Company overview
Avions Voisin was established in 1919 by Gabriel Voisin. The company initially produced automobiles using Knight-type sleeve valve engines at Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. Gabriel Voisin’s designs utilized light alloys, particularly aluminum. Early models included the Voisin Laboratoire Grand Prix car of 1923, which featured monocoque chassis construction and a propeller for cooling. The company used sleeve valve engines exclusively until the 1930s, when Graham 3.5-liter engines were adopted. André Lefèbvre, a former student of the Fine Arts School of Lyon and later employed by Citroën, contributed significantly to Voisin’s engineering development. In 1945, the business was nationalized and integrated into Gnome & Rhône, which itself became SNECMA. The company introduced the Biscooter Voisin in 1950, a small voiturette with a Gnome & Rhône engine. Production of the Biscooter continued until 1960, with a modified version produced in Spain under license. Several Voisin models achieved recognition at prestigious concours d’elegance, including the 1925 C3 Cabriolet and various C-series models from the 1930s.
