Rochet-Schneider was a French company, based in

Lyons Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, that produced

automobiles 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 regarded ...

between 1894 and 1932. The Rochet-Schneider sales slogan was "strength, simplicity and silence". Like other motorcars of the Brass Era, the cars made by Rochet-Schneider were largely intended for wealthy hobbyists and made use of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

fittings, pattern

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

, hand-crafted

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

and other expensive components.

Early period

Edouard Rochet and his father were

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

manufacturers before entering motorcar production. In 1894 they were joined by Théophile Schneider, a relative of the eponymous armaments family. Between 1895 and 1901, the company built approximately 240 single-cylinder cars " Benz-type" cars. At the 1901

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial ar ...

, the company introduced a range of two and four-cylinder cars. Around 1903, these were redesigned along similar lines to Mercedes.

Rochet-Schneider Ltd.

By this time, Rochet-Schneider had become one of the most respected car manufacturers in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1904 the company was sold for 4.5 million

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

and a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-based company called "Rochet-Schneider Ltd." was formed. Production averaged less than 250 cars a year and by late 1907 the company was in liquidation.

Carburateurs Zenith

Théophile Schneider bought the company bearing his name and a subsidiary called "

Société du carburateur Zénith (French for ''Zenith carburetor company'') was a French corporation specialized in the making of carburettors for both automotive and aerospace industries. Created in Lyon in 1909 by car manufacturer Rochet-Schneider, it was taken over in 1970 ...

" was formed. Schneider produced a range of high-quality cars and commercial vehicles for several years.

Post war

Following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the company offered 12, 18 and 30 hp cars. By 1923 the whole range was fitted with overhead valve engines of entirely new design and a variety of

coachwork A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

styles. Rochet-Schneider took a stand at the 20th Paris Motor Show in October 1926, and exhibited their five model range. Prices quoted below are the manufacturers' prices for cars in "bare chassis" form, leaving the customer to make his own arrangements in respect of a car body: *Rochet-Schneider 12CV 4-cylinder side-valve engine: wheelbase priced at 42,000 francs *Rochet-Schneider 14CV 4-cylinder side-valve engine: wheelbase priced at 55,000 francs *Rochet-Schneider 18CV 4-cylinder side-valve engine: wheelbase priced at 50,000 francs *Rochet-Schneider 20CV 6-cylinder side-valve engine: wheelbase priced at 79,000 francs *Rochet-Schneider 30CV 6-cylinder side-valve engine: wheelbase priced at 67,000 francs From the mid-1920s onwards the company placed growing emphasis on commercial vehicles although passenger cars were still being sold and still being exhibited on the manufacturer's stand at the 25th Paris Motor Show in October 1931, the manufacturer's last new model being the formidable Rochet-Schneider 26CV with a large 6-cylinder engine of approximately 5-litres displacement along with dual ignition and servo brakes. Rochet-Schneider was bought by Berliet, another

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

based company, by that time known as a manufacturer of

locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...

and commercial vehicles, following the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Examples

There is a 1900 Rochet-Schneider on display at Larz Anderson Auto Museum in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and ...

References

External links

Rochet-Schneider bus in Pori-Karvia-line, Finland, 1925
{{Authority control Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1894 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars Brass Era vehicles Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Manufacturing companies based in Lyon Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1932 1894 establishments in France 1932 disestablishments in France Truck manufacturers of France