Tag Archives: osenat

Amilcar M2

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1929 Amilcar M2

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau | July 2024

Photo – Osenat

I think it’s fair to say that, when most car people hear “Amilcar“, they think of sporty voiturettes from the late 1920s. But the company, during its 18 or so years of existence, they did build slightly more pedestrian vehicles. Even before they introduced the ahead-of-its-time unibody Compound.

The “M” series of cars was around for a while, from 1928 through 1935. The first three, the M, M2, and M3 saw power from a 1.2-liter inline-four. Output was rated at 27 horsepower. What body style did you want? A boxy four-door sedan? Good. Because that was the only option.

This is the type of model that kept the lights on so they could keep building sports cars. Or that was the theory anyway. They didn’t sell enough to really make it work. Only about 2,650 M2s were built between 1928 and 1931. And it appears this one may be a bit of a project, but it’s a rare one. The estimate is $11,000-$16,000. More info can be found here.

Hotchkiss Gregoire

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1953 Hotchkiss Gregoire

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | July 2024

Photo – Osenat

Jean-Albert Gregoire was a French car designer responsible for the likes of the Amilcar Compound and Panhard Dyna. He was a big proponent of a front-wheel-drive layout, and in 1947, he debuted a car called the Gregoire R at the Paris Motor Show. Lacking backing to build it himself, he partnered with Hotchkiss to put it into production.

But, like the Amilcar Compound, people just weren’t read for this. It had a lightweight chassis that made use of aluminum, a front-mounted 2.2-liter flat-four that made 75-80 horsepower, front-wheel drive, and independent suspension.

Launched in 1950, the Gregoire would only be produced for a short time – until 1953, with just 247 examples completed, 235 of those being four-door sedans. Hotchkiss tried a last-ditch effort with coupes, cabriolets, and coachbuilt models, but it wasn’t enough. Passenger car production ceased completely for the company in 1955.

This example was restored in the 2000s and has an estimate of $21,000-$27,000. Click here for more info.

Chevallier Bol d’Or

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1930 Chevallier 1100 Bol d’Or

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | April 2024

Photo – Osenat

In 1922 a race was organized in France called the Bol d’Or. It was a 24-hour event for cars and motorcycles, with a maximum displacement limit of 1,100cc. The race still exists, though for a long time it has been for motorcycles only.

Well Frenchman Paul Chevallier wanted to win this race. So in 1930 he started work on this car, which features a 1.1-liter inline-four and front-wheel drive. He ended up running the car in the race in 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, and 1935. He was declared co-winner in 1934.

Three decades later, he put his car up for sale, when it was snatched up by a collector. It now has an estimate of $130,000-$160,000. Click here for more info.

British-Bodied Delage

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1938 Delage D6-70 Cabriolet by Coachcraft

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 2024

Photo – Osenat

The D6 was, perhaps, the most successful model Delage ever had. The launch model, the D6-11, went on sale in 1932. Eight more variants would be produced before production wrapped… in 1953. This car is a D6-70 chassis, a model that was only offered in 1937 and 1938.

Originally, it would’ve been powered by a 2.7-liter inline-six rated at 78 horsepower. However, this car was purchased by its current owner in 1985 as a project, and part of completing that project was upgrading the drivetrain to D6 Olympic specification, which resulted in the inline-six jumping to 3.0 liters and sporting three carburetors – a setup rated at 100 horsepower during D6 Olympic production from 1948 to 1949.

This car was one of few delivered new to the U.K., where it was bodied by Coachcraft. While it’s been parked since 2020, the car was used heavily under current ownership, being driven to lands as far away as Syria. Now it has an estimate of $43,500-$65,000. Click here for more info.

1918 Rochet-Schneider

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1918 Rochet-Schneider 16500 Coupe-Chauffeur by Billeter and Cartier

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 2024

Photo – Osenat

Rochet-Schneider was a French manufacturer that came into being when Edouard Rochet’s car company was joined by Theophile Schneider in 1905/1906. The company soldiered on until 1932, with its later years mostly focused on commercial vehicles (though passenger cars were still available).

This car carries the preposterous model name of “16500.” It is powered by a hefty 40-horsepower inline-four that is mated to a four-speed manual transmission. It is apparently capable of 55 mph.

It has been restored and sports town car bodywork by Billeter & Cartier of Lyon. It has an estimate of $55,000-$87,000. Click here for more info.

