Lambert

US, 1891, 1904 – 1917

The Buckeye Mfg Co, Anderson, Ind.

John W. Lambert’s 3-wheeler of 1891 is considered the first petrol-engined vehicle built in the United States. The Lambert car succeeded the Union in 1904. All the production Lambert cars used a friction drive. Up to 1910, a chassis with a small 2-cylinder engine was built as a Lambert car with either four-seater or five-seater bodies; double and subsequently single chain drive was used. Shaft drive appeared on the big Lambert cars in 1907. Later Lambert car models used 4- and 6-cylinder engines by Continental, Buda and Rutenber. After 1917 the Lambert marque continued for two years as a commercial vehicle.

France, 1902 – 1906

A. Lambert et Cie, Paris

Lambert used various proprietary engines including Aster or De Dion for their smaller Lambert cars and Aster or Abeille for the larger ones. The 1902 Lambert car range consisted of a 6hp single-cylinder two-seater, 9hp and 12hp 2-cylinder tonneaux. All used shaft drive and artillery wheels. By 1905 they were offering six Lambert cars, from the 6hp single-cylinder up to a 24hp 4-cylinder side-entrance tourer.

France, 1926 – 1953

(1) Automobiles Lambert, Macon, 1926 – 1931

(2) Automobiles Lambert, Reims, 1931 – 1936, 1940 – 1945

(3) Automobiles Lambert, Giromagny, Belfort, 1948 – 1953

Germain Lambert was one of the most persistent producers of unusual small cars, although his production of Lambert cars was never large. He began at Macon with a Ruby-engined sports car with independent suspension all round, known as the LambertSans Choic. This was followed by a front-wheel drive sports car, also Ruby-engined, made at Reims. From 1933 to 1936 he made a very small fwd Lambert cyclecar with a single-cylinder 2hp or 4½hp engine, which he named the Lambert Baby Sans Choic. The 2hp Lambert car was said to be suitable for children.

The war years saw simple battery electric two-seater Lambert cars emerging from the small works at Reims, and after the war a new line of sports Lambert cars was announced from Giromagny. These Lambert cars had 1.100cc engines described as Lambert-Rubys, for the Ruby company was no longer in business. Forsaking his pre-war originality, Lambert used rear-wheel drive and a beam front axle with semi-elliptic springs. The Lambert car retained its pre-war appearance, and had something of the position of the Morgan on the French market. Performance of the Lambert car, however, was good, the race engine giving 50bhp at 4.000rpm, and a Lambert car won its class in the 1951 Bol d’Or. The late Lambert car model used a streamlined Gran Turismo coupé body by Schmitt, but the market for such cars was too small for Lambert to stay in business.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; GMN, GNG

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