The animated story of France
Regularly, I hear rumors that one of the French manufacturers are playing with the idea of entering the US car market It is possible that they are simply public relations ploys, since I'm not sure that most, if not all, remember past attempts to crack this market.
In past years, many French companies have opened a store here and they've all given up as a bad idea, here are the French brands that are coming and going.
RENAULT - The story that the first Renault to reach these shores after World War II was the 4CV and its design was done by Ferdinand Porsche designer of the VW Beetle while being held in a French prison as that Nazi collaborator, he was bailed fleeced some say by his son Ferry, the man who designed and developed the first Porsche 4CV was very like VW with a top 40 style Plymouth threw they appear here in the 40s and sold OK because they were cheap and delivered up to 50 MPG He was replaced by 59 Dauphine, a version slicked-up of its predecessor that really caught here Renault sold a plethora of models in the United States over the years I had treated me like Corvair-R-8 but its angular the Car could have been called the Flop in the early 80 Renault possessed nearly half of the floundering American Motors Corporation And his model 9 and 11 sedans were made here and tagged Alliance four doors and two full doors Many owners drove the Labe annoyance and Renault saw the writing on the wall, sold its US holdings in Chrysler in the 80s and stopped marketing cars here.
CITROEN - In there was ever an automaker that has made cars that seemed unsuited to the American market, Citroen was the first I remember was the famous Traction Avant sedan front-wheel drive that looked for all the world like a miniature 34 Ford classic French film students will recognize as the low-traditional French cop car the car was here sporadically friend had one for two years and 49 years, he was complimented by the odd Citroen 2CV, a back- to bases sedan that looked like the result of the mating of a corrugated tool shed and a VW Beetle with a two-cylinder engine, air-cooled, 12 horsepower, it has become even more connected than the VW and today dozens of them rest in an enclave of Berkeley over the same time in 55 years, Citroën DS 19 saloon, a low-drag streamlined sedan that comport ed so many self-leveling suspension innovations, electric disc brakes, the construction of the crumple zone, etc., it was a car that was ahead of its similarly-time updates followed, but the Americans weren t buy this expensive and Citroen radical left our shores in 75.
PEUGEOT - We can t accuse Peugeot of being Johnny-come-lately, the company produced its first four cars there 99 years official import of Peugeot in the United States began in 1958 and the first to come was the model 403 , slightly bulbous Americanized sedan that sported a four-cylinder engine, a spacious interior and a differential gear worm I mention the last item because as a mechanic, I did not understand how to create one the company has also imported a coupe cabriolet coupled nearby that television fans of the old series of Colombo mystery recognize the drummer smoking that star Peter Falk used as personal transport 403 was followed by the 404 natural, 504 and 505 and a smaller front wheel 405 in 89 But even the very intelligent television advertising couldn t pump sales in the US face the Juggernaut japo nese and Peugeot went home in 91.
SIMCA - Originally a bit more of an Italian Fiat with a different badge, Simcas has a French flavor defined in the 50s when they began arriving in this country in any number of about 50, I remember they were well received his Aronde sedan was light, elegant and agile - although no fireball - but it was his sport 8 convertible that was the star of the May issue of the track road 1950 he presented in its lounge section and Motor Trend that year and month enthused as the most exclusive cars on the market's initial popularity Simca faded pretty quickly that the name and production facilities in France through several ownerships over the years and, although his last car, 1100 1118 1204, was a good seller in France, he was just another small econobox-drive by the company fell into the clutches of Chrysler in the mid 70s and things went bad to worse Chrysler has finally sold the whole shebang at Peugeot-Citroen conglomerate and 81 the name t oo disappeared.
PANHARD - The Panhard was first brought to this country, Dyna was a little curious aerodynamic sedan which was quite spacious and technically very advanced, it was almost entirely of aluminum and its two-cylinder, 42 horse power steam, engine air cooled drove the front wheels, it appeared in a small number in the early 50s, but it didn t make much impact on the US market because it was too radical for the time and not many imported car dealers has established the franchise a friend, Glenn became a dealer and sold two or three of them to lunatic fringe fans of foreign cars before the mark disappeared a few years later.
There were other French brands have been introduced in this country in the early days of the Alps, Bugatti, Delahaye, Facel-Vega, Hotchkiss and Talbot-Lago are those that come to mind, but they were for the most exotic species that have never been fodder for large showrooms.
It is unlikely that the French automotive industry will make a new attempt in the US market as the French cuisine to Americans, French automobiles are an acquired taste.
HISTORY OF FRENCH CAR IN US, history, french, cars.