Unic

Unic was a French manufacturer founded in 1905, and active as an automobile producer until July 1938. After this the company continued to produce commercial vehicles, retaining its independence for a further fourteen years before being purchased in 1952 by Henri Pigozzi, who was keen to develop Unic as a commercial vehicle arm of the then flourishing Simca business.

Origins

Unic was founded by Georges Richard after he left Richard-Brasier. In 1905 Richard had a meeting with the entrepreneur-financier Baron Henri de Rothschild and obtained funding for the creation of the "société anonyme des automobiles Unic", based at Puteaux.[1] The objective was to manufacture "unique" (rather than mainstream) vehicles, and at the start the company made only light cars and taxis with two-cylinder and four-cylinder engines.

The taxi business would remain important to Unic for more than three decades, while Rothschild's steady financial support through good times and bad, provided stability which sustained the business, critically during the immediate post-war years.

Growth and diversification

Although the manufacturer's initial range was restricted to light cars, their popularity as taxis led to the production of delivery vans and other small utility style vehicles.

Final year of car production

In March 1937 Unic updated their four-cylinder passenger car model for the last time, and for the 1937 October Motor Show the six-cylinder model was also given a more streamlined look, in line with the fashion of the time. By this time the passenger car range was down to just these two models. The Unic Type U4D was a four-cylinder 2,150 (12CV) car which featured overhead valves and offered a maximum output of 55 hp, supported by a robust, rather traditional chassis with a 3160 mm wheelbase. The imposing six-cylinder Unic Type U6C provided 85 hp from a 3,000 cc engine (17CV), transmitted via an electromagnetic "Cotal" preselector gear box, with a choice of wheelbase lengths between 3200 mm and 3370 mm.[6]

The appeal of Unic passenger cars by this time derived not from technical brilliance nor from stunning originality. Those who appreciated the cars were impressed by excellent reliability resulting from a meticulous approach taken during the production process. Also admired were their elegant spacious bodies, most of which came from the coach builder Letourneur et Marchand or from their subsidiary, Autobineau. Unic cars by now were not being sold in large numbers and this was reflected in the price. At the 1937 Motor Show the standard steel-bodied Unic Type U-4 D with its 12CV engine was priced at 53,750 francs (or 35,500 francs in bare chassis form).[6] The slightly more powerful 13CV Talbot Type T4 "Minor" was listed at 42,500 Francs (or 35,000 Francs in bare chassis form),[7] while from the top end of the Citroën range a long wheel base "familiale" version of the Traction 11CV Longue could be had for 28,900 francs including the body, while prototype testing was already well under way of a 2867 cc (15/16CV) version of the aggressively priced and marketed Citroën Traction.[8] Few customers in this class were willing to pay the price for the Unic's virtues of dependability, style and space, and Unic passenger car production ceased in July 1938.[6]

After 1938 Unic concentrated in the truck business, being one of the leading French makes. In 1966 it was taken over by the Italian company Fiat and eventually merged into Iveco in 1975.

foundation	1905
defunct	1938 (last automobiles manufactured: continued as a manufacturer of commercial vehicles) 1952 (sold to Simca)
location city	Puteaux, France
key people	Georges Richard (founder) Baron Henri de Rothschild (main investor)
products	Automobiles commercial vehicles

Origins

Growth and diversification

First truck and founder's death

Passenger cars in the 1920s

Passenger cars in the 1930s

Final year of car production

Post–World War II timeline

External links

References