Autobleu
Encyclopedia
Autobleu was a small, short-lived French
automobile maker based in Paris
.
The company was established in 1950 by Maurice Mestivier and Roger Lepeytre. Its original business involved manufacturing components which buyers could use to make their Renault 4CV
s go faster. The Renault 4 CV was France’s best selling car at this time, and its advertised power output was increased to 17 hp (13 kW) for 1950. The company became known for manufacturing an improved inlet manifold for the little Renault and coupling this with an appropriately adapted carburettor.
The Renault 4 CV stayed at the top of the sales charts for some years and business must have flourished for Autobleu. In May 1953 the press were summoned and the company presented a small stylish luxurious coupé car based on the mechanical underpinnings of the Renault 4CV. The body had been designed and put together by Ghia of Turin
. The car used a steel frame but coated with aluminium panels. The aluminium industry had been developed rapidly in connection with aircraft construction during the Second World War period, and in the 1950s several French and UK car manufacturers made extensive use of aluminium panels, although the material fell out of favour in the later 1950s as aluminium prices increased, and the reluctance of customers to pay the extra for aluminium bodies cars may have played a part in the company's demise, just as it damaged the market for the better remembered Hotchkiss Grégoire
and the later Panhard cars.
The Autobleu’s body incorporated several futuristic styling cues including far less discrete air inlets ahead of the read wheel arches then were featured by the Renault 4 CV. These resembled the equivalent air inlets that would be adapted by Renault themselves for their new Dauphine
model when launched in 1956.
The engine was the familiar 747 cc unit from the Renault 4 CV from which, in this application, a maximum of 25 hp of output had been coaxed, supported by the Autobleu hallmark inlet manifold and an adapted Solex carbureter. A maximum speed of 115 km/h (71 mph) was claimed. The emphasis was on style and elegance rather than on out-and-out performance. Nevetheless, in later cars the 747 cc engine was replaced by the 845 cc unit from the Renault Dauphine.
The engine was positioned at the back of the car and was water-cooled; as on the Renault, the radiator was mounted between the engine block and the passenger cabin. The three-speed gear box was also located, with the engine, behind the cabin.
The car shared the 2100 mm wheelbase of the Renault 4CV
, but at 3750 mm the Autobleu was approximately 9 cm (3½ inches) longer.
The Autobleu itself went into production towards the end of 1953. There also appears to have been a larger model based on the chassis of the larger Renault Fregate
although it is not clear if this ever went into production. By 1958 Autobleu was no longer listed as an automaker.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
automobile maker based in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The company was established in 1950 by Maurice Mestivier and Roger Lepeytre. Its original business involved manufacturing components which buyers could use to make their Renault 4CV
Renault 4CV
The Renault 4CV was an economy car produced by the French manufacturer Renault from August 1947-July 1961. The first French car to sell over a million units, the 4CV was ultimately superseded by the Renault Dauphine....
s go faster. The Renault 4 CV was France’s best selling car at this time, and its advertised power output was increased to 17 hp (13 kW) for 1950. The company became known for manufacturing an improved inlet manifold for the little Renault and coupling this with an appropriately adapted carburettor.
The Renault 4 CV stayed at the top of the sales charts for some years and business must have flourished for Autobleu. In May 1953 the press were summoned and the company presented a small stylish luxurious coupé car based on the mechanical underpinnings of the Renault 4CV. The body had been designed and put together by Ghia of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. The car used a steel frame but coated with aluminium panels. The aluminium industry had been developed rapidly in connection with aircraft construction during the Second World War period, and in the 1950s several French and UK car manufacturers made extensive use of aluminium panels, although the material fell out of favour in the later 1950s as aluminium prices increased, and the reluctance of customers to pay the extra for aluminium bodies cars may have played a part in the company's demise, just as it damaged the market for the better remembered Hotchkiss Grégoire
Hotchkiss Grégoire
The Grégoire is a luxury car produced from 1950 to 1953 by the French automaker 'Hotchkiss, although the design had probably been virtually finalised, at least on paper, a few years earlier. In 1950s France the Grégoire would have been seen as a large car....
and the later Panhard cars.
The Autobleu’s body incorporated several futuristic styling cues including far less discrete air inlets ahead of the read wheel arches then were featured by the Renault 4 CV. These resembled the equivalent air inlets that would be adapted by Renault themselves for their new Dauphine
Renault Dauphine
Renault Dauphine is a rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in one body style — a three-box, four-door sedan — as the successor to the Renault 4CV, with over two million examples marketed worldwide during its production from 1956-1967....
model when launched in 1956.
The engine was the familiar 747 cc unit from the Renault 4 CV from which, in this application, a maximum of 25 hp of output had been coaxed, supported by the Autobleu hallmark inlet manifold and an adapted Solex carbureter. A maximum speed of 115 km/h (71 mph) was claimed. The emphasis was on style and elegance rather than on out-and-out performance. Nevetheless, in later cars the 747 cc engine was replaced by the 845 cc unit from the Renault Dauphine.
The engine was positioned at the back of the car and was water-cooled; as on the Renault, the radiator was mounted between the engine block and the passenger cabin. The three-speed gear box was also located, with the engine, behind the cabin.
The car shared the 2100 mm wheelbase of the Renault 4CV
Renault 4CV
The Renault 4CV was an economy car produced by the French manufacturer Renault from August 1947-July 1961. The first French car to sell over a million units, the 4CV was ultimately superseded by the Renault Dauphine....
, but at 3750 mm the Autobleu was approximately 9 cm (3½ inches) longer.
The Autobleu itself went into production towards the end of 1953. There also appears to have been a larger model based on the chassis of the larger Renault Fregate
Renault Frégate
The Renault Frégate is a full-size or executive car produced by the French automaker Renault between 1951 and 1960.-Origins:The Frégate was conceived in the years immediately following World War II...
although it is not clear if this ever went into production. By 1958 Autobleu was no longer listed as an automaker.
Sources and further reading
- Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader: Die große Automobil-Enzyklopädie. BLV, München 1986, ISBN 3-405-12974-5