton Rechts

1915 De Dion Bouton Conklin b

1915 De Dion Bouton Conklin

Omnibus à pétrole de dion bouton

1920′s DE Dion Bouton 61 de Panter GTW

1924 De Dion Bouton 51 De Dion Bouton Bij ‘t Vuur Geld.Stoom.Tramw.Maats.

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1924 De Dion Bouton De Dion Bouton M-16854 Geld.Stoom.Tramw.Maats.

1924 De Dion Bouton Tet 064

1924 De Dion Bouton, idem M-7811-M-20037 G.T.M. 54 met originele Pennock carr

1925 DE DION BOUTON (1925) Werkspoor

1925 de dion bouton ad

1925 De Dion Bouton Utrecht

1925 De Dion Bouton, idem, Allan carr. R’dam  GSTM nr 55 NL

1925 De Dion Bouton, idem, Allan carr. GSTM nr 56

1925 De Dion Bouton Carr. Allan.

1925 De Dion Bouton Werkspoor

1926 De Dion Bouton KM, idem, Allan carr. M-24382 GTM

1927 DE DION BOUTON

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1927 De Dion Bouton JV te Doetinchem op 28 juni 1938(ex bus)

1929 de dion bouton Sanatorium Zonnegloren 7

1929 De Dion Bouton Werkspoor TET

1930 De Dion Bouton garage Capelseweg

1930 De Dion Bouton LO, idem, Carr. Verheul, GTM 73

1930 De Dion Bouton LO, idem, Carr. Verheul, M-31093,GTM 78

1930 De Dion Bouton LO, idem, Carr. Verheul, M-31095,GTM 80 Velperplein Arnhem

1930 De Dion Bouton LO, idem, Carr. Verheul, M-31096, GTM 81

1930 De Dion Bouton Wim Dona

1931 De Dion Bouton LO, idem, Carr. Verheul, M-34036,
GTM 86

1934 De Dion Bouton Hainje

1934 De Dion Bouton Tet 065

1934 De Dion Boutons 23

1937 De Dion Bouton-Verheul te Doetinchem op 12 april 1937

€

De Dion Bouton 61 de Panter GTW

De Dion Bouton AD c

De Dion Bouton Ad

DE DION BOUTON bussen RAI

1910 de dion bouton catalogue italien

De Dion Bouton DD Paris

De Dion Bouton Gelders Archief

De Dion Bouton Schiedam- Rotterdam

De Dion Bouton O-bus strassenbahn-kopenhagen

$

de dion bouton omni bus

De Dion Bouton Puteaux Bus 0184

De Dion Bouton uit de serie 13 tm 16 met carrosserie van Verheul. Vermoedelijk is het nr. 16.

De Dion Bouton-Busse Parijs

De Dion Bouton-moll-001 © Conam

De Dion Bouton-moll-003 © Conam

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De Dion Bouton-moll-007 © Conam

De Dion Bouton-moll-008 © Conam

de dion-bouton autobus arras

De Dion-Bouton Bus London

De Dion-Bouton bus Versailles

De-Dion-Bouton-bus-Frederiksberg Sporveie

de-dion-bouton-limousine

de-dion-bouton-limousine

de-dion-bouton-steam-bus

de-dion-bouton-1911-omnibus-de-paris-autobus

autorail de dion bouton

de dion bouton Quadricycle-1968

1905 De Dion Bouton 8 CV

his1261 De dion Bouton Fire & Rescue

1930 Paris Place de l’Opéra

1911 De-Dion-Bouton-75-mm-Anti-Aircraft-Gun-Carrier

DESSUS-De-dion-bouton-copy

boek De Dion Bouton DAF

Emblem De Dion-Bouton Puteaux

Filed Under: ALLAN, BUSES, De Dion-Bouton, FRANCE, Hainje, Pennock + Co, VERHEUL,WERKSPOOR

 

Buses ARIÈS France

Bussen Ariès R66 Alongé 1924

Ariès is een type bus die door de gemeente Amsterdam in 1924 werd besteld. 9 stuks van het met Ariès en 9 van het merk Latil(later meer). Ik kan op het hele WWW maar 1 plaatje vinden en die is niet van beste kwaliteit.
http://www.tramamsterdam.com/wagenpark/busseries/serie6.htm

Ariès R 66 Alloné (via Technisch Bureau Tasche & Co., ‘s-Gravenhage) – Pennock & CO., ‘s-Gravenhage 1924 A’dam

In Frankrijk vond ik wel een auto van het merk Ariès uit 1907, en ook een plaatje van een Omnibus in Parijs met hetzelfde merk. Hier zullen we het mee moeten doen!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari%C3%A8s

Ariès Omnibus 12’14HP 1906 Parijs

Ariès Pennock Bus A’dam

VILLENEUVE LA GARENNE CAMION AUTOMOBILE MILITAIRE ARIES

Ariès, Bussen, Frankrijk, Latil, Pennock, Verleden