Sinpar
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Founder | Léon Demeester |
| Headquarters | Colombes , France |
| Products | Automobiles, off-road vehicles, winches, heavy-duty transmission components |
| Parent | Renault V.I. (from 1980) |
Sinpar was a French car manufacturer established in 1907 and later revived in 1946 by Léon Demeester. Initially, the company produced voiturettes prior to World War I, but after the war, it shifted its focus toward off-road vehicle production.
Pre-war
Between 1907 and 1914, Sinpar operated out of Courbevoie, assembling automobiles powered by de Dion-Bouton engines available in either 4½ CV or 8 CV configurations. The 8 CV variant produced from 1912 to 1914 mirrored the 8 CV Demeester model. The name "Sinpar" originates from the Latin phrase sine par, which translates to "without equal."
Interwar
In the period between the world wars, Sinpar specialized in lengthening and reinforcing truck chassis, mainly for Ford and Citroën vehicles. The company also offered upgrade kits that included strengthened axles as well as reduction and overdrive gearsets.
After 1946
Following World War II, Léon Demeester relaunched Sinpar in 1946 alongside his son Pierre, concentrating on manufacturing winches and heavy-duty transmission components for four- and six-wheel-drive trucks. During the 1950s, Sinpar diversified into producing trucks for oil field applications and, in the 1960s, marketed approximately 150 four-wheel-drive trucks under its own label, the Sinpar Castor, which incorporated parts sourced from the Renault Estafette. These specialized vehicles were utilized by various French industrial enterprises until Sinpar's operations were acquired by Saviem in 1975.
Sinpar Appareils S.A., headquartered in Colombes, employed the Sinpar brand for automobiles between 1964 and roughly 1974. Additionally, the brand was registered with the Swiss Eidgenössische Typenpruefungskommission in 1973.
In autumn 1962, Sinpar introduced an all-terrain adaptation of the Renault 4, featuring an 845 cc 800-01 engine coupled with a three-speed gearbox that included shorter ratios and an extra low first gear to enhance climbing ability. Due to its conversion cost being nearly two-thirds that of a new Renault 4, sales were predominantly limited to institutional buyers.
Throughout the late 1960s, Sinpar concentrated on converting various Renault models to four-wheel drive, including the Renault Goélette, Renault 4, Renault Rodéo, Renault 6, and Renault 12. While most sales occurred within France, there was notable demand in mountainous regions of Switzerland seeking cost-effective four-wheel-drive options—markets largely overlooked by major manufacturers until the introduction of the Subaru Leone. A Sinpar-modified Renault 4 secured third place in the 1980 Paris–Dakar Rally, improving upon its fifth-place finish the year prior. Moreover, Sinpar-prepared Renault 12 vehicles performed admirably in the Rallye Côte-Côte. The company also produced a beach car variant known as the Renault 4 "Plein Air."
During the 1960s and 1970s, Sinpar developed proprietary chassis designs. In 1962, it unveiled an all-wheel-drive chassis equipped with fully independent torsion bar suspension and powered by a Ford 6D engine from the Thames Trader. In 1968, Sinpar created the Torpedo S, a jeep-style vehicle with bodywork crafted by Brissonneau and Lotz, although this model never reached production. The early 1970s saw expansion through acquiring Carrosserie Rotrou’s facility located in Verneuil-sur-Avre.
In collaboration with German distributor Rau GmbH of Stuttgart, Sinpar co-developed a four-wheel-drive version of the Ford Transit in 1982, marketed as the SIRA-Ford Transit.
After Pierre Demeester passed away in 1976, Sinpar’s future became uncertain until its acquisition by Renault V.I. in 1980. The firm continued producing modified all-terrain Renault vehicles at Chassieu under the "Sinpar" brand name, which was reinterpreted as an acronym. By 1998, Sinpar was fully absorbed into Renault V.I., leading to retirement of its brand identity.