Evolution car body

Pic-Pic

Car : Pic-Pic
Year : 1919
Engine : 4 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke :85×130 mm
Cylinder capacity : 2950.5 cc
Gears : 4 forward
Brake horse power : 50
Maximum speed : 60 mph
Wheelbase :10 ft 3 ins (3.12 m)
Suspension : front and rear : semi-elliptic leaf- springs supplemented
by Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers
The firm’s strange name is made up of the first three letters of the surnames of its two founders (Piccard and Pictet). Initially it only manufactured car parts. In 1904 it was taken over by SAG (Société d’Automobiles à Genéve) whose designer was Marc Birkigt , later to gain fame with Hispano-Suiza. Piccard and Pictet broke away from SAG , becoming fully independent and producing sturdy and efficient cars. The 1919 one pictured here and Argyll’s patented sleeve-valve engine, developing 50 bhp at 1,800 revs, a Zenith carburetor and Scintilla magneto ignition. The dashboard, which had a mileage counter, a clock, an ammeter and a voltmeter, gives an idea of how refined this car was. There was also an instrument which showed the lubricating oil level.
The First World War brought the company many orders due to the sturdiness of its vehicles but in 1920 it began to run into serious difficulties because of competition from imported cars. Pic-Pic finally disappeared in 1924, although in 1922, two years after it had ceased activity for the first time, it was taken over by a new financial group which gave the Swiss firm the go ahead to produce a 4-cylinder 3-litre. However, only 300 of these were sold.