Automobiles Darracq France

About Automobiles Darracq France

Automobiles Darracq France was a manufacturer of motor vehicles and aero engines in Suresnes, near Paris, France. The enterprise, known at first as A Darracq et Cie, was founded in 1896 by successful businessman Alexandre Darracq. In 1902, he sold his new business to a privately held English company named A Darracq and Company Limited, retaining a substantial shareholding and a directorship. He continued to run the business from Paris but was obliged to retire to the Côte d'Azur in 1913, due to years of financial difficulties that brought his business into very hazardous circumstances. He had introduced an unproven unorthodox engine in 1911 which failed, yet he neglected Suresnes' popular conventional products. France entered the first World War shortly after. In 1916, ownership of the Suresnes business was transferred to Darracq S.A. In 1922, Darracq's name was dropped from its products and the business was renamed Talbot S.A.. Initially, its products were branded Darracq-Talbot and then just Talbot. The London parent company suffered a financial collapse during the Great Depression and in 1935, Talbot S.A.