1893: Georges Richard and his brother Maxime started by manufacturing bicycles and then motorized carts under the name Cycles Georges Richard. The brand used is a four-leaf clover.
1896: Georges Richard showcased a small car named "Poney," powered by a 3.5 HP Benz engine. It was produced until 1902 in various body styles, as was customary at the time. 1898: Georges Richard became passionate about car racing. He participated in the Marseille-Nice race, winning in the small car category.
1900: A young and brilliant engineer joined the company: Henri Brasier.
1902: The company became Richard Brasier. Company of the Former Establishments Georges Richard.
1903: A new 14 HP racing car was presented. Georges Richard took part in the Paris-Madrid race. Marcel Renault lost his life following an off-road accident, and Georges Richard was seriously injured when his car overturned into a ditch. 1904: Léon Théry, driving a Richard Brasier, won the Gordon Bennett Cup in the presence of German Emperor Wilhelm II.
Henri Brasier took advantage of this and increasingly took control of the company. He leveraged the enormous popularity of this victory to put an end to his association with Georges Richard in a rather inelegant manner. He founded the Société des Automobiles Brasier, taking over a significant part of Georges Richard's business, including the emblem of the four-leaf clover.
Meanwhile, Georges Richard did not remain inactive for long. During his convalescence, he received a visit from Baron Henri de Rothschild, who was aware of the future of the automobile. He offered his full support for the creation of a new automobile manufacturing company, which would be named Société Anonyme des Automobiles Unic, specializing in the production of simple and robust models, not exceeding 16 HP and composed of interchangeable parts from one model to another, hence the name Unic for unique parts.
1922: Unic introduced a 3-ton truck named M5C. Fate met Georges Richard on June 8 when he went to Rouen with a prototype for a personal and professional trip to test an original braking system on the front wheels, which proved effective. However, during a stop along the route, the roadside gave way under the weight of the car, which overturned. Georges Richard, suffering from a fractured pelvis, died at the clinic while he was to be transferred to Paris. His death was attributed to a mishap by the surgeon who did not want to let such a renowned client go. It was an unfortunate gesture. His main collaborator, Georges Dubois, succeeded him at the head of the company.
1926: Brasier reorganized the company and partnered with Camille Chaigneau to form the new automobile company Chaigneau Brasier.
1947: Baron Henri de Rothschild passed away. The following year, Georges Dubois also died. René Copin took over the company. In the midst of a financial and technological crisis, he called upon Henri Théodore Pigozzi, the head of Simca whom he knew well from GPA, to participate in a significant capital increase to finance the construction of new workshops and the purchase of machine tools.
1952: Unic was acquired by Simca and became the heavy-duty vehicle branch of the future Simca Industries.
1956: Unic absorbed the French subsidiary of Saurer trucks manufactured in Suresnes.
1958: Integration into Simca Industries.
1966: Integration into Fiat V.I.
1975: Creation of Iveco. 1984: Complete absorption into Iveco. The UNIC brand disappeared.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
1930: With luxury car sales in sharp decline, Chaigneau Brasier disappeared.
1930: The demand for commercial vehicles increased significantly. Unic presented its first large diesel engine made in France at the motor show. 1933: Unic became the first French manufacturer to present a complete range of industrial vehicles from 3 tons to 15 tons.
1938: Unic abandoned the production of passenger cars to focus exclusively on industrial vehicles. During World War II, the French government decided to group automotive sector manufacturers to better allocate scarce raw materials and save what could still be saved. The companies Camions Bernard, Delahaye, Laffly, and Simca were part of the Groupement Français de l'Automobile (GFA), which was dismantled in 1951. During this period, close ties were formed between Unic, Simca, and Delahaye.
1910: Sales proved insufficient. The company was placed in liquidation at the end of the year. Lombard investors took over the company, with Ugo Stella participating in the transaction. On this occasion, the company changed its name to A.L.F.A. (an acronym for "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili"). The chosen name refers to the first letter of the Greek alphabet, thus marking the beginning of a new industrial adventure.
Merosi, the technical director, chose the logo, which recalls A.L.F.A.'s links with its hometown Milan: the white shield with a red cross are the arms of the city of Milan. The "biscione" (a fantastic creature resembling a serpent) devouring a man is the symbol of the Visconti family (who ruled the Duchy of Milan from 1277 to 1447). Around the two emblems are the words "ALFA" and "MILANO," separated by two figure-eight knots in honor of the Italian princely house.
1915: The Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo took over the direction of A.L.F.A. and developed military-oriented manufacturing (ammunition, aircraft engines...). 1919: The company resumed automobile production. 1920: The company changed its name to Alfa Romeo.
In the 1920s, the brand excelled in competition, notably with the help of a certain driver named Enzo Ferrari. 1923: Ugo Sivocci, one of Alfa Romeo's racing drivers, painted a white square adorned with a four-leaf clover on the grille of his car to ward off bad luck. He gave Alfa Romeo its first international victory. As if to confirm the miraculous powers of the four-leaf clover, a tragic accident occurred a few months later in which Sivocci lost his life. On September 8, 1923, at the Monza circuit, during the Grand Prix of Europe trials, he was killed in a car without the four-leaf clover. This coincidence caused significant emotion among the drivers, mechanics, and technicians. From 1924, Alfa Romeo's racing cars have been decorated with a green four-leaf clover, and in memory of Sivocci, the white square was replaced by a triangle, signifying absence.
1928: Nicola Romeo left the company, then in very poor health. 1932: Alfa Romeo was saved by the government: Mussolini made it an emblem of the new Italy, and production refocused on sports and high-end cars. 1950: Alfa Romeo won the first Formula 1 championship in 1950 with Giuseppe Farina, and won the title again the following year with Fangio. However, economic difficulties reappeared in the late 70s, and Alfa Romeo even temporarily partnered with Nissan. 1975: The logo was simplified.
1986: Fiat acquired it. The Italian giant then implemented a common platform policy to reduce costs while trying to preserve the Alfa Romeo style.
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