Delaugère & Clayette

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SA des Établissements Delaugère, Clayette, Frères et Cie.

logo
legal form Limited partnership
founding 1864 J.-P. Delaugère & Fils ;
1904 E. and F. Delaugère and M. Clayette ;
1906 SA des Ét. Delaugère, Clayette, Frères et Cie.
resolution 1933
Reason for dissolution Closed after sale in 1926
Seat Orléans , Loiret , France
management Jean-Pierre Delaugère, Henri and Emile Delaugère, Félix Delaugère, Maurice and Henry Clayette
Number of employees approx. 350
Branch Carriages , steam engines , steam boilers , automobiles , utility vehicles , voiturettes , motorized three- and four-wheelers , bodies

Delaugère & Clayette was a French manufacturer of carriages , steam boilers , automobiles , commercial vehicles , voiturettes , motorized three- and four-wheelers and factory bodies for the automobile manufacturer Panhard & Levassor . Vehicle production ended in 1926 and the company closed in 1933.

Company history

Carriage construction (1840–1890)

Jean-Pierre Delaugère (1810–1868), a wheelwright from Nogent sur Vernisson ( Loiret department ), went into business for himself in the 1840s. In 1864 he took his son Henri (1839-1908) into his business, who was then registered as Delaugère, Père et Fils with the purpose of building and trading carriages. The place of business was on Rue d'Illiers in the center of Orléans . After the death of the founder, there was a partnership with Henri's younger brother Emile (1849-1917) and the establishment as Société Delaugère Frères in 1872 . The company existed in this form until 1890, when another family member, his nephew Félix (1864–1934), joined the company. This was transformed into the general partnership Delaugère et Cie .

By then, the company had earned a good reputation as a coach builder in the region. She specialized in light Fiaker , Break , Dos-à-Dos and Wagonnettes .

Steam engines and automobiles (1890–1902)

Now the company began to show interest in steam engines and boilers , for which a workshop was set up on the nearby Rue des Bons Etats . In addition, Emile and Félix began to experiment with a "gasoline carriage". They showed the result, a tricycle with a single-cylinder engine of their own production, at the first automobile exhibition in Paris, which was held in 1898. At an international salon in 1900, a Delaugère quadricycle powered by a De Dion Bouton engine won a silver medal. Regular production started in 1901 with a two-cylinder engine of our own design. The version with an automatic inlet valve was similar to that of Panhard & Levassor , which in turn was based on licenses from Daimler . Even if the company soon switched to manual intake valves, the company was to build its own engines by 1922. The four-cylinder 20 CV was added in the following year .

Road vehicles as an industrial product (1903-1914)

Delaugère & Clayette 24 CV Type 4A, chassis no.205 (1904)
Delaugère & Clayette 24 CV Type 4A

On the recommendation of a family friend, Dr. Léon Petit , the company turned to the development of larger vehicles because it promised better sales opportunities. The company obtained technical support in 1903 from Maurice Clayette from Meung-sur-Loire , an engineer who graduated from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM). On an area of ​​22,000 m² at Faubourg Madeleine N ° 16 in Orléans, he soon began building a modern 10,000 m² factory. In the following year, Clayette became a partner in the company, which then became E. et F. Delaugère et M. Clayette , endowed with company capital of FF 450,000. The vehicles were marketed as Delaugère until around 1904 , then as Delaugère & Clayette .

In 1906, Maurice's brother Henry Clayette , a generalist with a degree as Ingénieur des Arts et Manufacture, joined the company, which was subsequently transformed into the limited partnership SA des Établissements Delaugère, Clayette, Frères et Cie. learned. This went hand in hand with an increase in capital to FF 1.5 million. At Delaugère & Clayette, as a former coach builder, emphasis was always placed on well-cared for bodies in as wide a range as possible, which were untypically self-made.

International charisma

Camion Delaugère & Clayette on a reliability run from Paris to Marseille and back advertised by the military for commercial vehicles, which took place from November 19 to December 5, 1906.

