Rosengart - the multinational car

Mocci Demartis sent us some pictures of his Rosengart and added a brief history. Rosengart started as multinational marque from three nations of equal merit: Germany, England and France, with Germany as Lucien Rosengart's native country (UPDATE: it's not - see comment below). But the engineer had worked for Citroen and Peugeot, too, and had tried to persuade the managements of these companies to construct small and economical cars. But it was to no avail. Nobody listened to him in France, until another manager (of Austin) came across.

Austin of England was not in the healthiest of states at the time and did pay attention to the suggestion of Rosengart to create a small car. Although with a trace of skepticism they built the first small car: the Austin Seven. After that first example production increased, until the difficulty to cope with demand... Therefore Rosengart asked and obtained the licence to construct the same car in France, now named Rosengart LR2 after his initials (Lucien Rosengart). He constructed a factory on the Boulevard de Dixmude in Paris, producing several models until 1950. After the War the factory had been absorbed by Citroen.

Demartis'LR2, shown here, is a lovely coupé with two close seats and a third seat exposed at the rear, acting as a 'mother-in-law's seat or a humble boot.

Published:

Wednesday March 11th, 2015

Unknown

13 March 2015, 09:26

www.rosengart-museum.de (Homepage of family Bonk's museum, located very close to our classic car club premises)

Unknown

13 March 2015, 07:20

I am no Austin 7 or Rosengart guru, but I have been looking at Rosengart cars here in France of late. My understanding of the story is that the A7 was inspired by the Peugeot Quadrilette, Lucien Rosengart then being head of Peugeot, but I don't think the Quadrillete was his idea as it was a successor to the Peugeot Baby? As has been pointed out, he was an industrialist, not an engineer. I have heard it reputed that he changed the design every morning at breakfast?

I am probably completely wrong, but at least this wise owner has binned those appalling "Ace" wheel trims that make them look like a kid's roundabout car!I I'm still toying with the idea, cheaper than a Chummy!!

I

Unknown

12 March 2015, 18:08

Thanks for the nice LR2-pictures, Ferrand is right, Rosengart was born in Paris on 11. January 1881 as a son of David Rosengart, who had a workshop with about 150 people producing precise mechanical stuff. Interestingly there was a biography on Rosengart bei Josef Krings in the yearbook of the german rose society (!) in 2004,I just quote the english summary here, the remaining text is in german, if someone is interested please drop me a notice and i mail it to you.

Lucien Rosengart – the man with a rose

Around 1930 a french journal published a drawing by E. Tap showing a smart gentlemen with a red rose. The man with the rose was Lucien Rosengart. But who was Lucien Rosengart and why a rose? Rosengart was a prototype of a prospective mercantilist who combined perfec-tionism, daringness and creativity to a mixture, which made him to one of the most out-standing businessman in his time. He saved Andrè Citroens car factory which was faced with ruin, he was acting manager of Peugot, constructed all sorts of bolts, nuts and small metal parts, so he always claimed that no plane, car, motorcycle or train in France would exist which had no Rosengart-parts in it. But Rosengart wanted more, he wanted to bring mobility to the nation, especially to the masses. He first constructed an auxilliary engine for bicycles but then, after a study trip to New York he build up his own car company with licences from Austin in England and Adler in Frankfurt. For these cars he developed his company sign with the rose which decorated Rosengart cars from 1928-1953/54. His success was tremendous combining reliability with aesthetics. After World War II, rosengart sold his company and devoted (again successful) himself to naïve painting. In remembrance of his life and work the two Rosengart-Enthusiasts E. & K.-H. Bock established a private museum in Bedburg-Rath near Cologne.

Unknown

12 March 2015, 12:54

Good morning ! Mister ROSENGART was not born in GERMANY but in PARIS , he was not an enginer ,but an industrialist and inventor !TRULY YOURS

Rosengart - the multinational car

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