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Auction archive: Lot number 121

Originally the property of Sir Stanley Ward, British Consul in Cannes 1929 Rochet-Schneider 20hp Type 2900 Saloon Coachwork by Billeter & Cartier Chassis no. 29038 Engine no. 29000

Estimate
€0
Price realised:
€103,500
ca. US$152,645
Auction archive: Lot number 121

Originally the property of Sir Stanley Ward, British Consul in Cannes 1929 Rochet-Schneider 20hp Type 2900 Saloon Coachwork by Billeter & Cartier Chassis no. 29038 Engine no. 29000

Estimate
€0
Price realised:
€103,500
ca. US$152,645
Beschreibung:

Colour: Royal Blue with cream leather interior Cylinders: 6; 3,754cc Gears: 4 + reverse Based at Chemin-Feuillat in Lyon, Rochet-Schneider was one of Les Grands Marques of the Edwardian period in France. The firm was so called because it was initially run by the Rochets, father and son, together with Théophile Schneider, a member of the eponymous armaments manufacturing family. Originally bicycle manufacturers, Société Anonyme des Établissements Rochet-Schneider built its first automobile in 1894 and in 1901 at the Paris Salon exhibited two cars of Panhard configuration. However, by this time the most advanced design was the German Mercedes, so for 1903 the Lyonnaise cars were redesigned along Mercedes lines. From the introduction of that year’s 20/22hp model, Rochet-Schneider’s reputation as the builder of strong, fast cars grew rapidly. The issue of The Autocar for 11th April 1903 reported that Rochet-Schneiders had finished first and second at Nice, ‘over some of the most difficult roads it was possible to select...’ and then won an ACF 100-miles non-stop certificate. Despite having risen to become one of the most respected motor manufacturers in France, the company was sold in 1904 and ‘Rochet-Schneider Ltd’ set up in London. This successor company would ultimately prove a failure and in 1907 went into liquidation. At this point Théophile Schneider returned to reclaim the company bearing his name, setting up a subsidiary, ‘Carburateurs Zenith’, soon afterwards. Under Schneider’s direction the firm returned to producing high quality cars and commercial vehicles. An important seal of approval was gained for the reconstituted firm’s products when in 1911 the President of France, Raymond Poincaré, chose a Rochet-Schneider for his official duties. In the years immediately after WWI, Rochet-Schneider continued with what were well proven but essentially conservative designs. Overhead-valve engines featured in the range from 1923 onwards, and towards the decade’s end the firm concentrated on producing a range of refined six-cylinder cars including the 20hp ‘2900’ model. These sixes would be Rochet’s passenger-car swansong. Hard hit by the Depression, the company concentrated exclusively on commercial vehicles from 1932 onwards and in 1951 was bought by erstwhile rivals Berliet. Believed to date from 1929, this late 20hp Rochet-Schneider retains its original extremely handsome and commodious owner/driver coachwork by the Lyonnaise coachbuilder, Billeter & Cartier, which was by this stage closely associated with the car manufacturer. It is understood that the completed car was exhibited at the Paris Show that same year. Shortly afterwards, this superb touring saloon was purchased by Sir Stanley Ward, the British Consul in Cannes, who registered the car in the UK with the number it still carries, ‘GH 1993’ and had it painted in coffee and cream livery with his monogram on the doors. An original dashboard plaque records Sir Stanley’s name and address, which was a legal requirement in France in those days. The car’s subsequent history is not known, but at the end of WW2 it was taken from the barn where it had lain hidden and brought to the UK where it remained preserved in unrestored condition until the mid-1980s. This highly original and matching-numbers car has since been the subject of a painstaking restoration, completed circa 1986, by the highly regarded James E Pearce, of Wisborough Green. The quality of the work carried out was clearly to an exceptionally high standard as even 20-plus years later the car is difficult to fault cosmetically. It has a particularly well-appointed and tasteful interior incorporating intricate veneers, high quality carpets and carefully matched hides. Brightly upholstered, the cabin has a welcoming, light and airy feel about it, and one can imagine that Sir Stanley Ward’s journeys either to or along the Côte d’Azur were made all the more pleasurable by being carried in such style. Detail features rang