Although the company was regionally oriented, it also tried to export. Some vehicles were new to Romania , Mexico and the USA . The company exhibited at the Madrid Motor Show in 1907 ; the local Hotel Ritz used a Delaugère & Clayette omnibus . Delaugère & Clayette sold trucks to Spanish mining companies . Winning a gold medal at the 1908 London Motor Show contributed to further international recognition . A representative was found in Australia , and the catalog was adapted for those in Argentina .

In 1912 a passenger car with a valve engine license Mustad - Fischer appeared .

Truck for the army

A new business area opened up with the construction of commercial vehicles , the development of which was completed in 1913. The company geared the construction to the needs of the army from the outset and, after a thorough examination, succeeded in purchasing the LO2 type by the French War Ministry .

War years (1914-1918)

Consequently, Delaugère & Clayette produced trucks for the French army and ammunition during the First World War . The latter is marked with the stamped code "GQ".

Adaptation to new market conditions (1919–1922)

The automobile market changed significantly after the war. In France, several manufacturers (such as Citroën , Renault , Peugeot , Mathis ) introduced assembly line production. This led to a drop in the price of new cars, which particularly affected small, predominantly regionally known manufacturers. Delaugère & Clayette responded on the one hand by reducing the number of factory bodies; a painful measure, because a wide range of high-quality bodies was one of the company's strengths. A streamlined model range was also part of the strategy.

Delaugère & Clayette continued to sell commercial vehicles. These were derived either from passenger cars ("Normande" small trucks) or from military trucks. The city of Toulouse used LO2 trucks for municipal tasks and there was a hotel bus on offer.

For 1923 the production of own engines, which had become uneconomical, was given up after a last model with a six-cylinder of 4396 cm³ (21 CV) had been presented; this remained available until 1925. The three new four-cylinder engines came from Ballot .

Sale and end of production (1923–1926)

Delaugere et Clayette Type V Conduite Intérieure (1923)

Delaugère & Clayette now mainly built its new Type V with Ballot engine, as well as very few 21 CV Type 6Z and commercial vehicles, including a type V- derived van, a hotel bus and trucks up to 3.5 tons.

At the turn of the year 1924–1925, the Clayette brothers left the company, which Félix Delaugère sold in 1926 to Panhard & Levassor . The last automobiles of the Type V , which were far too expensive to manufacture , were built this year, after which machines and tools for automobile manufacture were dismantled and taken to Panhard & Levassor.

Atéliers Delaugère

Panhard & Levassor CS RL (Type X72) with factory body by Atéliers Delaugère (1932–1936)
The body of the Panhard & Levassor Dynamic was also created by Delaugère & Clayette (1936–1939: Fig .: 1937).

For Panhard & Levassor , the discontinuation of automobile construction was a logical step, as both manufacturers served the same niche market. But that ended delaugère et clayette's activities in the automotive industry by no means, Panhard was rather finished in Orléans various own business bodies, including the elegant Panoramique . Pierre Delaugère and eight employees maintained the supply of spare parts for former customers at the factory until 1931. The company was dissolved in 1933; Félix Delaugère died in 1934. The body shop for Panhard was continued as a department by Panhard & Levassor and later Panhard ; Factory bodies have a badge showing a stylized Panhard and the writing Carosserie Panhard - Atéliers Delaugère Orléans . This is where the bodies of the futuristic Dynamic and, after the war, the Panhard Dyna X and its successors were created. In 1948, Panhard's chief designer Louis Bionier built the Dynavia prototype here , which is now on display in the Cité de l'Automobile in Mulhouse , Alsace . Even when Panhard was taken over by Citroën in 1967, production in the old facilities in Orléans continued for several years.

Model history

Delaugère 2¾ CV Voiturette (2 cylinders, 474 cm³) from 1902
Delaugère & Clayette 24 CV Type 4A (4 cylinders, 6300 cm³) with a non-original body in racing trim (1904). Delaugère & Clayette was not active in racing.
Delaugère & Clayette Type 4G double phaeton from 1907
Delaugère & Clayette 10 CV Type 4M Torpédo with "Victoria" top from 1911 with monobloc engine

Regular production started in 1901 with a two-cylinder engine of our own design. The version with an automatic inlet valve was similar to that of Panhard & Levassor (which in turn was based on licenses from Daimler ). Even if the company soon switched to manual intake valves, the company was to build its own engines by 1922. The four-cylinder 20 CV came in the following year .

