The Buchet Mystery (UPDATE V: new photo)

i un cache culbuteur buchet

This is my website about forgotten car manufacturers.

http://exhumoir.kazeo.com/Les-Exhumations/Automobiles-BUCHET-1898-1930-France,a138618.html

Daer friends,
I am owner of Buchet car too. I woul like to take all of informations about this car, because I do not know anybody who could give me it. Could you send me name and phone number or e-mail adress to anyone, who can cooperate with me.

Many thanks for all this information. I have forwarded a photo of the fixed head engine with the dummy ohv cover removed to prewarcar.com and hope they will forward this to you James. I would also very much like to receive the further information that mentioned above.

There is a short mention of Buchet in Bolster's French Vintage Cars. Also in Montagu of Beaulieu's Lost causes of motoring. They started as proprietary car and aero engine makers for various makes (among which Boyer) and then built a few cars themselvers, which were "never a high-performance car", according to Bolster

Buchet managed to survive the 1920s but seems to have been one of the victims of the Crash of 1929.
Their 1920s models seem to have been rather unremarkable. To my knowledge about 10 Buchets from this period survive, so production must have been limited.
I have found a short history of the maken in La Vie de l''Auto (14 April 1994, pag 30-31). Pozzoli write about the Buchet Six of 1928-1930 in no. 8 of his Album du Fanatique.
I can provide some references from contemporary magazines and addresses of other Buchet owners (or former owners).
The model of these chassis may be B3 (1923-1924) or B4 (started in 1925 and seems to have been built even after 1929?). I have some chassis numbers in my files.

Hello ,to all , onesmore ,

please for sending of e-mail of Mike Tebbets .

Thanks in advance . Friendly Miro Mraz

Dear friends ,

More complete Buchet chassis have been imported into Czechoslovakia. It is known form a picture of a Buchet chassis
waiting for a new coachwork made by the coachbuilding department of Aero aircraft works in Prague under Weymann licence in the mid - twenties .

On another picture of a limousine coach work signed Conduite interieure Weymann
Buchet 10/30 HP I can send tommorow. The professional photo I have bought in one antique shop in Bratislava in 2003 .

I suppose , that the sales agent of Buchet for Czechoslovakia could be Mr.Vl.Gut , the known Bugatti sales agent for Bugatti in Prague

Miro Mraz

Hauts-De-Seine Berceau de L'automobile by Jean Fondin published by ETAI shows Buchet existing from 1898 to 1930. As Jeremy Roberts points out they were a leading manufacturer of engines, not only for motorcycles and automobiles, but also aviation. Santos-Dumont used a Buchet engine for his airship flight round the Eiffel Tower in 1901. In 1906 they produced an air cooled 3.5l V8 for the fledgling aviation industry.

Although Buchet was a leader in OHV engines, their first automobile was a 12HP 4 cylinder side valve taxi. In 1911 a 12-20HP 2.2l side valve was introduced followed by a 1100cc 6HP which was sold in Britain as an Ascot. After WWI Buchet were reorganized by Gaston Sailly and moved to Boulogne. They introduced 2 new 1550cc (67 x 110 mm) models equipped with a 4 speed gearbox. The sport version had an OHV engine. Four wheel brakes were adopted in 1924 and in 1928 a 1736cc 6 that met little success was introduced. Buchet ceased production in 1930.

The 1924 Salon issue of Voiturettes, Voitures Legeres provides a pen and ink drawing of the Buchet 4 seat torpedo. It's simple lines include a vertical windshield, doors delineated by straight lines and right angles except for a small curved section in the rear door required for fender clearance. The folded top/hood appears to be secured slightly below the level of the rear seat back but above the rear carried spare. The specs include: wheelbase - 2900 mm, tread 1200 mm, 5 wheels Rudge or Raf, 760 x 90 tires, and 12 volt electrics.

It would be great if Mike Tebbett could provide a photo of the top of the second engine exposing what's under the aluminum cover. I can send Mike a photocopy of the Buchet specs & drawing from Voiturettes, Voitures Legeres magazine.

From my recollection Buchet were manufacturers of engines under their own name. The few cars that survive seems to point to the fact that they had chassis made for them at one of the many car factories at Levallois (Seine)but that production was very limited. These two chassis are very interesting for that reason.