Bollack Netter and Co

Bollack Netter and Co, formally Bollack, Netter et compagnie and commonly known as B.N.C., was a small French automobile manufacturer based in Levallois-Perret. The company was established in January 1923 by Lucien Bollack, an engineer who had previously worked for Hispano-Suiza, and René Netter, a financier and banker. Jacques Muller, known as “Jack,” served as technical director. The company’s first automobile, the DZ, was derived from Muller’s earlier J.M.K. cyclecar design. B.N.C. concentrated initially on lightweight sporting cars and cyclecars. Its products used proprietary engines purchased from specialist suppliers rather than engines manufactured in-house. Power units included engines from Ruby and S.C.A.P., with later cars also using Chapuis-Dornier engines. Displacements generally ranged from approximately 900 cc to 1,100 cc in the company’s smaller sporting models. Customers could choose among several chassis, engines, transmissions, and body styles, and both three-speed and four-speed gearboxes were offered. The cars’ compact, competition-oriented character placed them in the same broad market as contemporary French sporting marques such as Amilcar. Competition success was central to B.N.C.’s identity. The company’s cars won numerous rallies and achieved notable results in endurance and long-distance events despite the manufacturer’s limited sales volume. A B.N.C. with a 1,100 cc Ruby engine completed a 24-hour run around the then-unpaved Le Mans circuit in 1928 at an average speed exceeding 90 km/h. B.N.C. also achieved a double victory at the 1927 Bol d’Or event at Fontainebleau, including a winning drive by Violette Morris. The marque recorded a seventh-place finish at Le Mans in 1928, entered three cars in the 1929 24-hour race, and won its class at the 1930 Spa 24 Hours. Its competition cars included the Super Sport, FCD, and 527. During the second half of the 1920s, B.N.C. attempted to move beyond lightweight cyclecars and sports cars into larger and more expensive automobiles. The company presented the Aigle, a large car using a four- or five-litre Lycoming V8 engine, but the market for such vehicles was weak. At the same time, demand for ultra-light racing cars was also limited. These difficulties contributed to the removal of Bollack and Netter from the business in 1928, when the company was acquired by Charles de Ricou, a businessman associated with rescuing financially troubled automobile manufacturers. De Ricou’s expansion strategy brought B.N.C. into a wider portfolio that also included Lombard and Rolland-Pilain. At the 1931 Paris Motor Show, he displayed vehicles from all three companies. B.N.C.’s stand included the proposed six-cylinder, two-litre Vedette ADER coupé, but the model was not produced for sale. B.N.C. also presented a range of sporty front-wheel-drive cars with pneumatic suspension for 1931; these plans did not develop into a sustainable production program. The company’s factory closed soon afterward, and B.N.C. ceased normal automobile production around the early 1930s. The marque did not disappear immediately from the road. André Siréjols, one of B.N.C.’s drivers and a builder of special bodies for its cars, acquired remaining parts and continued assembling a small number of vehicles. These later cars are generally identified as B.N.C. Siréjols and were produced intermittently into the 1950s. Some of the continuation cars used Ford’s 10 HP, 1,172 cc side-valve four-cylinder engine. B.N.C. is therefore remembered as a short-lived but technically ambitious French sporting-car marque whose competition reputation exceeded its commercial scale.

B.N.C. began in January 1923 in Levallois-Perret, France, when engineer Lucien Bollack and banker René Netter founded the company. Its technical director, Jacques Muller, brought experience from the J.M.K. cyclecar, whose design formed the basis of B.N.C.’s first model, the DZ. The company quickly expanded its range and became associated with small sporting cars using engines supplied by firms such as Ruby and S.C.A.P. Rather than producing engines itself, B.N.C. combined purchased power units with lightweight chassis, multiple body styles, and occasional four-speed transmissions. The marque pursued competition as a way to demonstrate the durability and performance of its cars. B.N.C. achieved a double victory at the 1927 Bol d’Or at Fontainebleau, with Violette Morris driving the winning car. A B.N.C. completed a 24-hour run at Le Mans in 1928, and the company finished seventh in that year’s Le Mans race. It entered three cars in the 1929 event and later won its class at the 1930 Spa 24 Hours. These achievements gave B.N.C. a stronger sporting reputation than its modest production volumes would otherwise have supported. B.N.C. broadened its ambitions in the late 1920s. The 1927 B.N.C. Sport used overhead-valve engines from Ruby or S.C.A.P., while later cars could use supercharged 1,100 cc S.C.A.P. or Chapuis-Dornier engines. The company then attempted to enter the market for large passenger cars with the Aigle, using a four- or five-litre Lycoming V8. The strategy proved difficult because demand was weak both for expensive large cars and for very light racing machines. Bollack and Netter were forced out in 1928, and Charles de Ricou acquired the business. De Ricou also controlled or acquired Lombard and Rolland-Pilain, and he presented cars from all three businesses at the 1931 Paris Motor Show. B.N.C. exhibited the six-cylinder, two-litre Vedette ADER coupé, although it did not reach commercial production. A proposed line of sporty front-wheel-drive cars with pneumatic suspension also failed to establish a viable production program. The company’s premises were closed shortly afterward, and regular B.N.C. production ended around the beginning of the 1930s. Lucien Bollack retained import rights for Lycoming engines after leaving the company and briefly pursued the Aigle independently, but only very few examples were built. André Siréjols, a B.N.C. driver who had made special bodies for the cars, acquired leftover components and assembled a limited stream of continuation vehicles. These cars, commonly called B.N.C. Siréjols, continued to appear into the 1950s, with some using Ford’s 1,172 cc 10 HP side-valve engine. The original firm was therefore defunct, but its name survived in specialist-built continuation automobiles and in historic racing and rally contexts.

