Carrosserie Pourtout
Encyclopedia
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
. Founded by Marcel Pourtout in 1925, the firm is best known for its work in the decades prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when it created distinctive and prestigious bodies for cars from numerous European manufacturers. Pre-war
Pre-war
The term pre-war or prewar is usually applied to the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.Antebellum is most often used to denote the period before the American Civil War while pre-war typically refers to the period before WWII.In real estate the term refers to buildings from the...
Pourtout bodies were mainly one-off, bespoke
Bespoke
Bespoke is a term employed in a variety of applications to mean an item custom-made to the buyer's specification...
creations, typically aerodynamic and sporting in character. Among the company's customers was Georges Clémenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
, the physician and journalist who served as the prime minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and 1917 to 1920.
The firm later turned to designs for industry and publicity.
Carrosserie Pourtout ceased its creative operations in 1994 but survives to the present day as a vehicle body repair shop.
Before and during World War II
Bougival
Bougival is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center....
and a workforce of twelve. His wife Henriette looked after the firm’s finances. Hard work and plentiful orders allowed repayment of Carrosserie Pourtout’s start-up loans in just a few years, and in 1928 the premises were enlarged.
In 1936 Pourtout expanded again, taking over the Hurtu
Hurtu
Hurtu was a pioneering French car made by Diligeon et Cie based in Albert, Somme from 1896 to 1930. As well as cars, the company also made sewing machines and bicycles....
factory workshops in Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located 12.6 kilometers from the center of Paris.-Name:...
. Here the staff, which then numbered fifteen, could produce small production runs of coachwork, in addition to the one-offs.
Until World War II, Carrosserie Pourtout's creations were exhibited at the annual Salon de l'Automobile de Paris
Mondial de l'Automobile
The Paris Motor Show is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held around October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show was the first motor show in the world, started in 1898 by industry pioneer, Albert de Dion. The show...
.
At the beginning of the war, before France fell to the Germans, the firm made ambulances on Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
chassis.
In 1941 Marcel Pourtout was appointed Mayor of Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located 12.6 kilometers from the center of Paris.-Name:...
(Hauts-de-Seine) in 1941, as it was customary at the time to choose someone who headed a business. (He held the post until 1944; and again from 1947 to 1971.)
In 1942 the occupying forces requisitioned Pourtout's workshops, partially demolishing them when they left. Also in 1942 the Nazis executed the firm's prewar designer, Georges Paulin
Georges Paulin
Georges Paulin was a dentist, part-time automobile designer and hero of the French Resistance during the Second World War. He was born 1902 in a working class section of Paris....
(see below), as a member of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and an agent of British Intelligence.
After World War II
Altogether, taking into account the firm's work both before and after World War II, Carrosserie Pourtout designed and built bodies on chassis from at least twenty manufacturers, namely: Voisin
Gabriel Voisin
Gabriel Voisin was an aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained , circular, controlled flight, including take-off and landing. It was flown by Henry Farman on January 13, 1908 near Paris, France...
, Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
, Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
, Panhard
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
, Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss et Cie
Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and car company established by United States engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, who was born in Watertown, Connecticut. He moved to France and set up a factory, first at Viviez near Rodez in 1867, then at Saint-Denis near...
, Bugatti
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
, Lorraine, Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
, Unic
Unic
Unic was a French car manufacturer firm founded by Georges Richard in 1906 after having left Richard-Brasier. Société anonyme des automobiles UNIC was established in Puteaux with two-cylinder and four-cylinder models. The 1943 cc 12 CV four-cylinder model was extremely successful and...
, Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
, Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
, Delage
Delage
Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:...
, Delahaye
Delahaye
Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...
, Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
, Delaunay-Belleville
Delaunay-Belleville
Automobiles Delaunay-Belleville was a French luxury automobile manufacturer from Saint-Denis, France, north of Paris. At the beginning of the 20th century they were among the most prestigious cars produced in the world, and perhaps the most desirable French marque.Julien Belleville had been a maker...
