Gaston Grümmer Carrossier

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Gaston Grümmer Carrossier
legal form
founding 1924
resolution 1935 or 1939
Seat Clichy , France
management Gaston Grümmer
Branch Body shop

Gaston Grümmer Carrossier was a French body manufacturer who designed and produced individual bodies for luxury cars in the period between the world wars. In the 1930s, Grümmer was considered a pioneer of lightweight construction and aerodynamics .

Family environment

The company was founded by Gaston Grümmer. He came from a family that had lived in Aachen since the 17th century . His grandfather, Friedrich Joseph Grümmer, moved to Brussels in the 19th century , where he set up a saddlery that focused on equipping high-quality carriages. He later moved to Paris . His son Antoine Joseph worked for the long-established Parisian tableware manufacturer Morel at least since the turn of the century . In 1919, Antoine Grümmer's sons, including Gaston, took over the Morels business and renamed it Établissements Grümmer . In the first few years, the Grümmer brothers produced high-quality, individual interior fittings for carriages, but then made the move to automobiles.

Company history

In 1924 Gaston Grümmer left his brothers' business, which continued to exist until 1933, and went into business for himself in the Parisian suburb of Clichy . In the company named after him, Grümmer initially manufactured bodies according to the Weymann patent , but worked in parallel on independent design features. Grümmer, who took part in the First World War as a pilot , was influenced by aviation and therefore increasingly endeavored to achieve consistent lightweight construction, aerodynamics and the lowest possible body shapes. In the first few years he worked with the aviation pioneer Étienne Bunau-Varilla . Both developed techniques for lowering the center of gravity of automobiles. From 1930 onwards there was a collaboration with Guillaume Busson , who was also a pilot and, like Grümmer, was interested in the development of aerodynamically favorable bodies. In 1933 the first Grümmer bodies appeared, the style of which was shaped by aerodynamic criteria. The superstructures called Aéroprofile had flowing forms, a windshield that was strongly inclined compared to the usual contemporary bodies, headlights integrated into the body, concealed rear wheels and a long, flat tail. Such bodies were built on chassis from Alfa Romeo , Renault and Hispano-Suiza .

The company existed until 1935 or 1939, depending on the source.

Brand name

The company traded as Gaston Grümmer. The umlaut "ü", which is unusual for the French language, was used regularly. The “ü” was only omitted if the complete name was in capital letters; Instead of the umlauts, a capital "U" was used. Phonetically there was no difference.

literature

Serge Bellu: A French Touch of Class. Les Ateliers de carrosserie français , Éditions Nicolas Chaudun 2012, ISBN 978-2-35039-136-6

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A brief overview of French car body manufacturers in the inter-war years (accessed on October 12, 2017).
  2. ^ A b Serge Bellu: A French Touch of Class. Les Ateliers de carrosserie français , Éditions Nicolas Chaudun 2012, ISBN 978-2-35039-136-6 , p. 203.
  3. ^ Illustration of a contemporary advertisement by "Gaston Grummer" (accessed October 12, 2017).