Mathis (automobile)

Mathis S.A.
Company type	Private
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1910 in Strasbourg, France
Founder	Émile Mathis
Defunct	1950
Fate	Ceased operations; manufacturing facility taken over by Citroën in 1954
Headquarters	Strasbourg, France
Area served	France
Products	Automobiles, aero-engines

Mathis S.A. was an automotive manufacturer based in Alsace, active from 1910 until 1950. Established by Émile Mathis (1880–1956) in Strasbourg, the firm emerged as a notable competitor within the French car industry.

Hermès-Simplex

Émile Mathis, a well-known automobile dealer in Strasbourg, represented several marques including Fiat, De Dietrich, and Panhard-Levassor through his Auto-Mathis-Palace enterprise. At Mathis’s factory located in Graffenstaden, two vehicles designed by Ettore Bugatti were produced and sold under the Hermès label, offering engines rated at 28, 40, or 98 horsepower with chain-driven mechanisms. Subsequently, Dragutin Esser—an accomplished designer and racer—developed two Stoewer models under license, powered by 2025 cc and 2253 cc engines.

Mathis

The launch of the Mathis 8/20 PS took place in 1910; however, notable commercial traction was achieved before the First World War with smaller vehicles such as the Babylette (1.1 L) and Baby (1.3 L), alongside a Mathis-Knight variant featuring sleeve valve technology.

During World War I, while Alsace was under German administration, Mathis was dispatched to Switzerland to secure tyres but chose to remain in France after the conflict. Following Alsace’s reintegration into France, production resumed swiftly, and by 1927 Mathis had become France’s fourth-largest automaker with over 20,000 units manufactured. Rivaling Citroën, the company introduced the SB model in 1921, followed by six-cylinder (1188 cc) and eight-cylinder versions released in 1923 and 1925 respectively. From 1927 onward, Mathis adopted a single-model approach starting with the MY, equipped with a 1.2 L side-valve four-cylinder engine, later replaced by the Emysix six-cylinder (2288 cc) in 1928.

Matam, Durant

In 1930, Mathis pursued a partnership with William Crapo Durant—the founder of General Motors—to manufacture 100,000 vehicles at Durant’s Lansing, Michigan facility under the Matam (Mathis-America) project. Unfortunately, Durant’s financial collapse prevented these plans from materializing, leaving Mathis to concentrate on its domestic French market.

Depression

The brief production of the 1931 FOH, featuring a straight-eight 3-litre engine, was overshadowed by greater success with the 1933 Emyquatre model. This vehicle housed a 1445 cc engine along with advanced features for its time such as a synchromesh transmission, hydraulic brakes, and independent front suspension. The subsequent Emyhuit eight-cylinder model arrived too late to reverse Mathis’s downturn, culminating in factory closures.

Ford and Matford

After 1932 introduced tariff barriers that restricted component imports primarily from Britain, Ford S.A. Française encountered economic difficulties. To address this challenge, Ford and Mathis established Matford SA Française in Strasbourg in 1934. Utilizing British Ford design cues, Matford swiftly became a significant competitor in the market, leading to the shutdown of Mathis’s original factory in 1935. The final Matford vehicles were recognizable by their distinctive V-shaped windshields. Production at Matford ceased in 1939.

Second World War

Before World War II erupted, Émile Mathis reclaimed control of his Strasbourg manufacturing plant but faced considerable strategic vulnerability due to its location near the Franco-German border. Having defected from German military service during World War I to join French forces, Mathis became a target for German authorities following France’s defeat in 1940. He fled to the United States where he managed his Matam company remotely. Meanwhile, Ford opened a plant at Poissy in 1940 to produce the Ford 472A model that bore strong resemblance to prewar Matford automobiles.

Post-war period

Following extensive bombing damage during the war, Mathis concentrated on restoring its Strasbourg factory, a process that was finalized by 1948. Upon returning from the United States, Émile Mathis found himself disconnected from the political figures who emerged after Vichy and was excluded from the government-supported Pons Plan, which favored selected automobile manufacturers and restricted resource availability. Nevertheless, Mathis embarked on innovative endeavors such as the 700 cc three-wheeled VL333 (1945) and a front-wheel-drive concept featuring a 2.8 L flat-six engine combined with a panoramic windshield. These initiatives did not achieve commercial success, and by limiting production to aircraft engines and components for Renault, Mathis ultimately halted its operations in 1950.

Aero-engines

Mathis created a series of aero-engines aimed at the light aircraft sector following the war, although most designs remained at the prototype stage. The most prominent model to reach production was the Mathis G4. Significant Mathis aero-engine variants include:

In 1954, Citroën took over the Mathis manufacturing facility. Émile Mathis died in Geneva on 3 August 1956.