Avions Voisin
A French luxury automobile marque founded by aviation pioneer Gabriel Voisin and noted for sleeve-valve engines, lightweight aluminum construction, and angular coachwork.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Avions Voisin was a French luxury automobile marque established in 1919 by Gabriel Voisin, an aviation pioneer whose engineering career strongly influenced the character of the cars. The company operated from Issy-les-Moulineaux, an industrial suburb southwest of Paris, and remained associated with Voisin automobiles through the interwar period, with the original automobile business trading until 1939. Voisin entered automobile production after a career in aircraft design and manufacture. His technical preferences carried over into the cars: the marque used Knight-type sleeve-valve engines, pursued low weight through extensive use of aluminum, and treated the automobile as an integrated engineering and design object rather than a conventional mechanical package. Early power units included inline four- and six-cylinder engines, while more ambitious V8, V12, inline-twelve, and radial-engine configurations were proposed or developed as prototypes. Some later cars used Graham 3.5-liter engines after the company moved away from its exclusive reliance on sleeve-valve power. The brand's identity was also shaped by its coachwork. Gabriel Voisin worked with designer and collaborator André Noel on a distinctive form of rational coachwork emphasizing lightness, centralized mass, generous luggage capacity, and sharply geometric body lines. Cars built on underslung chassis during the 1930s appeared unusually low and visually advanced for their period. The 1923 Voisin Laboratoire Grand Prix car is especially significant in automotive history because it used a very early form of monocoque construction and incorporated an unusual radiator-mounted propeller to operate the cooling pump. Avions Voisin was not a volume manufacturer. Its vehicles occupied an exclusive, technically ambitious niche and were produced in limited numbers for affluent customers. The marque's engineering environment also influenced later French automotive development. André Lefèbvre, a young engineer who left Voisin during the company's financial difficulties in the early 1930s, was recommended by Gabriel Voisin to Louis Renault and later became an important engineer at Citroën. Lefèbvre's subsequent work on the Traction Avant, 2CV, and DS has often been discussed in relation to the principles he encountered around Voisin, although those later vehicles were Citroën projects rather than Avions Voisin products. The business entered a difficult period in the early 1930s, when Gabriel Voisin was reportedly unable to continue paying all of his drafting staff. The Second World War and postwar political changes further disrupted the enterprise. After the war, the business was nationalized and its assets were integrated with those of its principal creditor and engine supplier, Gnome & Rhône. Gnome & Rhône itself was nationalized in 1945 and became part of the state-directed SNECMA structure. The postwar administration did not preserve the original company's engineering tradition in its earlier form. There was a brief attempt to revive the Voisin name in the lightweight-vehicle market. A Biscooter Voisin prototype with a front-mounted 125 cc Gnome & Rhône engine was shown at the 1950 Paris Motorcycle and Bicycle Show. A revised vehicle developed by Moglia appeared at the 1952 Paris Motor Show, with the engine moved to the rear and changes to the braking and suspension systems. The design was subsequently adapted for Spanish conditions, renamed Biscúter, and produced in Catalonia by Autonacional S.A. under license from Voisin from 1953 to 1960. This postwar voiturette project was separate in character from the prewar luxury cars and did not restore the original marque's automobile business. Today, Avions Voisin is primarily regarded as a collectible and historical marque. Surviving cars are prominent in concours events and specialist collections, where their unusual engineering, aluminum coachwork, low proportions, and Art Deco-era styling command attention. Individual examples such as the C3, C15, C20, C25, C27, and C28 have appeared at major concours and auctions. The brand has also retained a presence in popular culture through appearances or references in films including The Invisible Man, Three Comrades, and Sahara, as well as in the video game L.A. Noire.