1901-1903

At first, Delaugère only presented a single model, an improved tricycle with its own two-cylinder engine with an automatic inlet valve. A four-wheel variant, a voiturette and an automobile followed by 1903. Carriages were also still available. The latter was either another two-cylinder or the four-cylinder 20 CV , which was not officially presented until 1904.

This 20 CV was a construction with four-speed gearbox and double chain drive on the rear wheels. The engine was the brand's first four-cylinder and received an automatic intake valve. Until 1903 there were three-wheelers , quadricycles and a Voiturette with a single-cylinder engine and 500 cm³ displacement . From 1903, larger models with two-cylinder and four-cylinder engines were also produced.

Early Delaugère had chassis made of iron-reinforced hardwood, similar to the contemporary Panhard & Levassor .

1904

With the Type 4A , Delaugère & Clayette introduced the all-metal chassis. The engine was a side-controlled four - cylinder with superimposed inlet and outlet valves ("F-head") of 6.3 liters and 24 CV.

1905-1906

The offer ranged from the 8/10 CV Voiturette with two cylinders to a huge 80/100 CV four-cylinder with 15 liters displacement. Taxis and commercial vehicles were also manufactured. The type 4CCA 16 CV had power transmission by means of a cardan shaft for the first time.

1907-1908

In 1907 Delaugère & Clayette only offered three series: the 10 CV Voiturette and the large four-cylinder 18/22 CV with 4.4 liters and 25/35 CV with 8 liters and 80 bhp.

In 1908 another four-cylinder was added, the 10/14 CV . Only the 25/35 CV was delivered exclusively with chain drive; The cardan drive was optional for the 18/22 CV and the smaller types had it as standard. Cardan drive first caught on in light vehicles.

Under the image of a large limousine, Delaugère & Clayette advertised in 1908:

  • 10 CV; 2 cylinders; Cardan drive; Chassis "extra light"
  • 10/14 CV 4 cylinder; Cardan drive
  • 18/22 CV 4 cylinder; Cardan drive
  • 18/22 CV 4 cylinder; Double chain drive
  • 25/35 CV 4 cylinder; Double chain drive

A similar advertisement appeared in 1910.

Accordingly, all models were delivered with magneto ignition.

1909-1911

In 1909, 350 employees were employed and the factory built two vehicles a day.

In 1911, the Type 4M was the first model with an engine block made from one piece (" Monobloc "), initially only for this 10 CV with 2.1 liter four-cylinder.

1912-1914

A two-cylinder voiturette was still offered. A new six-cylinder model was added; the 6N model with 5.2 liter displacement. In some models, the gearbox was relocated to the rear axle ( transaxle design). Another novelty was the 2.7 liter Type SS with a valve motor licensed by Mustad and Fischer . It was advertised with the information that the driver always had clean hands with this car because he did not have to touch the engine.

1919-1922

The production of passenger cars was resumed in 1919 with two models. The types 4 with 2154 cm³ and 4Y with 3176 cm³ had side-controlled four-cylinder engines, four-speed gearboxes, an electric starter and fully electric lighting; before, carbide or kerosene lamps for position and taillights were not uncommon. They were built until 1922 and replaced by the Type V , which received a purchased engine for the first time since the company was founded.

Type 6Z

The Type 6Z followed in 1921 . He received the last engine designed by Delaugère & Clayette , a side-controlled six-cylinder with 21 CV and 4764 cm³. Like the smaller models, it was also equipped with a four-speed gearbox and a fully electrical system. From 1922, the heavy 6Z twin tires and the first model from Delaugère & Clayette (and one of the first French automobiles) for 1923 received four-wheel brakes. It was built in this form until 1925.

