Vintage French Motorcycles
Paris
Veteran French Tricycle
M. Lombard
French Boardtrack
Motorcycle and Trailer
Famous French Racer
This page lists brands for which we currently have only an historical precis. There is also a page on really obscure French brands.
For a more complete listing visit the French Index.
Paillard 1903
Panda
Manufactured by Jean-Luc Dupont from 1984 to 1999
BMW specialist, Rue Carnot, Villeneuve-Sur-Yonne
Sources: pandamoto.fr via archive.org, et al
Pannetton
Built in Morteau (Doubs), 1906.
Motorcycles fitted with Mirus 3¼ hp and A.Z. 1½ hp engines. The firm appears to have built bicycles and possibly velomoteur into the late 1930s. They also built sewing machines.
Bourdache p302
Paris-Rhone
Manufactured in Lyon 1941-1950
These were electric three-wheelers for personal trasportation and trade.
Source: OTTW
Pasquet 1932-1939
Patimo
This 49cc scooter appeared at the 1947 Paris Salon. It promptly vanished.
Source: Amis Terriens
Paulin-Demet
Tricycle exhibited at the Salon des Tuileries in 1899
Bourdache p440
Pauvert
1928~1939
Motorcycles manufactured by Ets. Pauvert, Lyon, using 98cc to 198cc two-stroke engines, 1933~1939.(1)
Built 175cc, 250cc and probably 350cc two-stroke engines 1928~1930. These were fitted to CP Roleo in 1928.(2)
1. Tragatsch p247. 2. zhumoriste.
Péa Engines
The Pea company built engines in the 1920s and 30s which were fitted to Ravat, Styl'ett, Styl'son and others.
Models: P1 175cc 2T 2 and 3-speed, P2 250cc 2T 3-speed, P3 350cc SV 3-speed.
Source: Motos dans la Loire, stylson.net
Pelletier
Motorcycle classified 9th in the 1902 Deauville event, ridden by Demay
Bourdache p440
Pélissier
Mercier built bicycles of this name from 1932, and mopeds around 1953.
Francis Pélissier was widely regarded as the greatest French racing cyclist of the 1920s. He worked with the Mercier firm for some years, and later with La Perle as directeur sportif until 1955.
Sources: Motos dans la Loire, et al.
Pem-Da
Daniel Vouillon and Edouard Morena had been building specialist racing machines for some time befor beginning production, in 1985, of their very fast Kawasaki GPZ-powered machines 750cc and 900cc machines.
Source: OTTW
Pennerat
A motorcycle of this name took part in the elimination trials for the 1904 Criterium event. There is no further mention.
Bourdache p209
Perfection 1906~1914
Pernoo 1899
Pernot (Est. 1905)
13 rue Victor Hugo, St Chamond (Loire)
1908-1910. Built by Savoye et Cie in Saint-Chamond (Loire), this was a motorised bicycle equipped with a Keller-Dorian bicycle engine and a gear change by Pernot. They possibly built a 1 h.p. motorcycle in 1920. The firm was still operating in 1922.
Sources: Motos dans la Loire, Bourdache p440
Pernod (GP Racing)
Perreaux, L-G. 1871
Perrenoud (Engines)
COMEF, 44 (or 14) Rue La Fayete, Paris 9
Built 48cc single speed horizontal two-stroke bicycle attachment engines 1953-54.
These were built under licence to the Comodo company of Switzerland.
Sources: La Moto Francaise, et al.
Pernette (André)
The Pernette machine (of 1906) is a 572cc V-twin (90 x 90mm) with belt drive. With a monstrous Buchet engine (probably an 8 CV, or about 1,000 to 1,200cc) that Pernette made a reputation as a champion.
Bourdachepp 220, 223, 241, 261-263, 272, 312, 364, 382, 422.
Petitjean c.1899
Petit
A Moto Petit motorcycle was built and ridden by Petit at the Coupe Internationale du Motocycle-Club de France (M.C.F.) 1903
Bourdache p440
P.G. Engines
1903. Adaptable motor of 1¾ hp
Bourdache p440
Piat
Manufactured by Piat et Cie in Saint Etienne
The firm was founded in 1870 as an arms and bicycle manufacturer. In 1954 they became associated with H. Errard, along with Randoin and Métropole. From 1953-1959 they built mopeds fitted with 48cc Mistral engines, and they also produced tricycles powered by Lavalette engines of 70 and 98cc.
Source: Motos dans la Loire.
Picard Fayolle
The firm was founded in 1894 in St Etienne, and between then and the end of WWII built arms, bicycles and sewing machines.
In 1947 the address was 42 Rue Martin Bernard in Saint Etienne, and mopeds were presented at the Paris Salon of 1950 powered by Poulain. Others were fitted with Vap and Lavalette engines.
They joined Cocymo in 1955.
Source: Motos dans la Loire
Pierton
Manufactured by Établissements Pierton in Courbevoie, Altos del Seine, 1922 to 1925.
Built BMA lightweights using 98 and 123cc Aubier & Dunne engines, and motorcycles of up to 498cc powereed by Blackburne, JAP, Train and Villiers.
Sources: OTTW, Tragatsch p250
Plasson
1921-24
Grenoble firm which built light motorcycles using two-stroke and 197cc sidevalve engines produced in-house.
Sources: Tragatsch p251, wikipedia.nl
Pontherey
Motorcycle built in 1901~1905 by Ernest de Pontherey, Faubourg Montmartre, 57, Paris
Sometimes misspelled as "Pontheray" or "Pontheret".
An example exists in the Collection de Maurice Chapleur
Bourdache p440
Portal
Built by Joël Portal who was previously partnered with Seurat and Queirel, these were enduro and mx machines powered by Sachs and Rotax engines of 125cc to 250cc. Production took place in Labastide Saint-Pierre in the 1970s.
Source: OTTW
Pourchier
Alain Pourchier Side-Cars was based in Vanosc (Ardéche). It produces the Borsalino, Jok'R, Jok, New Speed'R models, New Mamba chassis in cooperation with Armor Side.
The Armor Side site states: "We manufacture our own side-car body models and we are assembler-dealers of the whole range of side-cars made by A.Pourchier Side-Car. The frames and forks of our assemblies are A.Pourchier Side-Car creations."
A forum post ostensibly by Alain Pourchier in Jan 2012: "I am moving to Valréas in the Vaucluse."
Sources: apourchiersidecar.com, sidecar-occitanie.motards.net, et al
Precimax engines
Ste Precimax, à Bart pat Montbeliard (Doubs) 1952-54
Built 48cc engine type P48, used by Touraine and Pfohl mopeds.
Presto
Circa 1904, motorcycles with an OHV Buchet engine were built by Edgar Son of 12 rue de la Pompe, Paris
Bourdache
Prophete
Established c.1928 at Rue Ferdinand de Saint-Étienne, prior to WWII the company built BMA motorcycles using 98cc Stainless and Aubier & Dunne engines. Their postwar address was Rue de Montbrison in 1947, and production consisted of 48cc mopeds in the mid-1950s.
Source: Motos dans la Loire
Prunel
Motocyclettes built in 1900 at
4 rue de Paris, Puteaux
Bourdache p440
P.S.
Built by Henri Dresch, c.1922-1924.
Pussycar
Built by fashion designer Jean Pierre Ponthieu, the first model appeared in the 1960s, a tiny microcar. Later he built a highly unusual 250cc machine which looked rather like a road-going helicopter.
Rarer French Marques
