French Motorcycles

Élan Motos

Place du Marché à Marmande

The Elan company was formed by Pierre Sarrus in 1900 and the first machines are mentioned in 1901. In 1902 he joined the military and on his return he established a new workshop in Marmande, at the Place du Marché. He went to war in 1914, and after 1918 built an aircraft named Elan II.
During the second war he and his son Jean built electric motorcycles.
Pierre continued in the motorcycle trade in Marmande into the 1950s, and Jean maintained the service until the end of the 1980s.

Ce qui suit provient d'une archive de La Moto Français

  • En surfant sur le net, je tombe sur le site lesmotocyclettes.free.fr

    Quelle ne fut pas ma surprise ! Le constructeur est mon grand-père, Pierre
    SARRUS. Il est né le 25 août 1882 et habitait à Sainte-Gemme près de
    Marmande. Il était passionné par les nouvelles techniques: motos, avions,
    etc...

    En 1900, il était scribouillard chez un notaire de Bouglon. Il se
    lance alors dans les moteurs, motos, électricité et autres. Sa carrière est
    interrompue en 1902 pour le service militaire. A son retour, il continue son
    affaire à Marmande, au  place du Marché, où ses parents avaient déménagés.
    Il continuera jusqu'en 1914, date de son départ à la guerre. Quand il
    reviendra en 1918, son affaire a disparue et il se lance dans la
    construction d'un avion qu'il appellera aussi Elan (Elan II exactement), et
    simultanément dans une tournée de  cinéma à la campagne. Toutefois il
    gagnera sa vie jusque dans les années 50 en tenant son garage pour vélos et
    motos toutes marques. Son fils Jean continuera son garage et la tournée de
    cinéma (parlant alors) jusqu'en fin des années 80. Pierre et Jean sont très
    connus à Marmande.

    Le garage existe toujours place du Marché, encombré d'une multitude de
    vieilles carcasses accumulées depuis presque 100 ans, et nous appartient
    toujours !

    Ci-joint 3 photos. Deux sont des factures, la troisième est mon grand-père Pierre avec une Elan.

    J'oubliais: Pierre SARRUS a aussi construit une moto électrique pendant la
    seconde guerre afin de continuer sa tournée de cinéma (essence rationnée).

    Je possède beaucoup de documents et photos de famille. J'espère que ces 3
    documents prouveront mes dires.

    Images may be found in the appropriate galleries

    Suite à ta demande, voici une photo représentant mon grand-père maternel

    Pierre SARRUS sur la motocyclette électrique qu'il avait construite pendant
    la guerre de 39-45. Elle avait une autonomie d'environ 30 km. Il s'en
    servait aussi pour tirer la petite remorque de son cinéma parlant ambulant.
    Son fils Jean en construisit également une, plus puissante.

    Tant que j'y suis, je joins 2 cartes postales de mon grand-père: l'une le
    représente en 1929 dans son automobile servant à faire les projections de
    cinéma muet à la campagne (l'électricité était fournie par le moteur de la
    voiture), et l'autre le représente dans l'avion qu'il avait construit avant
    de partir à la guerre de 14-18 (et qu'il avait évidemment baptisé ELAN II ).

    En souvenir de lui, ma moto, une Harley-Davidson, porte en gros sur le
    réservoir ELAN III ....

    Félicitations pour ce site merveilleux.
    Pierre Kumurdjian.
    message du 25/09/04


The following is from an archive of La Moto Francaise

    By surfing the net, I find the site lesmotocyclettes.free.fr What was not my surprise! The builder is my grandfather, Pierre Sarrus. He was born on August 25, 1882 and lived in Sainte-Gemme near Marmande. He was passionate about new techniques: motorcycles, planes, etc ...

    In 1900, he was scribouillard at a notary of Bouglon. It launches in engines, motorcycles, electricity and others. His career is interrupted in 1902 for military service. On his return, he continues his Marmande, at the Place du Marché, where his parents had moved. He continued until 1914, the date of his departure to the war. When he will return in 1918, his case has disappeared and he construction of an aircraft that he will also call Elan (Elan II exactly), and simultaneously in a film tour to the countryside.

    However, his life until the 50's by holding his garage for bicycles and motorcycles all brands. His son Jean will continue his garage and the tour of cinema (speaking then) until the end of the Eighties. Pierre and Jean are very known in Marmande.

    The garage still exists on the Place du Marché, crowded with a multitude of old carcasses accumulated for almost 100 years, and belongs to us always !

    Attached 3 photos. Two are bills, the third is my grandfather Pierre (Sarrus) with an Elan.

    I forgot: Pierre SARRUS also built an electric motorcycle during the second war in order to continue his film tour (rationed petrol).

    I have a lot of family documents and photos. I hope that these 3 documents will prove my claim.

    Following your request, here is a picture representing my maternal grandfather Pierre SARRUS on the electric motorcycle he had built during the war of 39-45. It had an autonomy of about 30 km. They was also used to pull the small trailer from its traveling talking cinema. His son John also built one, more powerful.

    As long as I am there, I enclose 2 postcards of my grandfather: one the in his automobile used to make the projections of cinema in the countryside (electricity was provided by the engine of the car), and the other represents it in the plane he had built before to go to the war of 14-18 (and that he had evidently baptized ELAN II).

    In remembrance of him, my motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson, carries tank ELAN III ....

    Congratulations on this wonderful site.

    Pierre Kumurdjian.
    message du 25/09/04

Sources: La Moto Francaise, Bourdache p434 and others


08-Jun-2020
surfking61 at yahoo.com
Elan
Hello I recently purchased this head badge on eBay from a person over in France. I am trying to find out any info on it but can not. I am including a picture. I am looking to find out if it was a from a bicycle or motorcycle and in what years it was made and where. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Frederick Jones
United States

    The badge appears to be from a bicycle built in Nice, some 700km from the home town of the Elan featured on this page.
    Elan-Azur-Nice image posted to Comments.

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