Type V

Delaugère & Clayette 8 CV Type V Torpédo Sport from 1926
Competitive model: Citroën B2 Torpedo (1921)

A modern successor to the four-cylinder 4 and 4Y with in-house engines appeared in October 1922. It received side-controlled four-cylinder engines from Ballot with 1685 cm³ (10 CV), 2120 cm³ (12 CV) or 3327 cm³ (16 CV). Initially there were only three body variants: 4-seater Berline ( sedan ), 4-seater torpedo and Normande pickup truck with an open platform . From 1924 a 3-seater coupé and convertible were added. Furthermore, the bodies were made in-house. At this point, Delaugère & Clayette was in serious trouble, but four-wheel brakes were also introduced for the Type V in 1925 . Far too few of the large models were sold and the Type V mid-range car was far too expensive compared to the competition. A chassis cost from FF 19,500; a complete Citroën B2, however, only from FF 14,200.

After the company was sold in 1926, a few Type V 10 CV were built, possibly to use up existing components. About 300 copies of the last model were built in total.

The last commercial vehicles

The production of commercial vehicles, possibly with the exception of the Type V Normande flatbed car , had already been discontinued. Heavier trucks and the hotel taxi still received the 3.3 liter four-cylinder from Ballot , the 3.5-ton LO3 was built with the in-house 4.4 liter six-cylinder. This was delivered with chain drive and solid rubber tires until the end.

Overview of passenger cars

A preliminary and not yet complete model overview:

construction time model Performance CV cylinder Cubic capacity cm³ body Remarks
1898 Tricycle 1 Tricycle Experimental vehicle
1900 Quadricycle 1 474 Quadricycle Experimental vehicle
1901-1903 Voiturette 2¾ 2 500 Voiturette End of production unclear
1902-1903 Quadricycle 2¾ 2 500 Quadricycle
1902-1903 20 CV 20th 4th End of production unclear
1904-1907 Voiturette 8th 2 Voiturette End of production unclear
1904-1905 Type 4A 24 4th 6300 End of production unclear
1905-1907 Voiturette 8/10 2 Voiturette End of production unclear
1905-1907 Type 4CCA 16 4th Cardan; End of production unclear
1907-1914 Extra légère 10 2 Voiturette End of production unclear
1905-1906 80/100 CV 80/100 4th 15,000 End of production unclear
1907-1908 18/22 CV 18/22 4th 4400 Chains; End of production unclear
1907 Type 4G 4th 4800 Chains; Production time unclear
1907-1914 Type 4C 25/35 CV 80 4th 8000 Chains; End of production unclear
1908-1914 10/14 CV 10/14 4th 2100 Cardan; End of production unclear
1908-1914 18/22 CV 18/22 4th 4400 Cardan; End of production unclear
1911-1914 Type 4M 10 4th 2154 Monobloc; End of production unclear
1912-1914 Type 6N 6th 5200 Production data unclear
1913-1914 2.7 Liters SS 6th 2700 Slide motor; Prod. Unclear; possibly 1913–1914
1919-1922 Type 4 10 4th 2154 likely successor to 4M
1919-1922 Type 4Y 16 4th 3157 probably successor 18/22 CV
1921-1925 Type 6Z 21st 4th 4764 Chauffeur limousine 6 pl. Double rear tires from 1922
1922-1923 Type V 10 4th 1685 Berline ; Torpedo ; Normande Motor ballot
1922-1923 Type V 12 4th 2120 Berline; Torpedo; Normande Motor ballot
1922-1923 Type V 16 4th 3327 Berline; Torpedo; Normande Motor ballot
1924-1926 Type V 10 4th 1685 Berline; Coupe ; Convertible ; Torpedo; Normande; Motor ballot
1924-1925 Type V 12 4th 2120 Berline; Coupe; Convertible; Torpedo; Normande Motor ballot
1924-1925 Type V 16 4th 3327 Berline; Coupe; Convertible; Torpedo; Normande Motor ballot

Delaugère & Clayette today

Prototype Panhard & Levassor Dynavia by Louis Bionier, built in the Atéliers Delaugère in Orléans and exhibited today in the Cité de l'Automobile in Mulhouse (1948)
Delaugère & Clayette 24 CV Type 4A, chassis no.205 (1904) before the auction in Paris in February 2011

After Panhard was taken over by Citroën, the Delaugère & Clayette facilities in Orléans remained in operation until 1973. Then they had to make way for the Résidence Beaumont housing estate .