, Talbot-Lago
Talbot-Lago
Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago...
, Healey
Healey
Healey may refer to:Automobiles* Healey , various car manufacturers and models bearing the Healey namePeople* Healey , people with the surname Healey* Mike Healey, a fictional character from Neighbours...
, Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
and Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
.
Collaboration with Emile Darl'mat and Georges Paulin
At the end of 1933 Peugeot’s Paris concessionaire Emile Darl'matDarl'mat
Emile Darl'mat was the creator and owner of a Peugeot distributor with a car body business established at the rue de l'Université in Paris, France in 1923. In the 1930s the firm gained prominence as a low volume manufacturer of Peugeot based sports cars...
introduced Marcel Pourtout to Georges Paulin
Georges Paulin
Georges Paulin was a dentist, part-time automobile designer and hero of the French Resistance during the Second World War. He was born 1902 in a working class section of Paris....
, a dentist with a flair for coachwork design. He became Pourtout’s designer.
Richard Adatto, author of a book on French aerodynamic styling of the era, has been quoted as saying: "Paulin became the leading French stylist of the time...Everything he touched was designed with aerodynamics in mind. He was very conscious of fuel efficiencies and the aerodynamic efficiencies that could be created by the lines of the car. You could go faster, which meant you could put a smaller engine in the car and it could go faster even though it was a small car."
Georges Paulin
Georges Paulin was a dentist, part-time automobile designer and hero of the French Resistance during the Second World War. He was born 1902 in a working class section of Paris....
roof, a design of retractable hardtop that had a special mechanism, patented in Paulin's name, to stow it out of sight in the car’s boot. Carrosserie Pourtout produced Eclipse versions of the Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
301, 401, 402 and 601, the Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
Belna, and models from Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss et Cie
Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and car company established by United States engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, who was born in Watertown, Connecticut. He moved to France and set up a factory, first at Viviez near Rodez in 1867, then at Saint-Denis near...
and Panhard
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
.
For the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans
1937 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 14th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 19 and 20 June 1937.This race saw the death of two drivers in a single accident...
endurance race Carrosserie Pourtout collaborated with Emile Darl'Mat to create the bodies for three identical cars that utilized modified Peugeot 402 engines in modified 302 chassis. In the 1937 race The Darl'mat Roadsters placed 7th, 8th and 10th overall. They returned the following year
1938 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 15th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18 1938.-Official results:-Did Not Finish:-Statistics:* Fastest Lap - #19 Raymond Sommer - 5:13.8* Distance - 3180.94 km...
, and the entry driven by De Cortanze won the under-2 litre class.
In 1937 and 1938 Carrosserie Pourtout made a road-going version of the Le Mans cars, the Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat "Spécial Sport", which had a total production run of 106.
Major prewar works
DELAGE
| Type | Dates | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Types unidentified | 1927 to 1939 | 5 |
| D1 12 | January 1937 to November 1937 | 3 |
| D6 60 | January 1937 | 1 |
| D 6 70 | January 1937 to October 1938 | 31 |
| D 6 75 | Oct. 1938 to Sept. 1940 | 21 |
| D 8 120 | October 1937 to October 1938 | 3 |
LANCIA
| Type | Dates | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Dilambda | September 1931 | 2 |
| Belna | December 1934 to April 1937 | 326 (including 209 convertibles) |
| Ardennes | September 1937 to July 1939 | 36 |
| Astura | March 1939 | 1 |
PEUGEOT 402 Darl'mat
| Type | Dates | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Roadster | September 1936 to June 1939 | 54 |
| Cabriolet | September 1937 to June 1939 | 32 |
| Coupé | June 1937 to August 1938 | 20 |
RENAULT Saprar
| Type | Dates | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Primaquatre Sport Roadster | September 1938 to June 1939 | 10 |
| Primaquatre Sport Cabriolet | March 1939 to July 1939 | 15 |
| Primaquatre Sport Coach | October 1938 | 1 |