Chenard-Walcker

France, 1901 – 1946

(1) Chenard, Walcker et Cie, Asnières, Seine, 1901 – 1907

(2) SA des Anciens Établissements Chenard et Walcker, Gennevilliers, Seine, 1907 – 1946

The Chenard-Walcker company was founded in 1899 and made tricycles before exhibiting the first Chenard-Walcker car at the 1901 Paris Salon. It was a 1.160cc twin with mechanically operated side valves in a T-head, coil ignition, four forward speeds, and a flitchplate frame. The most interesting feature was, however, the ‘double’ back axle with the drive taken by two cardan shafts independently of a second, dead axle beam. This was to be a feature of the Chenard-Walcker make until the middle 1920s, though at first a cheaper Chenard-Walcker 10hp car was for sale with conventional drive, and there as also a short-lived Chenard-Walcker 12hp twin with side-chain transmission in 1904. A 4.1-litre 4-cylinder with Iow-tension magneto ignition followed in 1903, and by 1905 only Chenard-Walcker fours were made, the smallest short-stroke 2.6-litre was made exclusively for export to Britain. By 1906 the Chenard-Walcker cars for sale had the classic radiator with round core. In 1907 Chenard-Walcker cars had pressed-steel chassis, twin transmission brakes, and no hand throttle. New during 1908 was a 9/10hp single that had a 4-speed gearbox, though neither this nor its companion twin was quoted after 1910, by which time L-head engines had arrived on the 2.1-litre P-type. From 1912 to 1914 the Chenard-Walcker cars had monobloc power units with full-pressure lubcrication. Friction dampers were standard, and capacities of the fours were 1.6-litres and 3-litres. A big six joined the Chenard-Walcker range in 1913.

The staple 1919 Chenard-Walcker was the usual uprated 1914 design, the 3-litre Chenard-Walcker UU, still with separate 4-speed gearbox and foot transmission brake; it was joined by a 2651cc Chenard-Walcker 12CV in 1920, and by a 2-litre, the Chenard-Walcker TT, in 1921, and a 3-speed 1½-litre Chenard-Walcker Type Y, appeared in 1923, these old-fashioned machines persisiting for several years. New in 1922, however, was the Touté-designed 3-litre, an ohc four with dry-sump lubcrication that gave close on 90bhp, and had the usual Hallot servo brakes on front wheels and transmission only. These Chenard-Walcker cars finished 1st and 2nd in the first Le Mans 24-Hour Race of 1923, as well as winning the 1924 Circuit des Routes Pavées. A 2-litre edition followed soon afterwards, these sports Chenard-Walcker cars being made until 1927. From 1925 there were also parallel sv touring editions of Chenard-Walcker with similar chassis and plug covers giving the appearance of ohv units.

In 1924 and 1925 the Chenard-Walcker company raced a bi-block straight-8 which in its final form had brakes on all four wheels, and achieved nearly 110mph on 130bhp. But it was never reliable though it was catalogued, at 84.525 francs for a Chenard-Walcker tourer. Much more successful were the 1100cc ‘Chenard-Walcker tanks’ for sale with 55bhp 2-bearing pushrod engines and differential-less back axles that had two successful racing seasons (1925 and 1926) and even staged a comeback in 1937, when two Chenard-Walcker examples finished 1st and 2nd in the Bol d’Or. For 1927 the company introduced the 8CV Chenard-Walcker Z2, a tough little family car with 1300cc sv short-stroke engine, magneto ignition, 4-speed gearbox, conventional rear axle, and fabric bodywork; it sold for 24.000 francs. That year, however, an association with Delahaye, which lasted until 1932, led to the rationalization of both companies’ ranges, and it became difficult to tell the two makes apart. A production edition of the ‘Chenard-Walcker tank’ came out in 1928 with a 1½-litre ioe engine, but this was the last Chenard-Walcker with any sporting potential; the range now consisted of pedestrian sv fours, plus a couple of Delahaye-like ioe sixes with capacities of 2½-litres and 2.9-litres. The smaller of these, the Chenard-Walcker 14CV, was still being made in 1934. In 1932 the Chenard-Walcker T11 appeared, a new 12CV four on the usual lines with a free-wheel as standard equipment. Then in 1934 Chenard-Walcker cars, now free of Delahaye influence, adopted transverse ifs. They also offered a 3560cc sv V8, the Chenard-Walcker Aigle 8, which used their own engine, in effect a double T11 unit. In 1935 the Chenard-Walcker cars had torsion-bar front suspension and the option of a Cotal gearbox, and ohv engines became available; the range consisted of two fours and the eight. A 4-cylinder fwd car did not go into production.

