Corre La Licorne
Encyclopedia
Corre La Licorne was a French car maker founded 1901 in Levallois-Perret
by Jean-Marie Corre. The first cars were named Corre, but racing successes by a driver called Waldemar Lestienne, who came from an old family with a crest featuring a unicorn, led to the company adopting the name Corre La Licorne. Nevertheless this was a long name for a small car, and by the 1950s, even in France, the car was generally know simply as the Licorne.
Business began with the production of tricycle
s and a single-cylinder quadricycle single-cylinder cabriolet using De Dion-Bouton
components. Early sales volumes were modest. To give greater prominence to the brand, the company began to participate in competition, and racing victories achieved, in particular in 1903 by the driver Waldemar Lestienne, gave the company valuable recognition. Sales improved and were soon challenging those of longer established brands such as Renault
, Peugeot
and De Dion-Bouton
.
Early on the business was afflicted by litigation and after a trial that lasted five years the firm's founder, Jean-Marie Corre, found himself financially ruined and obliged to sell his business, in 1907, to Lestienne Firmin, a skilled financial administrator. It was at this point that the Corre name was changed to Corre-La Licorne.
In 1910 the list included only three models: a model with a single-cylinder engine, a model with twin 1.7-liter and a model powered by a 4-cylinder. But already the eve of World War I in 1914, the range to treble. The 4-cylinder engines were derived Ballot and Chapuis-Dornier.
With the outbreak of the war, the factory moved to Neuilly. After the war, was presented a new model with a 1.2 liter engine, new edition of an earlier model dating back to before the war.
In the mid-twenties, the House of Neuilly
proposed a very extensive list, to which were added new commercial vehicles and even buses.
In 1927, the factory moved again, this time in Courbevoie
and the mechanism was derived from Citroën
. In the same year were presented and 5V models 6CV, which remained in production for a decade.
In 1932, they were introduced to other models, the medium-low, but very well finished, as a relatively affordable price, and then met with good success. In 1935, the range also includes models 10CV and 11CV.
The company survived the First World War and the Great Depression
, but by the end of the Second World War it was placed firmly in the second rank of France's surviving auto-makers. During the war, production was limited to a small number of cars of a single model with electric propulsion, using a mechanism devised by Charles Mildé and Louis Kriéger who had been pioneers of electrically powered cars before the First World War. The Licorne 6/8 hp sedan on which the car was based was a conventionally sized small car, so significantly heavier than the cycle cars more usually associated with electric cars in the 1940s. Nevertheless a range of 90 kilometres (60 miles) and a cruising speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) were quoted. A light van using the same chassis and running gear was also advertised.
After the war the company was not one of the automakers included in the Pons Plan. The Pons Plan reflected government determination to structure the French auto-industry according to priorities determined by politicians and civil servants: exclusion from it created great difficulties in obtaining necessary permissions and materials.
The company nevertheless took a stand at the Paris Motor Show in October 1947 and exhibited the Licorne Typ 164 LR. Derived from a pre-war car this was a 8CV medium sized (by the standards of that time) two door saloon resembling a slightly more stylish version of the Renault Juvaquatre
and powered by a four-cylinder 1,450 cc engine. The top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) was adequate though not, even in 1947, stunning. Beside the saloon was displayed a similarly powered cabriolet model which derived from the Licorne Type 415 of 1939.
The models exhibited in 1947 never went into production. In 1950 the business closed.
Levallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Levallois-Perret comes from two housing developments, Champerret and Village Levallois , and which resulted in the incorporation of the...
by Jean-Marie Corre. The first cars were named Corre, but racing successes by a driver called Waldemar Lestienne, who came from an old family with a crest featuring a unicorn, led to the company adopting the name Corre La Licorne. Nevertheless this was a long name for a small car, and by the 1950s, even in France, the car was generally know simply as the Licorne.
Business began with the production of tricycle
Tricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
s and a single-cylinder quadricycle single-cylinder cabriolet using De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
components. Early sales volumes were modest. To give greater prominence to the brand, the company began to participate in competition, and racing victories achieved, in particular in 1903 by the driver Waldemar Lestienne, gave the company valuable recognition. Sales improved and were soon challenging those of longer established brands such as Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
and De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
.
Early on the business was afflicted by litigation and after a trial that lasted five years the firm's founder, Jean-Marie Corre, found himself financially ruined and obliged to sell his business, in 1907, to Lestienne Firmin, a skilled financial administrator. It was at this point that the Corre name was changed to Corre-La Licorne.
In 1910 the list included only three models: a model with a single-cylinder engine, a model with twin 1.7-liter and a model powered by a 4-cylinder. But already the eve of World War I in 1914, the range to treble. The 4-cylinder engines were derived Ballot and Chapuis-Dornier.
With the outbreak of the war, the factory moved to Neuilly. After the war, was presented a new model with a 1.2 liter engine, new edition of an earlier model dating back to before the war.
In the mid-twenties, the House of Neuilly
Neuilly
Neuilly is a common place name in France, deriving from the male given name Nobilis or Novellius:...
proposed a very extensive list, to which were added new commercial vehicles and even buses.
In 1927, the factory moved again, this time in Courbevoie
Courbevoie
Courbevoie is a commune located very close to the centre of Paris, France. The centre of Courbevoie is situated 2 kilometres from the outer limits of Paris and 8.2 km...
and the mechanism was derived from Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
. In the same year were presented and 5V models 6CV, which remained in production for a decade.
In 1932, they were introduced to other models, the medium-low, but very well finished, as a relatively affordable price, and then met with good success. In 1935, the range also includes models 10CV and 11CV.
The company survived the First World War and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, but by the end of the Second World War it was placed firmly in the second rank of France's surviving auto-makers. During the war, production was limited to a small number of cars of a single model with electric propulsion, using a mechanism devised by Charles Mildé and Louis Kriéger who had been pioneers of electrically powered cars before the First World War. The Licorne 6/8 hp sedan on which the car was based was a conventionally sized small car, so significantly heavier than the cycle cars more usually associated with electric cars in the 1940s. Nevertheless a range of 90 kilometres (60 miles) and a cruising speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) were quoted. A light van using the same chassis and running gear was also advertised.
After the war the company was not one of the automakers included in the Pons Plan. The Pons Plan reflected government determination to structure the French auto-industry according to priorities determined by politicians and civil servants: exclusion from it created great difficulties in obtaining necessary permissions and materials.
The company nevertheless took a stand at the Paris Motor Show in October 1947 and exhibited the Licorne Typ 164 LR. Derived from a pre-war car this was a 8CV medium sized (by the standards of that time) two door saloon resembling a slightly more stylish version of the Renault Juvaquatre
Renault Juvaquatre
The Renault Juvaquatre is a small family car / compact car automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1937 and 1960, although production stopped or slowed to a trickle during the war years. The Juvaquatre was produced as a sedan/saloon until 1948 when the plant switched its...
and powered by a four-cylinder 1,450 cc engine. The top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) was adequate though not, even in 1947, stunning. Beside the saloon was displayed a similarly powered cabriolet model which derived from the Licorne Type 415 of 1939.
The models exhibited in 1947 never went into production. In 1950 the business closed.
