Automobiles ERAD (''Études et Réalisations du Douaisis'', "Concepts and Executions of Douai") was a French manufacturer of

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are often ...

s. The company was founded by Daniel Renard in 1975, in

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

in northern France. Renard did not have a secondary education, but opened a small garage in

in 1967. He built a three-wheeled microcar in his spare time, which gained the attention of a local newspaper. This led to an order of another car by a reader, and the company was born. Series production began in 1978, after the company had moved to bigger premises in the nearby town of

Aniche Aniche (; pcd, In-niche) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The commune, located in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining area, long lived on the mining of coal with fourteen pits on its territory. Ele ...

. In 1979 nearly 2400 vehicles were built, while in 1980 employees built 2640. Production came to and end in 1997 (after company funds had been misappropriated by a manager), when Savel (also located in Aniche) bought the company. In total, about 30,000 ERADs were built, of which 800 were electrical vehicles.

Models

ERAD's first model was the Capucine, a plastic-bodied single-seater. It was long, wide, tall, and weighed . There was an improved model which had almost the same body but with a wider track of . The vehicle was equipped with a

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

, 47 cc single-cylinder engine from

Sachs Sachs is a German surname, meaning "man from Saxony". Sachs is a common surname among Ashkenazi Jews from Saxony, in the United States sometimes adopted in the variant Zaks, supposedly in reference to the Hebrew phrase ''Zera Kodesh Shemo'' (ZaKS), ...

. There were two types: front wheel drive and rear wheel drive. The FWD had a controversial

Motobécane Motobécane was a French manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and other small vehicles, established in 1923. "Motobécane" is a compound of "moto", short for motorcycle; "bécane" is slang for "bike." Motobécane is a different co ...

50-cc

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

with a contra piston working as a crankcase compressor, enabling lower engine speeds but more torque. There was seating for two people and a boot which could be used for shopping or other modest baggage. In 1981 this was joined by a 123 cc engine from BCB and a 290 cc diesel engine from Farymann. There was also a handicap version of the Capucine, where the rear of the car was made up of a large door which swung to the side, allowing wheelchair entry via a small ramp. Later, 360 cc Petters AC1 diesels were installed. The Capucine was facelifted in 1984 and gained a convertible model as well as a four-seater. ERAD Midget at Emirates National Auto Museum

ERAD Midget at Emirates National Auto Museum

In 1982 the ERAD Midget appeared, a long replica of the 1936

MG Midget The MG Midget is a small two-seater sports car produced by MG from 1961 to 1979. It revived a name that had been used on earlier models such as the MG M-type, MG D-type, MG J-type and MG T-type. MG Midget MkI (1961–64) The first version, a ...

, weighing in at . It has live, leaf-sprung axles front and rear, and drum brakes all around. A 125 cc two-stroke petrol engine or a 600 cc diesel unit were available, but only 24 were built. In 1988 the ERAD Junior appeared, a new low-price model using the headlights from the

Peugeot 205 The Peugeot 205 is a supermini (B-segment) car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1983 to 1999. It was declared "car of the decade" by ''CAR Magazine'' in 1990. It also won ''What Car?s Car of the Year for 1984. The 205 was intro ...

. The eye-catching Junior only has one forward-folding door, a large unit which includes the roof of the car. Next followed the 1990 Spacia, similar in appearance to the

Renault Twingo The Renault Twingo is a four-seater passenger city car manufactured and marketed by the French auto-maker Renault, introduced in 1992 and currently in its third generation. The first generation Twingo (two door, front engine) debuted at the Pa ...

. This was available with diesel engines of up to 505 cc or an electrical motor. ERAD's last new car was the two-seat Agora, presented in 1993.

End of production

After ERAD suffered financial troubles due to managerial misconduct, Renard started a new company called

SECMA SECMA (Société d'Etude et de Construction de Mecanique Automobile) is a French automobile manufacturer located in Aniche, France. History The company was founded by Daniel Renard in 1995. His first microcar business was Automobiles ERAD, founded ...

in 1995. Soon thereafter, in 1997, the ERAD factory was sold to the newly created Savel company. Savel was itself liquidated in 2002, and Renard was able to buy back most of his old firm, reincorporating it into SECMA.

External links

SECMA's website
Daniel Renard's current company. Still offers parts for ERAD vehicles.

References

{{Automotive industry in France Car manufacturers of France Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Microcars Electric vehicle industry French brands Quadricycles Douai