• 1931

  Final production initiatives

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  B.N.C. displays the unproduced Vedette ADER coupé and proposes sporty front-wheel-drive cars with pneumatic suspension before its premises close.

• 1930

  Class victory at Spa

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  A B.N.C. wins its class in the Spa 24 Hours race.

• 1929

  Aigle presented

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  B.N.C. launches the large Lycoming-powered Aigle as it attempts to move into the upper segment of the automobile market.

• 1928

  Le Mans endurance achievement

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  A standard B.N.C. with a 1,100 cc Ruby engine completes a 24-hour run around the Le Mans circuit at an average speed above 90 km/h.

• 1928

  Control passes to Charles de Ricou

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  Bollack and Netter leave the company after its acquisition by businessman Charles de Ricou.

• 1927

  B.N.C. Sport introduced

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  The company presents the B.N.C. Sport, a sporting model with overhead-valve engines, spoked wheels, and a sharply inclined radiator.

• 1927

  Double Bol d’Or victory

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  B.N.C. cars achieve a double win at the Bol d’Or in Fontainebleau, including a victory driven by Violette Morris.

• 1923

  B.N.C. is founded

  [1]Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org

  Lucien Bollack and René Netter establish Bollack Netter and Co in Levallois-Perret, with Jacques Muller serving as technical director.

A technically ambitious French sporting-car and cyclecar marque that emphasized lightweight construction, proprietary supplier engines, varied body styles, and competition performance rather than high-volume production.

• Cyclecar and lightweight sports car · 1923

  DZ

  The DZ was B.N.C.’s first automobile and was based on Jacques Muller’s earlier J.M.K. cyclecar. It established the company’s focus on compact sporting vehicles and was followed by a rapidly expanding range of chassis, engines, and body styles.

• Sports car · 1927

  B.N.C. Sport

  Introduced in 1927, the B.N.C. Sport used overhead-valve engines supplied by Ruby or S.C.A.P. Its visual and mechanical specification emphasized sporting character, including spoked wheels and a strongly inclined radiator. It represented the marque’s core lightweight performance positioning.

• Large touring car · 1929

  Aigle

  The Aigle was B.N.C.’s attempt to compete in the large-car market. It used a four- or five-litre Lycoming eight-cylinder engine. Demand for large passenger cars was poor at the time, and only very few examples were built; the model did not become a commercially sustainable product.

• Luxury sports coupé · 1931

  Vedette ADER

  The Vedette ADER was a proposed two-litre, six-cylinder B.N.C. coupé displayed at the 1931 Paris Motor Show under Charles de Ricou’s multi-brand operation. Although it attracted exhibition attention, it was never produced for sale.

• Continuation automobile

  B.N.C. Siréjols

  After the original company closed, André Siréjols used remaining B.N.C. parts to assemble a small number of continuation cars. These vehicles, generally known as B.N.C. Siréjols, were produced intermittently into the 1950s and included examples fitted with Ford’s 1,172 cc 10 HP side-valve four-cylinder engine.

• 1931

  Proposed front-wheel-drive rangeStrategy

  Background

  B.N.C. attempted another technical expansion while the company was operating under severe market pressure.

  Action taken

  The company presented sporty front-wheel-drive cars with pneumatic suspension.

  Aftermath

  The program did not lead to sustained production, and the company’s premises were shuttered shortly afterward.

  Source

• 1928

  Move toward larger automobilesStrategy

  Background

  B.N.C. sought to expand beyond its lightweight sporting and cyclecar base into larger passenger cars, including the Lycoming-powered Aigle.

  Action taken

  The company pursued large four- and five-litre eight-cylinder automobiles while retaining its sporting-car activities.

  Aftermath

  Weak demand for large cars, combined with broader financial pressure, contributed to the removal of Bollack and Netter and the acquisition of the company by Charles de Ricou.

  Source

1. 1Bollack Netter and Coen.wikipedia.org