1910 Brasier 12HP Double-Phaéton

Lot 67
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Estimation :
40000 - 60000 EUR
1910 Brasier 12HP Double-Phaéton
Serial number M12-240 Rare pre WWI 4 cylinder Complete original accessory Many period documents Nice patina French registration card The four-leaf clover, a rare grass with a reputation for bringing good luck, was chosen by George Richard and his brother to symbolize their bicycle factory at the end of the 19th century. Very quickly prosperous, the Richard brothers turned to the manufacture of "horseless cycles", the first of which was driven by a small single cylinder developing 3.5 horsepower and which can be considered as their first car produced between 1896 and 1902 under the name of Poney. On his side, Charles-Henri Brasier, a young industrial draughtsman freshly graduated from the school of Arts and Crafts of Chalons is a draughtsman for the car factory Mors at the dawn of the 20th century. Described as intelligent and ingenious, Brasier put his talent to work for the company by developing the first 4-cylinder V-engine with ignition by breaker that could be placed under the hood of a car. In view of these mechanical advances, Mors decided to enter his cars in competitions and commissioned Brasier to motorize them. After many successes, Braiser and Mors had some conflicts of interest, especially because Charles-Henri demanded more and more powerful cars; these events resulted in Brasier's resignation from the Mors company in 1901, after which Mors did not win any more races. The destinies of Brasier and Richard crossed in 1902 when Charles-Henri Brasier joined forces with the Richard brothers in their automobile company, now known as Richard-Brasier. Several cars were produced after this union, but they did not stand out from the competition and were still very attached to the design of Panhard-Levassor, the company where Brasier was employed at the beginning of his career. Major studies were then undertaken by Richard-Brasier to develop a number of mechanical patents in 1903, such as a spray carburetor with automatic adjustment to deliver a constant flow of gasoline to the engine; it is thanks to these ingenious patents that the company would be successful. Thanks to the development of more powerful cars for competition, Richard-Brasier enters the Gordon-Benett race in 1904 and 1905, considered the most prestigious championship, the brand wins the two consecutive seasons with Léon Théry as driver. Richard was seriously injured during a Paris-Madrid race in 1903, leaving Brasier alone in the company during his convalescence. Richard's absence and the brand's worldwide reputation following his victories benefited Brasier, who was appointed manager of the brand, breaking his contract with Richard while keeping the original Ivry-Port factory and the cloverleaf emblem, which had been registered by Richard. The divorce was pronounced in 1905 and the two parties took each other to court for usurpation of the name; it was Richard who won the case but he never used his name again. Brasier renamed the company "Sociétés des Automobiles Brasier" and Richard created the Unic brand. In 1908, there were 6 models available for order at Brasier. The customer had to choose a chassis and an engine, and then, separately, a body. The powers available go from 15hp at 9 500 francs to 60hp at 25 000 francs, and 6 types of bodywork are proposed: Double Phaeton Phaeton 1/2 Limousine Limousine Landaulet Limousine Landaulet 3/4 Sedan From 1912 onwards, the brand began to decline because the prices of the cars sold were too high in relation to their real quality; the Brasiers were unable to stand out from the other brands and customers began to judge these cars as too conventional. In addition, the competition victories for which Brasier was famous were becoming increasingly rare. An attempt to form a partnership with Camille Chaigneau to replenish the company's coffers was a failure and after selling buildings and factories, Brasier was forced to close down, having failed to change its economic policy after the First World War and being swallowed up by the 1929 crisis. A real time machine, this Brasier 12HP with a double-phaeton body was ordered in 1910 by Mr Joseph Germain, living in the Villa Claire in the Pont Vivaux district of Marseille for a total of 11 300 francs. We still have today the trace of this first owner preserved in the file thanks to the original traffic permits delivered by the city in 1920 and 1924 as well as a postcard of the time showing two men and this Brasier. Today in the same family
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