Delaugère & Clayette vehicles are very rare. The brand is looked after by a club founded in 1994; According to his information, 26 vehicles are still registered: 20 in France , two each in Great Britain and the Netherlands and one each in Switzerland and Portugal . One of the last built, a Type V Torpédo, can be seen in the Musée Automobile de Vendée in Talmont-Saint-Hilaire and the Loiret administration owns or had another example from 1925, which was for sale in the summer of 2012.

The municipalities of Talmont-Saint-Hilaire and Saint-Mesmin (Vendée) jointly own two fire fighting vehicles from Delaugère & Clayette from 1921, one fire engine and one material transport vehicle .

The auction house Bonhams auctioned the shown Type 4A from 1904 in Paris on February 5, 2011 for € 164,450. The vehicle comes from a museum in Denmark.

Another type 4A of 1905, karossiert sedan, probably by Bonhams in 2008 in Carmel-by-the-Sea ( California auctioned) in the US with an unknown outcome.

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to other sources, De Dion-Bouton bought the engine
  2. ↑ "CV" refers to French tax PS ; the calculation of which changed during the production time. For performance data with / (e.g. 25/35 CV), the first value relates to the taxable horsepower, the second to the performance.
  3. ↑ According to most sources; the Club Delaugère & Clayette mentions 1913
  4. ↑ Degree of relationship to family unclear
  5. ↑ According to Motorsnaps, the 6Z was introduced together with the four-cylinder as early as 1919; the Club DC, however, names a six-cylinder with 21 CV from 1921 as the last of its own engine design. 21 tax horsepower roughly correspond to the engine capacity of 4764 cm³ mentioned for Motorsnaps.
  6. ↑ 1690 cm³ according to motorsnaps
  7. ↑ Coupé and Cabriolet are only mentioned for motorsnaps: "Five body styles, made in house, were listed for 1924, 3 seat and 4 seater tourers, 3 and 4 seat saloons and a camionette Normande or light truck."

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Club Delaugère & Clayette; Company history ("Here")
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be motorsnaps.com: Delaugère & Clayette company history
  3. ↑ a b c d e Club Delaugère & Clayette; Company history ("Questions")
  4. ^ Club Delaugère & Clayette; "Avis aux Panhardistes"
  5. ^ Moteur Romain: Delaugère & Cie .; Poster (1902–1903)
  6. ↑ a b c Bonhams: Delaugère & Clayette 24 CV Type 4A in racing trim
  7. ↑ a b c d e f Delaugère & Clayette; Advert (1908)
  8. ↑ Delaugère & Clayette; Advert (1910)
  9. ↑ a b Delaugère & Clayette; Advert (1914)
  10. ^ Georgano: The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.
  11. ↑ a b c Delaugère & Clayette; Advert (1907)
  12. ↑ according to Type plate on a vehicle; 24th Salon des voitures de collection, Reims 2011
  13. ↑ lesrendezvousdelareine.com: Article Club Delaugère & Clayette (97509403) (French)
  14. ↑ historical-fire-engines.com: Two Delaugère & Clayette fire engines
  15. ↑ Bonhams.com: Auction of 5 February 2011 in Paris; Lot 376
  16. ^ A b Club Delaugère & Clayette; Photos (suite)
  17. ↑ sportscarmarket.com: Delaugère & Clayette 24hp (1904) (168909)
  18. ↑ sportscarmarket.com: Delaugère & Clayette 24hp (1905) (117765)

literature

  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The great automobile encyclopedia , BLV, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-405-12974-5
  • GN Georgano : cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. Courtille, 1975 (French)
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present ; Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition (hardcover) 1973, ISBN 0-525-08351-0 (English)
  • Nick Georgano: The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile, Volume 1 A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 (English)

Web links

Commons : Delaugère et Clayette  - collection of images, videos and audio files