Solex

Solex was a French manufacturer of carburetors and mopeds Velosolex. The company was founded in 1905 by two students from the École Centrale Paris Maurice Goudard and Marcel Mennesson. Initially, the company was the company " Société et Goudard Mennesson ", the name was then replaced by the more memorable art word " Solex ". First Product was acting with centrifugal water chiller for automobiles, especially for buses.

Carburetor

Around the time of World War I, the company acquired a patent for the manufacture of carburetors. This product was soon supplanted the radiator production. Until the 80s Solex carburetors were used by almost all continental European car manufacturers. Then the car came into their injection. There were several global licensee: In Germany Solex carburetors were from the German carburetor company ( Pierburg GmbH ), headquartered in Neuss and one in Berlin (West ) were prepared. Pierburg merged in 1997 to the piston Pierburg AG. In Japan, the company was Mikuni licensees who drove them to Japanese car and motorcycle manufacturers. In 1973 the business was taken over carburetors by the French company Matra and sold to the Italian company Magneti Marelli below. The former carburetor factory has been operating since 1994 as Magneti Marelli France.

Velosolex

Main article Velosolex

In 1917 received a patent on a bicycle with an auxiliary motor on the rear axle of the founders Marcel Mennesson. The first prototype of the Velosolex with the typical friction roller on the front wheel appeared 1940/41. From 1946 to 1988, the Velosolex in different variants was built over 6 million times. It reached cult status in many countries. The peak year was 1964 with an annual production of 380,000 pieces. In 1974, the area was sold to Renault Velosolex and Motobécane. Motobécane, who later took over the majority was acquired after their bankruptcy and changed its name to Yamaha MBK 1984. However, the demand declined steadily. On 7 November 1988, the production of Velosolex was finally set at the factory of Saint- Quentin. Were built under license in Hungary to 2002 and are still made ​​in China. The rights to the brand name " Velosolex " Today, the American company Velosolex America LLC.