Georges Richard

France, 1897 – 1930

(1) Société des Anciens Etablissements Georged Richard, Ivry-Port, 1897 – 1905

(2) Société des Automobiles Brasier, Ivry-Port, 1905 – 1926

(3) Société Chaigneau-Brasier, Ivry-Port, 1926 – 1930

The first car made by Georges Richard was a frail machine on Benz lines, with belt drive and three forward speeds. By 1900, Richard Richard was offering the Vivinus from Belgium under his own Georgen Richard name – another voiturette, but a quieter, smoother-running one with a fair turn of speed. This Georges Richard was powered by a 6hp 2-cylinder engine, and this Georges Richard too was belt-driven. However, the 7½hp Georges Richard of 1901 had shaft drive, in the approved modern fashion of Darracq and Renault. With the arrival of the designer Brasier at the Georges Richard company, who had worked for Mors, Georges Richard gradually ceased to be associated with voiturettes, but gained little originality. There were four new Georges Richard models in 1902, but all called Richard-Brasiers, rated at between 10 and 40hp but those Richard Georges/ Richard Brasier cars were of Panhard type in most respects. The smaller Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier cars still had tubular chassis and not all Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier models for sale had chain drive, but all types had steel frames by 1904. In that year there were two twins and three fours by Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier, only the biggest of which, the 40hp, was chain-driven. In 1904 and 1905, Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier’s cars won the Gordon Bennett Trophy for France, bringing worldwide fame to the Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier name.

In 1905 Georges Richard left to make the Unic at Puteaux, and Brasier continued to offer his cars, now not as Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier  but simply as Brasiers. They remained conservative in design until 1912, with exposed valve gear and cylinders cast in pairs. In that year, a modern light Brasier car was introduced, with a 4-cylinder engine cast en bloc. Ivry-Port went on listing solid, unenterprising, relatively expensive fours until 1927. They were brought up to date in 1923 by means of front wheel brakes and ohv engines, but this had become common practice, Brasier(Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier), in fact, was another famous old make whose popularity slowly declined, like so many in France at this time.

Reorganization in 1926 at first brought no important innovations to Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier/ Brasier, apart from a change of name to Chaigneau-Brasier, and the introduction of a modern orthodox light car in the shape of the 9CV. Then, in 1928, the new Chaigneau-Brasier company revealed the outcome of its rethinking. This had been over- instead of under-enterprising, for the new car as a 3-litre, overhead-camshaft straight-8 with front wheel drive. With this car, and even more with the bigger Chaigneau-Brasier Type DG8 of similar design that followed in 1930, Chaigneau-Brasier committed the double error of plunging into the luxury market at a time of economic depression, and offering an unconventional design to a public that distrusted such things. Chaigneau-Brasier, like Georges Richard/ Richard Brasier/ Brasier paid the price

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

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