Henri Pigozzi
Encyclopedia
Henri Pigozzi (26 June 1898 – 18 November 1964), a car merchant and industrialist, was born as Enrico Teodoro Pigozzi in Turin
, Italy
.
In 1912 his father disappeared, leaving Pigozzi to take responsibility for his mother, his sister, and a small transport business.
After the war he secured the distribution rights for British and US motorcycles in the Piedmont
region, selling surplus machines from the military stocks of the allied armies. Between 1920 and 1922 he worked for a firm that imported coal from the Saarland
. In 1924 he set up his own business, importing scrap steel from France
which was needed by the Piedmontese steel mills. The principal customer for steel in the region was Fiat and in 1922 Pigozzi was introduced to Giovanni Agnelli
, the owner of Fiat
. Agnelli was particularly interested in Pogizzi because at the time he was looking for a general commercial representative in France. Pigozzi was already familiar with the French industrial scene, and in 1926, when aged only 28, Pigozzi was appointed as Fiat's General Representative in France.
In the same year, he established a new distributing company named SAFAF (Société Anonyme Français des Automobiles FIAT) in Suresnes
(near Paris
) for importing and later, for assembling Italian Fiat cars. From 1928 to 1934, about 30,000 FIATs were assembled and sold by him.
Pigozzi bought the premises of the defunct Donnet-Zédel
car manufacturing company and on November 2, 1934, he established Société Industrielle de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile, known as Simca
, at Nanterre
.
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In 1912 his father disappeared, leaving Pigozzi to take responsibility for his mother, his sister, and a small transport business.
After the war he secured the distribution rights for British and US motorcycles in the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
region, selling surplus machines from the military stocks of the allied armies. Between 1920 and 1922 he worked for a firm that imported coal from the Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
. In 1924 he set up his own business, importing scrap steel from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
which was needed by the Piedmontese steel mills. The principal customer for steel in the region was Fiat and in 1922 Pigozzi was introduced to Giovanni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli was an Italian entrepreneur, who founded Fiat car manufacturing in 1899.-Early life:The son of Edoardo Agnelli and Aniceta Frisetti, he was born in Villar Perosa, a small town near Pinerolo, Piedmont, still the main home and burial place of the Agnelli family...
, the owner of 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...
. Agnelli was particularly interested in Pogizzi because at the time he was looking for a general commercial representative in France. Pigozzi was already familiar with the French industrial scene, and in 1926, when aged only 28, Pigozzi was appointed as Fiat's General Representative in France.
In the same year, he established a new distributing company named SAFAF (Société Anonyme Français des Automobiles FIAT) in Suresnes
Suresnes
Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
(near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) for importing and later, for assembling Italian Fiat cars. From 1928 to 1934, about 30,000 FIATs were assembled and sold by him.
Pigozzi bought the premises of the defunct Donnet-Zédel
Donnet
Donnet was a French manufacturing company of the early twentieth century. Founded as Donnet-Denhaut by Jérôme Donnet and François Denhaut at Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1914, the firm manufactured a highly-successful line of patrol flying boats for the French Navy...
car manufacturing company and on November 2, 1934, he established Société Industrielle de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile, known as 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...
, at Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
.
Sources
- Jean-Paul Rousseau und Jaques Rousseau: Simca Histoire d’une marque, Fontainebleau 1996 ISBN 2-84078-039-9