History
Gabriel Voisin was trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon and developed an early interest in mechanical devices. His first major professional reputation came from aviation, where he became a pioneer and manufacturer. In 1919 he turned to automobile production at Issy-les-Moulineaux and created Avions Voisin as a technically distinctive French luxury-car enterprise. The company initially relied on Knight sleeve-valve engines. These engines were used in several configurations, including inline fours and sixes, while larger or more unusual V8, V12, inline-twelve, and radial arrangements were explored in prototypes. Later models adopted Graham 3.5-liter engines, reflecting a shift away from the marque's original engine policy. Voisin also applied aviation-influenced methods to vehicle construction, making extensive use of aluminum to reduce weight. The marque's visual language emerged through collaboration between Gabriel Voisin and André Noel. Their coachwork favored rational organization, lightness, balanced weight distribution, large luggage compartments, and angular forms. During the 1930s, underslung chassis layouts allowed the cars to sit unusually close to the ground. These features gave Avions Voisin a recognizable identity among luxury automobiles of the interwar period. The 1923 Voisin Laboratoire Grand Prix car demonstrated the company's willingness to experiment. Its construction used an early monocoque approach, and its cooling system incorporated a small propeller mounted at the radiator to drive the cooling pump. Although the marque was not a mass producer, its engineering ideas and unconventional bodies made it one of the most individual French automobile manufacturers of the era. The company experienced financial pressure in the early 1930s. Gabriel Voisin could no longer pay all of his draughtsmen, and André Lefèbvre left the firm. Voisin recommended Lefèbvre to Louis Renault; Lefèbvre later joined Citroën, where he led the engineering work associated with the Traction Avant, 2CV, and DS. This connection is part of Avions Voisin's broader technical legacy, although the later Citroën vehicles were not Voisin products. The original business traded until 1939. Postwar political changes led to nationalization and the integration of the Voisin business into that of Gnome & Rhône, its principal creditor and engine supplier. Gnome & Rhône was nationalized in 1945 and became part of SNECMA. The state-directed postwar structure did not continue the original luxury-car engineering tradition. A limited postwar effort used the Voisin name for a small economy vehicle. A Biscooter Voisin with a 125 cc front-mounted Gnome & Rhône engine was presented in 1950. A different Moglia design appeared in 1952 with the engine at the rear and revised chassis systems. Adapted for Spain, the vehicle became the Biscúter and was produced by Autonacional S.A. in Catalonia under license between 1953 and 1960. This licensed production represented a later low-cost voiturette application rather than a return to prewar Voisin luxury automobiles. The marque's modern reputation rests on surviving examples, restoration, concours success, and collector interest. Voisin cars are valued for their scarcity, unusual engineering, lightweight aluminum bodies, and Art Deco styling. Their appearances in films and games have further preserved public awareness, but Avions Voisin is principally a historical collector-car marque rather than an active manufacturer.
- 1960
Biscúter production ends
[1]Licensed Biscúter production in Spain ends after the postwar voiturette program.
- 1953
Licensed Biscúter production begins
[1]Autonacional S.A. begins producing the Spanish-market Biscúter in Catalonia under license from Voisin.
- 1952
Moglia voiturette appears
[1]A revised Moglia design is presented as the new Biscooter Voisin, with a rear-mounted engine and redesigned braking and suspension.
- 1950
Biscooter Voisin prototype
[1]A small aluminum-bodied Biscooter Voisin with a 125 cc Gnome & Rhône engine is shown at the Paris Motorcycle and Bicycle Show.
- 1945
Integration into the nationalized SNECMA structure
[1]Following nationalization, the Voisin business is integrated with Gnome & Rhône, which becomes part of the basis of SNECMA.
- 1939
Original automobile business ends
[1]The original Avions Voisin automobile business trades through 1939 before wartime and postwar restructuring.
- 1930
Low underslung coachwork
[1]Voisin's 1930s cars adopt underslung chassis arrangements that produce notably low proportions.
- 1923
Laboratoire Grand Prix car
[1]The Voisin Laboratoire Grand Prix car demonstrates early monocoque construction and an unusual radiator-driven cooling-pump arrangement.
- 1921
Large-engine experiments
[1]A 7.2-liter V12 sleeve-valve engine is identified among the company's prototype developments.
- 1919
Automobile production begins
[1]Gabriel Voisin establishes automobile production at Issy-les-Moulineaux after his aviation career.
Products and positioning
Low-volume French luxury automobiles combining advanced engineering, lightweight construction, distinctive geometric coachwork, and experimental design.
Racing and experimental automobile · 1923
Voisin Laboratoire Grand Prix
Introduced in 1923, the Laboratoire Grand Prix car exemplified Gabriel Voisin's experimental approach. It used an early monocoque-style chassis construction and a distinctive small propeller mounted at the radiator to drive the cooling pump. The car is remembered less as a production model than as evidence of Voisin's willingness to explore unconventional structural and thermal solutions.
