Coadou-Fleury

Coadou-Fleury, also referred to as Coadou et Fleury, was a French automobile manufacturer established in 1921 by Marcel Coadou, a pilot. The company was based in Trébeurden in Brittany, while its vehicles were manufactured in Paris. It operated during the interwar period, when small French manufacturers experimented with cyclecars, lightweight construction, compact engines, and distinctive body designs. The company’s first vehicle was a cyclecar powered by a Ruby sidevalve V4 engine. Available engine capacities were reported as either 850 cc or 903 cc, with output of approximately 20 horsepower. The car used a monocoque body, an unusual and technically notable construction approach for a small manufacturer of the period. Despite its engineering characteristics, the model did not attract sufficient customers, in part because its price was considered too high for the market it targeted. In 1927, Coadou-Fleury introduced a more developed model using an overhead-valve engine derived from the Citroën Type B2 unit. This version produced approximately 30 horsepower and incorporated four-wheel brakes, reflecting the company’s attempt to improve performance and safety. A coupé body style was subsequently produced, expanding the range beyond the original cyclecar configuration. The company’s final known model was the Coadou-Fleury Aérolithe. Its defining characteristic was an aerodynamic body, consistent with the period’s interest in streamlining and the development of more visually distinctive automobile forms. One Aérolithe has been preserved, providing a surviving example of the manufacturer’s work. Coadou-Fleury was dissolved in 1934. It remained a small and short-lived manufacturer rather than becoming a mass-market automobile company. Its historical significance rests mainly on its interwar production, its use of monocoque construction in a cyclecar, its adaptation of a Citroën-derived engine, and the preservation of an Aérolithe model.

Coadou-Fleury was founded in 1921 by Marcel Coadou, a pilot, in Trébeurden, France. Although the company’s base was in Brittany, its automobiles were manufactured in Paris. It entered the market during the interwar era, a period in which numerous small French firms developed cyclecars and other lightweight vehicles for customers seeking relatively economical personal transport. The first Coadou-Fleury vehicle was a cyclecar with a Ruby sidevalve V4 engine. Sources identify engine capacities of either 850 cc or 903 cc and an output of about 20 horsepower. The vehicle employed a monocoque body, meaning that the body and structural shell formed an integrated construction rather than relying solely on a separate conventional frame. This gave the car a technically distinctive character, but its price limited its commercial appeal and the model failed to attract enough customers. In 1927, the company developed a later model around an overhead-valve engine derived from the Citroën Type B2 power unit. The revised car produced about 30 horsepower and was fitted with brakes on all four wheels. A coupé version was also made later, indicating an effort to broaden the product range and offer a more enclosed body style. Coadou-Fleury’s final model was the Aérolithe, which featured an aerodynamic body. Its streamlined form represented the company’s interest in styling and body design as well as mechanical development. One Aérolithe is recorded as surviving, making it an important material remnant of the marque. The company was dissolved in 1934. No evidence in the supplied reference material indicates that it continued under another owner, became part of a larger automobile group, or achieved substantial production volumes. Coadou-Fleury is therefore best understood as a defunct, small-scale French manufacturer whose legacy is associated with experimental construction, compact interwar automobiles, and the surviving Aérolithe.

• 1934

  Company dissolved

  [1]Coadou-Fleuryen.wikipedia.org

  Coadou-Fleury ceased operations and was dissolved.

• 1927

  Engine and braking update

  [1]Coadou-Fleuryen.wikipedia.org

  A later model used a developed overhead-valve engine derived from the Citroën Type B2 unit, producing about 30 horsepower and adding four-wheel brakes.

• 1921

  Company founded

  [1]Coadou-Fleuryen.wikipedia.org

  Pilot Marcel Coadou founded Coadou-Fleury in Trébeurden, France; vehicle production was located in Paris.

• First cyclecar introduced

  [1]Coadou-Fleuryen.wikipedia.org

  The company produced a monocoque cyclecar powered by an approximately 20-horsepower Ruby sidevalve V4 engine in an 850 cc or 903 cc configuration.

• Aérolithe produced

  [1]Coadou-Fleuryen.wikipedia.org

  The manufacturer’s final model was the aerodynamic Coadou-Fleury Aérolithe; one example has been preserved.

A small interwar French automobile manufacturer focused on technically distinctive, lightweight, and compact vehicles rather than high-volume production.

• Cyclecar

  Coadou-Fleury cyclecar

  The company’s first automobile was a compact cyclecar with a Ruby sidevalve V4 engine. Reported engine capacities were 850 cc or 903 cc, producing approximately 20 horsepower. Its monocoque body was technically distinctive for a small interwar manufacturer, but the vehicle’s relatively high price limited customer demand.

• Passenger automobile · 1927

  Coadou-Fleury 1927 model

  The 1927 development used an overhead-valve engine derived from the Citroën Type B2 engine. Output increased to approximately 30 horsepower, and the car gained four-wheel brakes. A coupé version was later produced, giving the range a more enclosed body option.

• Aerodynamic automobile

  Coadou-Fleury Aérolithe

  The Aérolithe was the last known Coadou-Fleury model. It was distinguished by an aerodynamic body that reflected contemporary interest in streamlined automobile design. One example is reported to have survived.

1. 1Coadou-Fleuryen.wikipedia.org