Sunday, June 5, 2016

Sixcyl by Ateliers Bréguet 1907

Few French airplanes constructors tried with more or less success to built automobiles. Gabriel Voisin is the most known. Being one of the first airplane manufacturer, Voisin became one of the main suppliers of the French army during WWI producing hundreds of aircrafts. After the war and because of a saturated market, Voisin stopped to build airplanes and became an important automobile manufacturers during the 20s.

Farman is another example with a quite similar history as Voisin. Starting with the construction of airplanes during WWI, Farman built luxury cars from 1919 to 1932.

It is less known that Bréguet, the famous airplane industrialist started with the construction of automobiles in 1907.
Actually the designer of the car was a certain Chenu who first built cars and aero engines and marketed them under his own name. In 1907, he subcontracted the construction of his cars to the Ateliers Bréguet.
Two models were available : a 30 HP and a 60 HP, both equipped with a 6 cylinder engine.

The name of the car was : Sixcyl and the address of the society was 10 rue Fontaine in Paris.
Chenu had a stand at the Paris motor show in October 1907 where the two models of cars were exhibited.

One 30 HP Sixcyl was planned to participate to the famous New-York to Paris race but certainly for financial reasons, the car never came to New-York.

Very few Sixcyl were built and none survived.


No comments: