Turcat-Méry
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| Private | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Defunct | 1928 |
| Headquarters | Marseille, Paris and Lunéville, France |
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Key people
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Simon Méry Léon Turcat |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Website | www |
Turcat-Méry was a French motor manufacturer from 1899 until 1928. It is now celebrated as the marque that won the inaugural Monte Carlo Rally, but in its prime it was also known for Grand Prix racing and for producing The Car of the Connoisseur. Prior to World War I it was closely associated with the Lorraine-Dietrich company.
The Turcat-Méry motor manufacturing business began in 1895 when Alphonse Méry of Marseille bought a Panhard et Levassor and a Peugot. His younger brother Simon Méry and his brother in law Léon Turcat, both engineers, decided to improve on both models with their own design, a 2.6-litre, four-cylinder, five-speed car with electric ignition, radiators at each end of the engine and two speeds in reverse. Thus in 1899, when the car was ready for sale, they founded Turcat-Méry & Cie. They then established a partnership with Baron Adrien de Turckheim of the De Dietrich and Lorraine-Dietrich company, and produced cars whose slogan was The Car of the Connoisseur.
Henri Rougier became the Paris agent and chief publicist for both Turcat-Méry and Lorraine-Dietrich which he achieved by a long and successful career in motor racing and rallying.
Turcat-Méry's liaison with Lorraine-Dietrich lasted until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Turcat-Méry ceased production in 1928.
The 1899 Turcat-Méry had a 2.6-litre four-cylinder engine with magneto ignition. It also had a radiator at each end of the engine, chain drive and a five-speed gearbox with two speeds in reverse.
Some Turcat-Méry designs were produced by the De Dietrich company. In 1907 Turcat-Méry produced their first six-cylinder model, but the four-cylinder models from 2.6 to 6.3 litres continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
After World War I production concentrated on the 15/25 hp (RAC rating of 15.9 hp) with a 3-litre, four-cylinder long-stroke, fixed head engine. It also had a cone clutch and a foot-operated transmission brake.
In the early/mid-1920s, Turcat-Méry introduced an advanced, overhead-camshaft engine.
In the mid-1920s Turcat-Méry attempted to find new markets by switching to smaller-capacity proprietary-engined models, but it was unsuccessful so they ceased car production in 1928.
Henri Rougier was the main dealer for Turcat-Méry motor vehicles, and like most other manufacturers he used racing and competition as both a technical development and publicity aid for marketing.
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Wikipedia