Ariès 1903-1938 - Car dreams from France
Summary
There were around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is Ariès from France, which built cars to dream about in the period 1903-1938, but also had many sporting successes. Ariès was also a pioneer with the introduction of left-hand drive, which was hardly widespread at the time. However, the production of these complex vehicles soon became too expensive, which meant the end of the brand.
Estimated reading time: 3min
Preview (beginning of the article)
In addition to the three mass-produced models that still exist today, automobile pioneer France used to have a dozen world-renowned collector's brands as well as many smaller manufacturers, such as Alpine, Amilcar and Ariès. The latter dabbled in all sectors, from single-cylinder small cars to luxury cars with 12-liter engines or racing cars. While the early automobile served as a welcome pastime for some aristocrats, Baron Charles Petiet trained as an engineer and went through an apprenticeship at the leading manufacturer Panhard from the bottom to the development office. He then fulfilled his dream of owning his own car factory and founded the Société des Automobiles Ariès (Latin for rams) in Villeneuve-la-Garenne in 1903. The initial engine supplier Aster was also located there. The Ariès were characterized by sporting successes and record-breaking drives. Commercial vehicle construction also became increasingly important. In 1918, the company moved into a new plant in Courbevoie, and Ariès concentrated on innovative quality vehicles of small to medium size in the passenger vehicle sector. The Grand Sport models (4-cylinder, OHC, 2952 cm3, up to 95 hp) built from 1925 onwards achieved considerable fame. In 1934, the medium-sized 10/50 hp model was launched, whose special features (in addition to left-hand drive, which was not yet widespread) included a double rear axle reduction (= 6 gears). However, the 10/50 PS was ultimately too expensive to find a sufficient number of buyers: Ariès production was discontinued in 1938.
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