From 1937 onwards Chenard-Walcker cars slowly lost their individuality. Their bodies were replaced by Chausson coachwork identical to that of the Matford, and only one Chenard-Walcker model retained the 2.180cc ohv Chenard-Walcker engine. The other Chenard-Walcker cars had 1911cc 4-cylinder Citroën and 3622cc Matford units. Finally Citroën and Matford chassis were adopted as well and the Chenard engine dropped, the only ‘native’ components of the cars being their back axles – though the cabriolets were quite handsome, being of Vutotal type with no screen pillars. A few Chenard-Walcker 11CV and 21CV cars were made after World War 2, but from 1947 the staple Chenard-Walcker product was a forward-control light van, the development of which was continued by Peugeot after that company took over in 1951.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

DeSoto

US, 1913 – 1916

DeSoto Motro Car Co, Auburn, Ind.

The DeSoto appears to have succeeded the Zimmerman. This was a large car with a 55hp, 6-cylinder engine, which was furnished with a compressed-air starter. The DeSoto model Six-55 five-seater touring car sold for $2185.

US, 1928 – 1960

Chrysler Motors Corp, Detroit, Mich.

The DeSoto was launched in 1928 as a 3.2-litre side valve six to compete with Oldsmobile, Pontiac and the cheaper Nashes. Styling and general design of the DeSoto were in line with the 1929 Chryslers, and at $885 for a DeSoto sedan 90.000 were sold in the first twelve months. A 3.4-litre straight-8 DeSoto on a 9ft 6in wheelbase was announced for 1930 as the world’s cheapest 8-cylinder car. However, DeSoto suffered badly in the Depression, and in 1932, when flexible rubber engine mountings and free wheels were made available, sales dropped to 26.000 DeSoto cars.
The DeSoto disappeared from the British market about this time, though certain ‘Chrysler’ models listed in England (the Mortlake, Croydon, and some of the Richmonds) were in fact DeSoto cars in all but name. A 6-cylinder version of Chrysler’s advanced unitary-construction Airflow, the SE-type with a 4-litre engine, was brought out in 1934, but was an unsuccessful as its bigger sister. Later DeSotos followed regular Chrysler lines closely though in later years there was a tendency for DeSoto to move into a higher price class than Dodge; by 1952 DeSotos started $300 higher than the companion make.
By 1939 the DeSoto cars for sale were being made with independent front suspension, hypoid back axles and column change. There was a choice at DeSoto of two 6-cylinder engines and three wheelbase lengths, the longest of these being reserved for seven-seater bodywork – DeSoto continued to offer a really roomy family car right up to 1954. A 4-speed semi-automatic Vacumatic transmission became an option in 1941, but DeSoto’s big post-war change of models did not take place until 1952, when the division followed Chrysler’s lead in adopting the oversquare ohv V8; the DeSoto version was of 4½-litre capcity and developed 16-bhp. With the advent of Chrysler’s ‘flight sweep’ styling in 1955, the side-valve sixes were dropped and the standard engine in a DeSoto was now a 4.8-litre eight, giving 185bhp in Firedome guise, and 200bhp in Fireflite form. Though this redesigning saved Chrysler sales generally, the slump in the medium-price class had an adverse effect on DeSoto and in 1959 the DeSoto division was merged with Plymouth. Last of the DeSotos were the 1961 models, unitary-construction cars with a choice of three engines: Plymouth’s 145bhp ohv ‘slant six’ as used in the Valiant, and V8s of 230 and 265bhp, the two former only in Canadian DeSotos. Production of DeSoto cars ceased in November 1960 after only a few had been delivered.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS
The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com