Luxury touring automobile
Voisin C3
The C3 was one of the marque's luxury touring models and was offered in coachbuilt forms, including a Cabriolet. Surviving examples demonstrate the combination of aluminum construction, technical experimentation, and geometric body design associated with Avions Voisin. A 1925 C3 Cabriolet later gained major concours recognition.
Luxury automobile
Voisin C5
The C5 was a 1920s Voisin model represented in period popular culture. A 1923 example appears in the 1938 film Three Comrades. Available reference material identifies the model but does not provide sufficient specifications for a fuller technical description.
Luxury coachbuilt automobile
Voisin C20 Mylord Demi-Berline
The C20 Mylord Demi-Berline was a 1930s luxury Voisin with the formal, highly individualized coachwork expected of the marque. A 1931 example won Best of Show at Amelia Island in 2009, illustrating the model's importance in the collector-car market and concours world.
Luxury coachbuilt automobile
Voisin C25 Aérodyne
The C25 Aérodyne is among the best-known Avions Voisin designs of the 1930s. Its low stance, sharply styled body, and aerodynamic visual treatment embody the marque's Art Deco engineering aesthetic. Individual C25s have received major concours honors and appeared in high-value collector auctions.
Luxury sports automobile
Voisin C27 Aérosport
The C27 Aérosport was a limited-production Voisin sports-oriented model with the marque's characteristic angular and aerodynamic coachwork. A 1934 example won the 2021 Concours d'Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, contributing to the model's modern collector recognition.
Luxury touring automobile
Voisin C28
The C28 was a mid-1930s Avions Voisin model powered by a six-cylinder sleeve-valve engine in the configuration referenced by the film Sahara. The vehicle used in that film was a replica rather than an original production car, but the model remains associated with the marque's late prewar luxury-car identity.
Voiturette · 1950
Biscooter Voisin
The Biscooter Voisin was a postwar lightweight vehicle project aimed at an impoverished market. The first 1950 proposal used an aluminum body, a front-mounted 125 cc Gnome & Rhône engine, and a three-speed transmission with an auxiliary gear. A later Moglia version moved the engine to the rear and revised the chassis systems. The concept was subsequently adapted into the Spanish Biscúter.
Brand decisions
1952
Replace the initial Biscooter design with the Moglia versionGeneration changeBackground
The first Biscooter proposal was not taken forward as originally shown, prompting development of an alternative voiturette design by Moglia.
Action taken
The revised vehicle moved the 125 cc engine to the rear and changed the braking and suspension systems before being shown at the 1952 Paris Motor Show.
Aftermath
The design was adapted for Spain, renamed Biscúter, and produced by Autonacional S.A. under license from Voisin from 1953 to 1960.
1950
Enter the postwar voiturette marketProduct launchBackground
After the original luxury-car business was disrupted by war, nationalization, and integration into the Gnome & Rhône/SNECMA structure, the Voisin name was applied to a small economy vehicle intended for postwar conditions.
Action taken
The company presented the Biscooter Voisin at the 1950 Paris Motorcycle and Bicycle Show with a 125 cc Gnome & Rhône engine and lightweight aluminum body.
Aftermath
The initial design did not proceed directly into sustained production. A revised Moglia design followed, and the concept was later adapted in Spain as the Biscúter.
Recent events
- 2021
Voisin C27 wins Concours d'Elegance at Hampton Court Palace[1]
Other
A 1934 Voisin C27 Aérosport won the Concours d'Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in London.
- 2011
Voisin C25 wins Best of Show at Pebble Beach[1]
Other
A 1934 Voisin C25 Aérodyne won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
- 2009
Voisin C20 wins Best of Show at Amelia Island[1]
Other
A 1931 Voisin C20 Mylord Demi-Berline won Best of Show at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.
- 2002
Voisin C15 wins Best in Show at Motor Cars of Radnor Hunt[1]
Other
A 1934 C-15 Ets. Saliot Roadster received Best in Show recognition at the Motor Cars of Radnor Hunt.
- 2001
Voisin C3 wins Best in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance[1]
Other
A 1925 Avions Voisin C3 Cabriolet received Best in Class recognition at Pebble Beach.
Sources1 sources
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