Henri Chapron

Henri Chapron (December 30, 1886 – May 14, 1978) was a prominent French coachbuilder. His workshop, founded in 1919, was located in the Levallois-Perret district, near Paris.

Biography

Chapron was born in Nouan-le-Fuzelier (Sologne), and began his career designing custom bodies for luxury French vehicles such as Talbot, Delage, and Delahaye in the 1920s. France stopped producing such vehicles in the 1950s due to tax legislation that made luxury cars more expensive.

Special Citroën DS Models

Given these circumstances, Chapron focused his attention on the newly launched Citroën DS. His first redesigned DS coupé was the "Le Paris" in 1958. Initially, he purchased some of these vehicles and customized them as unique creations. Many became exclusive convertible versions. His DS convertible caused a sensation at the 1958 Motor Show. Citroën executives visited him in Levallois to offer a production agreement. For two years, Chapron and Citroën teams worked closely to reinforce the vehicle's safety standards and reduce production costs. Based on a design by Flaminio Bertoni, designer of the DS, Chapron developed a two-door convertible body that was sold through the Citroën dealer network. The production convertible was unveiled at the 1960 Paris Motor Show.

The official collaboration with Citroën began in 1961. A July 20, 1961, article in Variety magazine reported that Cary Grant had "called the French car company Citroën to order a new car for the movie" That Touch of Mink.

Reportedly, the factory shipped the "show model" to the studio without hesitation, and the car prominently appeared in the movie, providing key publicity.

Chapron was in charge of building this "usine convertible" (factory convertible), producing a total of 1,365 cars. The agreement between Chapron and Citroën allowed buyers to benefit from a factory warranty for their "Usine" convertibles, which used a DS platform supplied by Citroën, including all mechanical components, front fenders, windshield, and wheels. Chapron used the complete chassis but reinforced several floor elements. The standard sedan's doors were extended by 18 cm, and Chapron also modified the rear fenders.

The coachbuilder continued to produce his own DS-based models, including the "Croisette," "Palm Beach," "Le Dandy," "Lorraine," and "Le Leman." Unlike the factory convertibles, Chapron often used a windshield that was six centimeters lower for his own models. The side windows, including the rear ones, could be lowered manually or electrically, unlike the factory car. Chapron, an expert salesman, selected the finest leathers. While Citroën purchased its leather upholstery from Costil in Pont Audemer, Chapron sourced his from Connolly in England.

In 1968, Chapron built a special extended DS Presidential model for the government of Charles de Gaulle. In 1972, Chapron delivered two SM Presidential models to the government of Georges Pompidou. These large four-door convertibles were first used for Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to France in 1972 and remained in use until the beginning of Jacques Chirac's presidency in 1995. The "Presidentielle" returned to service in 2004 when Queen Elizabeth II reviewed the troops on the Champs-Élysées with Chirac on April 5, 2004, at the start of her three-day state visit to France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, signed in London on April 8, 1904.

Special Citroën SM Models

The Citroën SM "Mylord" was designed as a full two-door convertible, without a roll bar. It featured a body with a small rear trunk, faithfully retaining the vehicle's original design, especially the elevated license plate. The Mylord prototype was presented at the 1971 Paris Motor Show, with sales starting a year later. Production was complex, beginning with a standard body shell from Chausson, which was delivered to Chapron. The technology and floor of the SM Coupé remained mostly unchanged, as did the wheelbase. The B and C pillars were removed, after which Chapron installed extensive reinforcements to the body. The modified body was then transported to Citroën, where the engine, chassis, and other technical components were installed. Finally, the car returned to Chapron's workshop for completion of the interior and paintwork. In total, only a few "Mylord" convertibles were built (sources vary between seven and eight units). Four were sold in France, two in Spain, and one in the United Kingdom.

A year after the "Mylord Cabriolet," Chapron developed a sedan version of the standard SM: the "Opera." This sedan remained true to the original model's design and was essentially an extended version of the SM Coupé. Starting with a white SM body shell, Chapron significantly lengthened the wheelbase. The front doors were shortened, and the waistline underwent some modifications. The rear doors were Chapron's own design, adopting the Coupé's lines with the characteristic curve in front of the C-pillar. The large rear hatch was eliminated, integrated into the bodywork. The rear section corresponded to the Coupé's design. The vehicle was heavy and had lost some of the Coupé's maneuverability. The Citroën SM "Opera" was unveiled to the public at the 1972 Paris Motor Show. Over the next two years, Chapron built a total of eight "Opera" sedans. At least two are still preserved, one in the Netherlands and one in Germany.

After Chapron's Death

Henri Chapron passed away in Paris in 1978, and the company survived for a time under the direction of his widow. Less than five months after his death, the company presented a Landaulet body conversion, built for a wealthy Dutch client, based on an extended Peugeot 604. This was expected to lead to small-scale, steady production of similar conversions, as had occurred with Chapron's extended Citroën DS models. However, this did not materialize, although the company did produce some luxury special versions (including landaulets) of the Citroën CX with lavishly equipped interiors.

Chapron's workshops prepared several landaulet vehicles based on the CX 2400 Prestige, including a wedding car delivered in 1981 and first used for the wedding of Henri de Passau, Prince of Bourbon-Parma and Grand Heir, and Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess. It was later used for the weddings of King Harald V of Norway, Crown Prince of Norway, Archduke Christian of Austria and Princess Maria Astrid, and finally for the wedding of Prince Nicholas of Liechtenstein and Princess Margarita of Luxembourg.

At the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours, Citroën appeared as the featured marque, represented by numerous Chapron variants.

See Also

• Heuliez

External Links

• Official website
• Coachbuild.com Encyclopedia: Chapron