Mathis (automobile)

Mathis is a automobile mark French created by Emile Mathis and which produced vehicles of 1905 to 1946.

Emile Mathis was initially distributer of cars of various marks with Strasbourg, city then occupied by the Germany. He joined Ettore Bugatti to build vehicles Mathis Hermes Simplex of 40,60, and 90 ch à l' machines Graffenstaden. In 1907 the associates separated and Mathis made build a vast factory in Strasbourg. Bugatti was devoted then to the sport scars and of prestige, while Mathis turned to more popular vehicles.

The true Mathis cars left in 1910, the production being centered on light models of 1500 cm ³. The great time of Mathis started later after the return of Strasbourg to France. He quickly became the 4th French manufacturer with models intended to compete with Citroen like the types P then SB. After 1927, the choice of Mathis was to propose one model at a given time. The type MY had a considerable success and was produced the most of all the models.

To try to transpose this success on the high-end, Mathis launched the line of the Emysix (6 cylinders and 11CV) powerful but lighter than competition. Then it studied a car more compact than the MY: PY appeared in 1931. It is the time when Mathis equipped its cars with the improvements brought back of the United States as the bridge to hypoid teeth which will be essential later after 1945. The crisis concentrated the efforts on a modern 8CV, the Emyquatre .

It is the golden age for the mark which employs to 15.000 people in its factories of the Meinau between 1925 and 1935.

At the end of 1934, Mathis was combined with Ford to form the group Matford and to build at the same time Mathis vehicles and Ford vehicles. But the Mathis small sizes disappeared and association ended in 1940. Expatriate in the United States, Mathis created the Matam subsidiary company which took part in the effort of war.

Returned to France in 1946, Mathis had two futuristic projects of tractions before: the 333 light, aerodynamic car with 3 wheels with engine and the 666 studied by R. Andreau, top-of-the-range with one 6 cylinders flat. But they did not have a continuation and the mark disappeared in 1950.

Mathis VEL 333

Mathis having left to the United States, this model was studied under the occupation since 1940 per Jean Andréau and Raymond Georges. It was drawn by Flaminio Bertoni (the designer of the Citroen Traction Before, Citroen 2CV, DS and Ami 6) which had projected on its side a vehicle with three wheels called V 3R for house ERSA of Courbevoie. The MATHIS 333 was manufactured with less than ten specimens. " VEL" for light Economic Vehicle. " 333" for 3 wheels, 3 places, 3 liters with the hundred kilometers (makes 3,5 l/100 of them). To reduce consumption it is necessary to make light, with little resistance from bearing and small a Cx: hull aluminum, three wheels, aerodynamic body (Cx 0,285) out of aluminum. Front traction, driving twin-cylinder flat 700 cm ³. Mathis was a partisan of the technical innovations, into practice putting its slogan “the weight, here is the enemy! ” by developing the first engines entirely in Aluminum and the first boxes with four speeds.

Documentation

Re-examined aluminum , n° 119, February 1946
Gasoline , n° 120, févier 2006, “Mathis 333 the girl of the air”

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