Auction archive: Lot number 121
Auction:
Datum:
9 Feb 2008
Auction house:
Bonhams London
Paris Expo
Beschreibung:

Colour: Royal Blue with cream leather interior Cylinders: 6; 3,754cc Gears: 4 + reverse Based at Chemin-Feuillat in Lyon, Rochet-Schneider was one of Les Grands Marques of the Edwardian period in France. The firm was so called because it was initially run by the Rochets, father and son, together with Théophile Schneider, a member of the eponymous armaments manufacturing family. Originally bicycle manufacturers, Société Anonyme des Établissements Rochet-Schneider built its first automobile in 1894 and in 1901 at the Paris Salon exhibited two cars of Panhard configuration. However, by this time the most advanced design was the German Mercedes, so for 1903 the Lyonnaise cars were redesigned along Mercedes lines. From the introduction of that year’s 20/22hp model, Rochet-Schneider’s reputation as the builder of strong, fast cars grew rapidly. The issue of The Autocar for 11th April 1903 reported that Rochet-Schneiders had finished first and second at Nice, ‘over some of the most difficult roads it was possible to select...’ and then won an ACF 100-miles non-stop certificate. Despite having risen to become one of the most respected motor manufacturers in France, the company was sold in 1904 and ‘Rochet-Schneider Ltd’ set up in London. This successor company would ultimately prove a failure and in 1907 went into liquidation. At this point Théophile Schneider returned to reclaim the company bearing his name, setting up a subsidiary, ‘Carburateurs Zenith’, soon afterwards. Under Schneider’s direction the firm returned to producing high quality cars and commercial vehicles. An important seal of approval was gained for the reconstituted firm’s products when in 1911 the President of France, Raymond Poincaré, chose a Rochet-Schneider for his official duties. In the years immediately after WWI, Rochet-Schneider continued with what were well proven but essentially conservative designs. Overhead-valve engines featured in the range from 1923 onwards, and towards the decade’s end the firm concentrated on producing a range of refined six-cylinder cars including the 20hp ‘2900’ model. These sixes would be Rochet’s passenger-car swansong. Hard hit by the Depression, the company concentrated exclusively on commercial vehicles from 1932 onwards and in 1951 was bought by erstwhile rivals Berliet. Believed to date from 1929, this late 20hp Rochet-Schneider retains its original extremely handsome and commodious owner/driver coachwork by the Lyonnaise coachbuilder, Billeter & Cartier, which was by this stage closely associated with the car manufacturer. It is understood that the completed car was exhibited at the Paris Show that same year. Shortly afterwards, this superb touring saloon was purchased by Sir Stanley Ward, the British Consul in Cannes, who registered the car in the UK with the number it still carries, ‘GH 1993’ and had it painted in coffee and cream livery with his monogram on the doors. An original dashboard plaque records Sir Stanley’s name and address, which was a legal requirement in France in those days. The car’s subsequent history is not known, but at the end of WW2 it was taken from the barn where it had lain hidden and brought to the UK where it remained preserved in unrestored condition until the mid-1980s. This highly original and matching-numbers car has since been the subject of a painstaking restoration, completed circa 1986, by the highly regarded James E Pearce, of Wisborough Green. The quality of the work carried out was clearly to an exceptionally high standard as even 20-plus years later the car is difficult to fault cosmetically. It has a particularly well-appointed and tasteful interior incorporating intricate veneers, high quality carpets and carefully matched hides. Brightly upholstered, the cabin has a welcoming, light and airy feel about it, and one can imagine that Sir Stanley Ward’s journeys either to or along the Côte d’Azur were made all the more pleasurable by being carried in such style. Detail features rang

Auction archive: Lot number 121
Auction:
Datum:
9 Feb 2008
Auction house:
Bonhams London
Paris Expo
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