Gillet Herstal was a Belgian

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s and

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

s based in

Herstal Herstal (; wa, Hesta), formerly known as Heristal, or Héristal, is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. It lies along the Meuse river. Herstal is included in the "Greater Liège" agglomeration, which c ...

Company history

Started in 1919 as with the production of motorcycles, Gillet Herstal ended its production in 1959.

Automotive

From 1928 to 1929 Gillet Herstal produced a three-wheeled car, which was equipped with a motorcycle engine. On 22 September 1929 in

Malle Malle () is a municipality located in the Campine region of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Oostmalle and Westmalle. In 2021, Malle had a total population of 15,620. The total area is 51.99 km2. ...

, one of these vehicles held the

land speed record The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...

in the

Cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. A key ...

500 category, the speed was 117.647 km/h.

References

* Kupélian, Yvette; Jacques Kupélian, Jacques Sirtaine: ''Histoire de l’automobile belge''. Paul Legrain, Brüssel, , Paris, . (in French) Motorcycles by brand Motorcycle manufacturers of Belgium Companies based in Liège Province Herstal {{motorcycle-stub