Salmson S4-C 8CV (1932–1934?)
The car was launched in the autumn of 1932 with a 4-cylinder 1465 cc (8CV) engine for which a maximum output of 41 hp-metric at 3,800 rpm was claimed, supporting a listed top speed of 110 km/h.[2] The unit was unusual, for the time, in that it incorporated a twin overhead camshaft.[2] It also used a dual-direction magneto coil that doubled as a starter motor,[2] as well as a 12-volt electrical system.
Power passed to the rear wheels using a classic 4-speed manual transmission. However, from May 1934 it became possible to specify, at extra cost, a "Cotal Preselector transmission".[2][6] Suspension was based on rigid axles front and back with longitudinal leaf springs, semi-elliptic at the front and attached using demi-cantilevers at the back.[2]
At the 27th Paris Motor show in October 1933 the car was priced by the manufacturer at 21,950 francs in bare chassis form.[2] The manufacturer's inventiveness was more apparent under the bonnet than in respect of the body options, which were typically conventional at best: the car incorporated a flat grill at the front, which by 1933 was perceived by some a little old fashioned.[2] The 2890 mm wheelbase chassis was also offered with a selection of standard bodies that included a 2-door "Faux Cabriolet" four-seater body priced at 29,900 francs, a four-seater, two-door "Coach Lumineux" at 30,950 francs, a four-door "Berline" (sedan/saloon) at 31,650 francs, a sports-bodied "Roadster" at 31,450 francs, and a "Cabriolet" at 33,500 francs.[2] Also listed was a "berline alongė" (lengthened sedan/saloon) at 31,950 francs.[2]
Salmson S4-D 10CV (1934?–1936)
With the Salmson S4 D, likely introduced in 1934, the engine size was increased to 1596 cc. The tax horsepower ratio went up from 8 to 10 CV.
Salmson S4-DA 10CV (1936–1938)
In October 1936, with several thousand Salmson S4's sold over the previous two years, the manufacturer used the Motor Show to launch a further upgrade.[7] The four-cylinder engine retained its twin overhead camshafts, and the length of the piston stroke was unchanged, but a further increase in cylinder bore (diameter) provided for a further increase in capacity, now to 1731 cc.[7] The cylinder head now featured hemispherical piston heads and centrally positioned spark plugs, which gave the engine a level of responsiveness not normally associated with a 10CV engine.[7] The car shared its place in the 10CV tax band with the recently introduced Peugeot 302.[7] Where comparably bodied versions existed, however, the Salmson S4 DA was nevertheless priced approximately 50% higher than the Peugeot 302: there was evidently no need for Salmson to compete on price with the volume automakers.
By now the S4 had acquired independent front suspension, using a transverse leaf spring. The back wheels were, as before, attached to a rigid axle suspended with longitudinal leaf springs.[7]
Salmson S4 E 13CV (1937–1951)
The star of the Salmson stand at the 31st Paris Motor Show in October 1937 could have been the Salmson S4-E.[1] The car's four-cylinder 2312 cc power unit extended the S4 range upwards, into the 13CV category.[1] In fact, the car was placed at the far end of the stand without fanfare and without any accompanying publicity campaign, so that many visitors to the show likely missed it completely.[1]
The S4-E incorporated the technically advanced features of the S4 DA such as an engine with twin overhead camshaft, hemispherical piston heads with the centrally positioned spark plugs.[1] The chassis featured rack and pinion steering, with independent suspension at the front.[1] However, the front suspension was now refined through the addition of longitudinal torsion bars, an approach probably copied from the Citroën Traction that had appeared the year before.
Salmson S4-61 10CV (1938–1942, 1946–1952)
The Salmson S4-61 replaced the S4 DA for 1939. Technically very little changed.
