1940 Georges Irat 11CV

Georges Irat manufactured a French automobile named the Georges Irat from 1921 to 1953. The Irat name first appeared in 1914, but there is no record of car production until 1921. At the 1921 Paris Automobile Salon, Georges Irat displayed an automobile dubbed the Model A powered by an overhead valve 1990cc four-cylinder engine with coachwork designed by Maurice Gaultier (of Delage fame). A six-cylinder model with a 2,985cc displacement arrived in 1926, followed by Lycoming-powered models in 1929 in both six- and eight-cylinder configurations.

Along with Lycoming engines and moving from Chatou to Neuilly, Georges Irat added a smaller, four-cylinder model in 1929 with a 1,086cc displacement and designed by George's son Michel. This model was not well received, and following financial difficulty, the company was partially taken over by Godefroy et Levecque, makers of the Ruby engine, in 1934. The company's operation once again moved, this time to Levallois where they made two front-wheel-drive sporting roadsters, a six-cylinder 2,450cc Lycoming-powered model, and a smaller 1,100cc Ruby model. The larger did not sell well but the 1,100cc powered example was very popular. These front-wheel drive vehicles were among the earliest to use this configuration.

Near the close of the 1930s, in 1938, the company introduced a new sports car with a 1,911cc Citroen engine and an independent suspension comprised of rubber springs. It had the driveline of Citroen's 11CV, and approximately 200 examples were built before the onset of World War II.

When peacetime resumed, Georges Irat returned to automobile production with a range of electric cars, magnesium-bodied cars, diesel engines, and Jeep-like utility vehicles. Production ceased in 1953.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2023