Historic Car Brands

Le Zèbre was a French car badge that appeared on vehicles between 1909 and 1931. The business was associated with several pivotal designers over the years, who went on to found other brands.

1910 Le Zèbre, one-cylinder Type A at the Musee Automobile de Vendee – Alf van Beem

Le Zèbre was founded by Jules Salomon and Jacques Bizet, the son of Georges Bizet, the composer. (Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertoire.)

Jules Salomon was a young graduate of the School of Commerce and Industry in Bordeaux, and began his career at Rouart Brothers who were engine makers. He worked with Beau de Rochas, a pioneer of the internal combustion engine. 

Jules later moved to the cycle and automobile company, Georges Richard, where he met Jacques Bizet, who had the funds to back a new automotive brand and the ambition to leave a legacy to rival that of his father. The company was established under the name Bizet Constructions and then, in 1911, as SA des Automobiles Le Zèbre.

(Incidentally, George Richard was forced out of his own company in 1902 and, with the help of the polymath entrepreneur, Baron Henri de Rothschild, Georges Richard obtained sufficient funding to establish the ‘Société anonyme des automobiles UNIC’ in 1905. UNIC became a prominent French truck manufacturer until it was bought out by Fiat and subsequently absorbed into the IVECO fold in 1975.)

Salomon and Bizet decided not to give their names to the car, instead opting to call it ‘Le Zèbre’ (The Zebra), which was originally a nickname given to a clerk of their former employer.

1913 Le Zèbre Type A Torpedo – Charles01

In 1909 Salomon developed his first car, a Type A, single-cylinder car with two-speed gearbox, shaft-drive to the rear axle and a 1800mm wheelbase. This design proved very economical to manufacture, selling for 3000 francs – around 1000F less than competitors. Initial production was done at the UNIC factory.

The Type A was built on an SUP chassis and powered by an engine of approximately 600cc displacement, also supplied by SUP. The water-cooled, vertical engine’s power rating was 5hp (3.7kW) at 1200rpm. In 1912, the engine size was increased to 645cc, so power went up to 6hp (4.5kW) and a third ratio was added to the gearbox. 

The Type A was well received by the motoring press and the public, and attracted investment from influential businessmen Emile Akar and Joseph Lamy, enabling factory relocation and expansion. Joseph Lamy assumed the function of commercial director. 

Probably one of the first of what would be known today as ‘influencers’, one Baudry de Saunier, was editor-in-chief of the influential magazine Omnia and became a prominent promoter of the brand. It’s believed that he actually held shares in SA des Automobiles Le Zèbre.

The successful Type A continued in production until 1917.

In 1912 Le Zèbre announced their second model, the Type B. This larger (1742cc), four-cylinder, four-seater car, was rated at 10CV (around 10hp). It sold for 6000F, which was also competitive pricing. 

The Type B was closely followed by the more sporting Type C four-cylinder model that displaced 785cc, had a three-speed gearbox and a two-seat torpedo body. All three models were produced in the company’s new factory in Suresnes. 

Le Zèbre Type C – Berthold Werner

Le Zèbre became well known for its combination of robustness, reliability and low running costs. That appealed to Australia’s early motorists and several Le Zèbre models made their way Down Under.

During World War I, lightweight – 350kg – Le Zèbre cars soon showed their abilities as ‘go-anywhere’ vehicles and were selected for use as liaison vehicles by the French Army. From 1915, the Ministry of War placed an order for 40 cars per month, along with the supply of parts. These contracts allowed the company to retain the majority of its employees and avoid military requisition, unlike most other French car factories.

In 1917 the two founders split up. Jules Salomon left the company after meeting André Citroën, the then director general at Mors. Jules was instrumental in the development of the first Citroen cars, after André left Mors.

Le Zèbre’s ownership structure was revised, with Jacques Bizet resigning his executive position, although retaining a commercial stake in the company.

1919 Le Zèbre Type D – Bonhams

From 1918, the new Type D was marketed. It had a four-cylinder engine of 998cc and four-speed gearbox, and was rated at 8hp. It was available with three-seat torpedo and four-seat sedan bodywork. Its selling price of 10,200F remained affordable. 

In April 1919 André Morel joined the company as sales manager for southern France, but two years later came serious disruption. 

Edmond Moyet, the chief engineer, Morel, Akar and Lamy left Le Zèbre to create a rival company, Amilcar, whose name was an imperfect anagram of Akar and Lamy. 

Le Zèbre struggled after the loss of these key personnel and their associated capital, as well a good deal of their commercial network, which Lamy and Akar were able to lure away to their new project.

With the Le Zèbre brand destabilised by the loss of key personnel and with a growing demand for lower-priced cars, the original Type A reappeared, built on the Type C chassis and with a slightly modified body. 

At the beginning of 1923, only Types A and D appeared in the catalogue, supplemented, at the end of the year, by the Type E, sports version of the Type D. There was also a short-lived, licence-built Amilcar in the range.

In 1924 the pre-war Type C reappeared, without real improvements, apart from revised and improved bodywork. It was hoped that it would be competition for the 5CV Citroen, but that wasn’t to be.

1925 Le Zèbre Type Z – Ricardo PLC head office display photo

The last roll of the dice for Le Zèbre was the 1925 Type Z. English engineer Harry Ricardo, known for his studies on combustion systems and the developer of many associated patents, could have provided the magic bullet. Ricardo designed the car, including its somewhat radical powerplant.

This car was powered by a ground-breaking, side-valve, 1973cc, four-cylinder engine that boasted Harry Ricardo’s patented hemispherical combustion chamber cylinder head.

From 1925 to 1930, the Type Z was the only car marketed by Le Zèbre and Harry Ricardo thought so much of the vehicle that one is on permanent display at the Ricardo PLC head office in Sussex, UK.

There are two known surviving Type Zs in Australia.

Side-valve engine with Ricardo’s Turbulent Head design – Bartlomiej Bulicz

However, times had changed and Le Zèbre hadn’t been quick enough in adapting to the market demand for lower-cost vehicles post-War. Le Zèbre expats at Citroen and Amilcar had picked the public needs more accurately.

1925 Le Zèbre Type Z Tourer in South Australia – GTHO

By 1930, only 550 Type Z’s had been sold and although a radical single-cylinder, opposed-piston, two-stroke, diesel-engined model was shown at the 1931 Paris Salon, it came too late.

The final nail in the coffin was the widening Great Depression that killed off many car makers around the world. In late 1931 the Le Zèbre factory was forced to close.

Le Zèbre produced around 9500 cars between 1909 and 1931, of which about 250 examples remain around the world, including in Australia.

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