Emile Mathis was a leading car dealer in Strasbourg, Alsace, handling Fiat, De Dietrich and Panhard-Levassor, among other makes. The first car marketed under his own name was the Hermès (or Hermès- Simplex) designed for him by the young Bugatti and built at Grafenstaden. Current for 1905-06, it was built in 28, 40, and 98 hp forms, a11 being Mercedes-like cars with chain drive. Then designer and racing-driver Esser created cars of 2025cc and 2253cc which were built under license from Stoewer. The first true Mathis appeared in 1913, in the guise of the 951cc (soon enlarged to 1029cc) Babylette. A 1131cc version appeared in 1914 forming the basis of post-war production. Other pre-1914 Mathis included the Baby, with engine and gearbox in unit, built in 1327cc and 1406cc models, plus two sv models of 1850cc and 3453cc and a 4.4-litre Mathis-Knight. The famous London store Harrods sold the Babylette under its own name. Post-war; with Alsace now in France, the small Mathis cars were built at a prodigious rate, and the marque soon became the fourth biggest in its new homeland. In 1921 came the vee-radiatored SB ohv 1.5 litre developed from an ohc racer; while Mathis countered the 5 cv Citroen with a basic car of 760cc, which had electric lighting but no instruments or differential. like the other little Mathis, it featured a four speed gearbox. Since 1920, Mathis had been experimenting with small sixes, the first production model of only 1188cc appearing in 1923. There was even a 1.7 litre ohc straight-eight in 1925, a depressing and gutless machine. After producing a bewildering variety of small cars Mathis pursued a single-model policy in 1927 with the 1.2 litre four-cylinder sv MY joined the next year by the 1.8 litre Emysix. These stolid machines set the pattern for the early 1930s, though in 1930 there were bigger sixes of 2.4 and 4.1 litres, and 1931 saw two short-lived straight-eights. The larger of these, Type-FOH, was of 3.litres. The more modern Emyquatre, with ifs and synchromesh; appeared in 1933, but its Emyhuit sister had only just appeared when production of Mathis cars was ousted by the Matford: Mathis regained his factory just before the war, and resumed activity in 1946, after an attempt to interest the Americans in plastics-bodied cars. His post-war projects, an Andreau-styled three-wheeler and a 2.8 litre fwd flat-six, failed to reach production. His plant was bought by Citroën in 1954. ©VEA
|