Chapron-Bodied Delahaye

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1940 Delahaye 135MS Roadster Grand Luxe by Chapron

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 2024

Photo – Osenat

The MS variant of Delahaye’s 135 model line was the sportiest, and production spanned both sides of WWII. It would eventually give way to the 235 of 1951, and that car was really just an updated 135 underneath.

This particular car was delivered to Henri Chapron in mid 1939. The intent was to build the body and display it at the Paris Motor Show, but Germany came calling, so the car was sent to America to be displayed at the 1940 New York World’s Fair. Since they couldn’t take it back to France, it was sold new in the U.S., remaining there until the current owner bought it in 2005.

All 135MS examples were powered by a 3.6-liter inline-six, and this triple-carbureted version made about 145 horsepower when new. It now has an estimate of $325,000-$550,000. More info can be found here.

Talbot-Lago T150C Roadster

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1937 Talbot-Lago T150C Roadster

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Osenat

There are versions of the Talbot-Lago T150C that are among the most expensive cars in the world and far and away the most expensive Talbot-Lagos. This isn’t one of them, but it is quite an attractive car. The T150 launched in 1937, and the “C” variant meant it had a competition chassis.

Power is from a 4.0-liter inline-six rated at 140 horsepower. There were racing variants of the T150C (hence the competition chassis) as well as very rare short-chassis “SS” models. It is unclear who did the body work for this car, but in the 1950s the front end was reworked with a modified grille and bumpers.

This car was on the show stand in Paris in 1937 and remained with its first owner for 40 years. The third and current owner purchased it in 2018. Originally red, it was painted black under original ownership. The current owner had it repainted red and black. It has an estimate of $650,000-$985,000. Click here for more info.

Delahaye 235 Cabriolet

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1951 Delahaye 235 Cabriolet by Chapron

Offered by Osenat | Paris, France | February 3, 2024

Photo – Osenat

Delahaye’s 135 model dated back to before the war. In 1951 the company introduced the 235, which didn’t outright replace the 135, but sort of complemented it as a more modern take on the car. Produced through the end of Delahaye in 1954, the 235 proved not enough to save the company.

Power is provided by a 3.6-liter inline-six that was rated at 152 horsepower. A top speed of over 100 mph was claimed, and body work was supplied by some great French coachbuilders, including Henri Chapron on this example.

Only 84 examples of the 235 were built. This was the third of those 84, and it was the first Chapron cabriolet. It was on the stand in Geneva and was first owned by Willy Breitling (and was later titled in his famed watch company’s name). It has not been restored and has an estimate of $142,000-$185,000. Click here for more info.

Barzoi I

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1965 Fournier-Marcadier Barzoi

Offered by Osenat | Lyon, France | November 12, 2023

Photo – Osenat

The André Marcadier and Marcel Fournier partnership produced some interesting cars. First there was the Barquette, which was an open-top race car, which was also France’s first kit car. The Barzoi, which was introduced in 1965, was kind of a coupe version of the Barquette.

It has gullwing doors and a fiberglass body. Various engines could be fitted as they were sold as kits, and this one has a Renault 8 Gordini inline-four (displacement unknown). Output is estimated at 150 horsepower.

This car was discovered by its owner still in kit form and subsequently completed in 1990. It’s since been used on various European rallies. Fournier-Marcadier followed up later with a Barzoi 2, which looks more like a spaceship than a sequel to this sporty little thing. The estimate here is $32,000-$42,000. Click here for more.

Francon Cyclecar

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1923 Francon Type F1

Offered by Osenat | Lyon, France | November 12, 2023

Photo – Osenat

The Francon was produced by Truelle et Compagnie in France between 1922 and 1926. They were cyclecars – light runabouts. Beginning in 1923, they upgraded a bit with a larger, more modern engine. But modern wasn’t necessarily the company’s strong point. The earliest cars had wooden chassis!

This 1923 model has a two-stroke inline-twin of 664cc capacity. The water-cooled engine featured both cylinders cast in as a pair with aluminum pistons and a rated output of 14 horsepower. Top speed was 40 mph. The pictures are lacking, but apparently these had some kind of friction disc transmission?

This car was previously owned by a museum and was restored prior to 1994, when it was purchased by the current owner. Subsequent work was never completed, so the car has been a parked project for some time. This car has an estimate of $5,000-$7,500. Click here for more info.