Salmson S4-D 1936 Lot n° 30

Chassis n°58967 Engine n°119-15 French registration As the certificate provided by the Amicale Salmson attests, our S4-D left the Billancourt factory on August 4, 1936 and was delivered directly to its owner Monsieur Faivre, a doctor from the Jura, via the Salmson agent in Montmorot. The factory archives also state that the car was delivered with an Icelandic green tint, still present on the car and beautifully patinated by time. Our doctor would use it to travel the roads of the Jura, and his niece, nicknamed the "tigress with gold teeth", would not part with it until 1970, by which time it had less than 30,000 km. It would be little used by its new owner, who replaced the engine following an engine failure (the original engine will be delivered with the car). In 2019, an enthusiast fell under the spell of its extraordinary original condition and bought the car with the firm intention of putting our luxurious Salmson back on the road. Our examination of the car revealed it to be very sound, quite complete and, despite some flaws, a very good base that will merit intelligent restoration to retain its original condition. With the exception of the two front fenders, we found no perforating corrosion, and its red leather interior, true to Salmson's reputation, is sumptuously preserved. Our example will be accompanied by a beautiful set of additional parts, a grille, its original engine, a crankshaft with three connecting rods from the original engine, a speedometer in excellent condition... The original S4-D spare parts catalog and service manual complete the set. Due to lack of time, the current owner wishes to pass on this project, so that the sleeping beauty can finally be awakened! As Jacques Potherat once said, "Repainting a hundred-year-old car means waiting a hundred years to achieve the perfect patina". That's the whole point of this Salmson: with only three family owners, and despite being almost 90 years old, it will be able to take to the road again, retaining its authenticity. The engine installed today is an S4-DA, and has not been run since 1972. Note that the rims are painted the same color as the body, which was probably requested by the first owner. Salmson had a reputation for very luxurious interiors, and more importantly, they were of superior quality to the competition, as evidenced by the condition it is in today. This beautiful car is an example of a classic French prestige sedan, of which fine examples are becoming rare. The gearbox is an electromagnetic Cotal. Primarily an aircraft manufacturer, Salmson, like Avions Voisin, only turned to the automotive industry after the First World War. In 1919, the first Salmson cyclecars appeared. This manufacturer set itself apart from its competitors by introducing a cylinder head with two overhead camshafts, a modern mechanical advance that gave the brand a solid reputation and an undeniable sporting character. Salmson's emblematic double overhead camshaft engine was maintained right up to its last models in the late 1950s. The Salmson S4, launched in July 1929 with its 1300 cm3 double overhead camshaft engine, offered excellent performance in its class, as well as remarkable roadholding and great sturdiness. It was replaced at the 1932 Motor Show by the S4C model, with a radically modified engine and larger displacement (1500 cm3). At the end of 1934, the S4D model was unveiled, with an inclined radiator and sail wheels, first solid then openwork. The main change was an increase in displacement from 1465 to 1596 cm3, putting the car in the 9-horsepower category and well ahead of the competition at the time. Its refined interior is matched by simple, elegant lines, forming a luxurious whole. The Salmson S4 was a technical and commercial success, being a high-performance, economical and comfortable car, capable of high average speeds despite its reduced power. This remarkable success is the just reward for the efforts of Société des Moteurs Salmson, which always pursues the same objective in all its creations, whether in aviation or the automobile: to combine precision, lightness and robustness.