1930 Voisin C14 Berline

Gabriel and Charles Voisin founded an aviation company in 1906 and would go on to build over 11,000 military aircraft for France and other countries through World War I. After the peace treaty of November 1918, Voisin was forced to find another use for their talents. After exploits in pre-fab building an aircraft-hangar production, Voisin opened Avions Voisin.

The Voisin Companies first production automotive efforts focused on the 'Sleeve Valve' engine architecture patented in 1908 by American Charles K. Knight. These engines, known for their almost silent operation, would become a hallmark of the Voisin cars until very late in the marque's existence. Voisin automobiles were lightweight and economical forms of transportation with bodies constructed from aluminum. With their years of experience working with aircraft, the car bodies were ingeniously built to flex with the frame to achieve a smooth ride, and used no timbers inside the boxed sections.

The Model C14 was built from late 1927 through 1932 and was an evolution of Voisin's first six-cylinder car, the 1926 Model C11. During the production lifespan of the C14, lasting until 1932, approximately 1,795 examples were produced. Power was from a 2.4-liter six-cylinder engine offering 66 horsepower. The C14s were built with both four-door berline and two-door coupe bodies, penned by Andre Noel.

This particular example was found in the 1990s in France by an Australian collection. It was found to be complete and sound and, after many years of storage, was deemed a good candidate for complete restoration, finished prior to 2007. The engine was rebuilt, the Dewandre vacuum-assisted braking system was given a detailed mechanical review, and many other components were restored to working condition.

The C14 drive train has the famed Voisin transfer box. The transfer box that is operated by switches on the steering column offers both high and low-speed settings, effectively giving the C14 six forward ratios from its conventional three-speed gearbox.

Inside, there is Art Deco-patterned Paul Poiret fabric. Large luggage boxes are found on the back and side of this vehicle, along with dual rear spare wheels.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2014