Reyonnah is a former

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

automaker. It produced 16 cycle-car style vehicles between 1951 and 1954.

The name

The company was established by a Parisian called Robert Hannoyer. Its name was the

ananym An anadrome is a word whose spelling is derived by reversing the spelling of another word. It is therefore a special type of anagram. There is a long history of names being coined as ananyms of existing words or names for entities related to the ...

of its founder's name.

The product

The only model was a small four-wheeled vehicle with a relatively wide track at the front and a narrow track at the rear. The vehicle offered space for two, seated one behind the other, following the same basic lay-out as the better known Messerschmitt “Bubble-car”. Weather protection came from a hood which could be partially opened to expose only the driver to the weather (in a style dubbed "a la Milord" by at least one commentator) or fully folded back if the passenger in the back also wished to travel roofless. A single-cylinder engine from AMC or

Ydral List Notes *a. Also advertised in publicity material with Ydral 125 cc or Sachs 200 cc or Maico 250 cc engines. The 250 cc version has four wheels, all others have three. *b. One other model was listed in publicit ...

of 175 cc or 125 cc powered the rear axle via a three speed manual gear box and a chain drive mechanism. An unusual feature of the front wheels was that when parked their supporting structure could be folded towards the centre of the car so that the parked vehicles had a curiously raised nose but a front track (corresponding in this case with the vehicle's overall width) of only 750 mm, enabling it to park in a space little wider than a motorbike slot. For travelling, the front wheels had to be folded out, increasing the front track to a more stable 1320 mm.

Performance

Hannoyer's enthusiasm kept his small car alive and appearing at the Paris Motor Show for at least three years from 1950 till 1952 during which the car failed to attract customers in the numbers for which he had hoped. Five days after the salon doors closed in October 1952 he took a special light-weight Reyonnah 175 to the Montlhéry circuit of which he had previously made a study. The vehicle peaked at a speed above 100 km/h (63 mph) and achieved an average speed of 96.67 km/h (59 mph) during a non-stop run of .

Sources

G.N. Georgano George Nicolas "Nick" Georgano (29 February 1932 – 22 October 2017Nick Georgano
Alvis Archive Bl ...

: ''Autos. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours.'' Courtille, 1975 (French)

External links

Internetseite des GTÜ
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Car manufacturers of France {{classicpow-auto-stub