Lorraine-Dietrich

Lorraine-Dietrich; Lorraine 1905 - 1934
Ste Lorraine des Anciens Etablissements de Dietrich et Cie, Luneville, Lorraine: Argenteuil, Seine et Oise. France

Adrien, Baron de Turckheim parted company with Eugene de Dietrich in 1905, and formed a new company and henceforth the cars were called Lorraine-Dietrich rather than de Dietrich, to emphasise their French pedigree. A new factory was acquired at Argenteuil, in the North-Western suburbs of Paris, and this soon became a model for up-to-date manufacturing techniques, praised by American as well as European observers.

The same year, management at Niederbronn quit car production, leaving it entirely to Lunéville, with the Alsace market being sold a Turcat-Méry badge-engineered as a de Dietrich. Even at the time, this was seen with some disdain, and Lunéville put the cross of Lorraine on the grille to distinguish them. Nevertheless, under the skin they were little different, nor would they be until 1911. For all that, the Lorraine-Dietrich was a prestige marque, ranking with Crossley and Itala, while attempting to break into the "super-luxury" market between 1905 and 1908 with a handful of ₤4,000 (US$20,000) six-wheeler limousines de voyage.
Like Napiers and Mercedes, Lorraine-Dietrich's reputation was built in part on racing, which was "consistent if not distinguished", including Charles Jarrott's third in the 1903 Paris-Madrid Rally and a 1-2-3 in the 1906 Circuit des Ardennes, led by ace works driver Arthur Duray.

De Dietrich bought out Isotta-Fraschini in 1907, producing two OHC cars to Isotta-Fraschini designs, including a 10 hp (7.5 kW) allegedly created by Bugatti. Also that year, Lorraine-Dietrich took over Ariel Mors Limited of Birmingham, for the sole British model, a 20 hp (15 kW) four, shown at the Olympia Motor Show in 1908, offered as bare chassis, Salmson convertible, and Mulliner cabriolet. (The British branch was not a success, lasting only about a year.)

For 1908, de Dietrich offered a line of chain-driven touring fours, the 18/28 hp, 28/38 hp, 40/45 hp, and 60/80 hp, priced between ₤550 and ₤960, and a 70/80 hp six at ₤1,040. The British version differed, having shaft drive. That year, the names of the automotive and aero-engine divisions were changed to Lorraine-Dietrich.

By 1914, all de Dietrichs were shaft-driven, and numbered a 12/16 , an 18/20, a new 20/30 tourers, and a sporting four-cylinder 40/75 (in the mold of Mercer or Stutz), all built at Argenteuil, Seine-et-Oise (which became company headquarters postwar).

Post-World War I
After World War I, with Lorraine restored to France, the company restarted manufacture of automobiles and aero-engines. Their 12-cylinder aero-engines were used by Breguet, IAR, and Aero, among others.

In 1919, new technical director Marius Barbarou (late of Delaunay-Belleville) introduced a new model in two wheelbases, the A1-6 and B2-6, joined three years later by the B3-6, with either short or long wheelbase. All used the same 15 CV (11 kW) 3,445 cc (210 in3) six-cylinder, which had overhead valves, hemispherical head, aluminim pistons, and four-bearing crankshaft.

The performance was such in 1923, three tourers "put up a passable showing" at the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, leading to the creation for 1924 of the 15 Sport, with twin carburetion, larger valves, and Dewandre-Reprusseau servo-assisted four-wheel brakes (at a time when four-wheel brakes of any kind were a rarity); they ran second and third, and were comparable to the 3 liter Bentleys. A 15 Sport did better in 1925, winning Le Mans, followed home by a sister in third, while in 1926, Bloch and Rossignol won at an average 106 km/h (66 mph), leading a 1-2-3 sweep by Lorraines. Lorraine-Dietrich thus became the first marque to win Le Mans twice and the first to win in two consecutive years.

This publicity contributed to touring 15s being bodied by Gaston Grummer, also Argenteuil's director, who produced coachwork for the likes of Aurora, Olympia, Gloriosa, and Chiquita. The 15 CV was joined by a 2,297 cc (140 in3) 12 CV (10 kW) four (until 1929) and a 6,107 cc (373 in3) 30 CV (20 kW) six (until 1927), while the 15 CV survived until 1932; the 15 CV Sport fell in 1930, losing its last race, the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally, when Donald Healey's Invicta edged Jean-Pierre Wimille by a tenth of a point.

The de Dietrich family sold its share in the company, which became simply known as Lorraine from 1928 on.