UNIC Georges Richard - 1906 " General de Castelnau... Lot 141
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UNIC Georges Richard - 1906 " General de Castelnau ".
Driver's coupé
Georges Richard (1863-1922), a racing driver, founded his own brand of cycles, then cars in his name, and joined forces with Brasier. In 1905 he founded with Baron Henri de Rothschild the company UNIC. The name UNIC stands for a unique type of car, with a strong and silent engine. Georges Richard's goal was to create an economical, practical and easy to maintain car.
The UNIC "fiacre" was a huge success with the supply of these models to the city of London for use as cabs. Georges Richard is a precursor, with his standard mechanics and chassis for several types of cars, as Renault and Citroën will do later.
He is also the first to create the payment on credit with the automobile bank.
The car presented would have been assigned to the Grand Quartier Général des Armées and used by General de Castelnau for his travels from the GQG of Chantilly, as well as for his missions, going to Verdun for example urgently to counter the German army or visiting the troops on the front, as he is one of the only generals to do so.
It is likely that the choice of the UNIC was because of the solidity of this car, as well as the maintenance and replacement of standard parts to many vehicles of the army.
It is an extraordinary opportunity which was given to me to find this car in an estate of the Gers and to present this UNIC to the castle of Lasserre where lived the General Edouard Curières de Castelnau who should have been the marshal N° 1 of the 1st world war.
Another coincidence, I am writing this description in my office, which was the office of General de Castelnau and whose portrait is facing me, on this 19th of March 2022, 78 years after his death, on a 19th of March 1944.
I hope that this car, known as the General's car, will be able to remain in the region and why not in Montastruc or Saint Affrique, and to find the "famous man" a car which lived, after its use during the Great War, sold by the estates around 1919, 50 years of peregrinations and 50 years in the same collection.
Succession J.B. - Gers
Characteristics :
- Bodywork coupe driver: bodywork Léotard, coachbuilder in Paris and Petit, coachbuilder in Bar le Duc
- Besnard headlights
- Grenier radiator
- Badge Georges Richard / UNIC
- Engine plate Georges Richard, type C2, 12/14 N° 2735
- The car is in original condition, with its fabric interior and patinated leather seats, which makes its charm.
- This car has also participated in rallies including the famous Barcelona-Sitges
- According to its deceased owner it was also used in the movie "Brigades du Tigre".
- It obviously requires a revision before use
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