Salmson
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Salmson is a French engineering company, initially in the automobile and aeroplane manufacturing area, turning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s.

It was established by Émile Salmson (1858-1917) as Emile Salmson, Ing. as a workshop in Paris (1890), making steam engine-powered compressors and centrifugal pumps to railway and military purposes. Being joined by engineers Canton and Unné, it was renamed Emile Salmson & Cie, building petrol-powered lifts and motors (1896).

The company became one of the first to make purpose built aircraft engines starting before World war I and continuing into World War II.

After World War I the company looked around for other work and started making car bodies followed by complete cars.

Car production finished in 1957.

Focus also moved back to pump production and the facilities moved to Mayenne in 1961 and the firm was bought by ITT-LMT in 1962 and then by Thomson in 1976.^[1]

It is today headquartered in Chatou.

Aircraft manufacture

Salmson 9Z

It moved to Billancourt and as well as making engines made its first completeaeroplanes in World War I mainly fighters. Salmson aircraft were also used for air mail to India in (1911).

Aeroplane manufacturing moved to Villeurbanne near Lyon. Two world records were set by Maryse Bastié who flew Le Bourget to Moscow (1931).

Two of the models made were

• Salmson 2 (engine 1911-20)
• Salmson 9 (engine, 1944-51),

and the aircraft

• Salmson Phrygane (1934)
• Salmson Cricri (1936).

Car manufacture

Salmson S4E

The Billancourt factory became the car manufacturing plant directed by Emile Petit. As they had no direct car design expertise they started by building the British GN cyclecar under licence displaying six cars at the 1919 Paris Salon.^[2]

In 1922 the car part of the business became a separate company named Société des Moteurs Salmson.

The first Salmson car proper used a four cylinder engine designed by Petit with unusual valve gear. A single pushrod actuated both inlet and exhaust valves pushing to open the exhaust and pulling to open the inlet. This was used in the AL models from 1921. Later the same year the company built its first twin overhead cam engine fitting them to the 1922 D-type but most production at first used the pushrod engine.

Models included

• AL (cyclecar, 1920),
• D-type (1922)
• VAL3 (1922),
• AL3 (1923),
• GSC San Sebastian,
• Gran Sport (GS, 1924-30),
• 2ACT (1926).

Salmson won 550 automobile races and set ten world records (1921-28) before closing the racing department in 1929. The S-series cars took over from the D-type starting in 1929 and becomong a long lived series.

• S4 (1929-32)
• S4C (1932)
• S4D (1934)
• S4DA (1935-38)
• S4-61 (1938-51)
• S4E (1938-51).

The S4C was also made by British Salmson as their 12hp model.^[2] It also made the 2A2 de Aéropostale aeroplane.

After World War II the S4E and S4-61 were re-introduced and in 1950 a new car arrived in the shape of the E72 La Randonnée^[2]. Car sales were slow in the post war market and the company was kept going by its aircraft engine sales but the factory had to close for a while^[2]. A new car, the 2300S was shown in 1953 and it even took part in the 1955, 1956 and 1957 Le Mans 24 hour races^[3]

After bankruptcy in 1953, all activities ended in 1957 and Renault bought the factory.^[2]

See also

List of aircraft engines

References