Rene Bonnet
Automobiles René Bonnet was a French automobile maker.
The firm was the continuation of Deutsch et Bonnet (DB) by René Bonnet when Charles Deutsch, the "D" in DB, founded his own firm CD. The business was based at Champigny-sur-Marne to the south-east of central Paris.
A principal cause of the breach had involved the determination of Deutsch to stay loyal to Panhard engines while Bonnet was keen to switch to Renault power plants. The DB Le Mans, a 2+2 convertible, continued in production as the René Bonnet Le Mans, still on a front-wheel drive Panhard-based chassis albeit now equipped with Renault engines. Renault's 1,108 cc inline-four engine was also used for the Missile, a strict two-seater convertible based on the Le Mans but with a re-worked front end, and for the mid-engined Djet.
The company produced light front-wheel drive and mid-engined sports cars with very aerodynamic fiberglass bodies mainly powered by enhanced Renault engines. Its cars participated in the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1962, 1963, and 1964. Management concentration on racing activity may nevertheless have come at the expense of commercial focus, and relatively few cars were sold during this period: by 1964 the cash was running out.
In 1962 the René Bonnet company launched its Djet model, generally remembered in retrospect as a Matra, although 198 Bonnet Djets were sold between 1962 and 1964 (179 of these were to the lowest powered "Djet I" specifications with 65 PS). A further 1,491 would be sold as Matra Djets between 1965 and 1968. The cars usually featured Renault's four-cylinder 1,108 cc engine, but some competition versions received a considerably more powerful smaller twin-cam, 996 cc unit. The earlier DB-based cars (Missile and Le Mans) were not brought back into production after the Matra takeover.
The firm worked increasingly closely with its principal investor Matra. Matra was at the time an armaments manufacturer concentrating on missiles, but they were also enthusiastic about the future of the fibreglass technology in which Bonnet was a pioneer. An important role in bringing Bonnet's business and Matra together was also contributed by an energetic former fighter pilot and national politician called André Moynet whose involvement with the enterprise appears to have outlasted Bonnet's own. Matra's rapidly evolving partnership with René Bonnet's auto-making business was the beginning of the subsequently better known Matra Automobile division, formally inaugurated in October 1964. After this Bonnet himself appears to have had little further significant involvement in the business that for two and a half years had carried his name.
- AB VOLVO
- AC CARS
- ACURA
- ADLER
- AEC
- ALFA ROMEO
- ALFA ROMEO BY ABARTH
- ALFA ROMEO BY CARROZZERIA TOURING
- ALFA ROMEO BY CASTAGNA
- ALFA ROMEO BY COLLI CAROZZERIA
- ALFA ROMEO BY GHIA
- ALFA ROMEO BY TOURING
- ALFA ROMEO BY ZAGATO
- ALPINE(SOCIETE DESAUTOMOBILES ALPINE SAS)
- ALVIS
- ALVIS BY VANDEN PLAS
- AMC(American Motor Company)
- APRILIA
- ARMSTRONG WITHWORTH AIRPLANE COMPANY
- ASTON MARTIN
- ASTON MARTIN BY GRABER
- ASTON MARTIN BY VIGNALE
- ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA BY VIGNALE
- ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA LIMITED
- ATELIER DE CONSTRUCTION ROANNE
- ATKINSON VEHICLES LIMITED
- AUBURN BY BEUHRIG
- AUDI
- AUDI BY DARWINPRO
- AUSTIN MOTOR COMPANY Ltd.
- AUTOBIANCHI
- AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI S.p.A.
- AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI BY LB WORKS
- AUTO UNION
- AVIA MOTORS S.R.O.
- AVRO
- AvtoKuban
- BAE Systems AB
- BARKAS(VEB Barkas-Werke)
- BEDFORD
- BelAZ
- BELL
- BENTLEY
- BENTLEY BY PININFARINA
- BERLIET
- BERTONE
- BMW
- BMW BY ALPINA
- BMW by DarwinPRO
- BORGWARD
- BRISTOL CARS LIMITED
- BRITISH LEYLAND
- BRM(British Racing Motors)
- BUGATTI
- BUGATTI BY BERTELLI
- BÜHLER HOLDING AG
- BUICK
- BUICK BY LANCEFIELD
- CADILLAC(GENERAL MOTORS)
- Cadillac by ASC
- Cadillac by Derham.
- Cadillac by Fleetwood
- CADILLAC BY MILLER-METEOR
- CADILLAC BY PININFARINA
- CAGIVA
- CANADIAN MILITARY PATTERN(CHEVROLET)
- CATERPILLAR
- CHECKER MOTORS CORPORATION
- CHEVROLET
- CHEVROLET BY AMERICAN CUSTOM COACHWORKS.
- CHRYSLER
- CHRYSLER BY GHIA
- ChTZ(Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant)
- CISITALIA BY PININFARINA OR VIGNALE
- Citroën
- Citroën by H.Chapron
- CIZETA-MORODOR
- COMMER
- CONDOR-WERKE AG
- CORD BY HAYES BODY COMPANY
- DACIA
- DAF
- DAIMLER(D)
- DAIMLER(UK)
- DAIMLER BY WILCOX
- DATSUN
- DB PANHARD
- DE HAVILLAND
- DE HAVILLAND BY MORRIS MOTOR COMPANY
- DELAGE(SAFAD)
- DELAGE FERNANDEZ & DARRIN
- DELAGE BY LETOURNEUR & MARCHAND
- DELAHAYE
- DELAHAYE BY CHAPRON
- DELAHAYE BY FIGONI & FALASCHI
- DELAHAYE BY GILLORE
- DELPHI INDY CAR
- DENZEL AUTOMOBILE COMPANY
- DESOTO(CHRYSLER)
- DE TOMASO
- DEUTSCH-BONNET(Panhard engine)
- DEUTZ-FAHR
- DEVON MOTORWORKS
- DIFFERENT CAR MODELS
- DISNEY
- DKW
- DODGE(CHRYSLER)
- DODGE BY GHIA
- Dr.-Ing.Ulrich ESTERER GmbH & Co.KG.png
- DUCATI MOTOR COMPANY S.p.A.
- DUESENBERG
- DUESENBERG BY BOHMAN & SCHWARTZ
- DUESENBERG BY D'IETEREN
- DUESENBERG BY FIGONI
- DUESENBERG BY G.NUTTING
- DUESENBERG BY LAGRANDE
- DUESENBERG BY MURPHY
- DUESENBERG BY ROLLSON
- DUPLE COACHBUILDERS
- DV BUS & COACH
- DZERZHINSKY PLANT KIEV
- EBRO
- Eidgenössische Konstruktionswerkstätte
- EMW(Eisenacher Motorenwerk)
- ENFIELD
- ERICH BITTER AUTOMODELS GmbH(BITTER)
- EUROCOPTER GROUP
- FACEL S.A.
- FBW(Franz Brozincevic Wetzikon)
- FENDT
- FERRARI S.p.A.
- FERRARI BY BERTONE
- FERRARI BY GHIA
- FERRARI BY DROGO CARROZZERIA SPORTS CAR
- FERRARI BY MICHELOTTI
- FERRARI BY PININFARINA
- FERRARI BY SCAGLIETTI
- FERRARI BY TOURING
- FERRARI BY VIGNALE
- FERRARI BY ZAGATO
- FFA(Flug-und Fahrzeug Werke Altenrhein)
- FIAT
- FIAT BY ABARTH
- FIAT BY BERTONE
- FIAT BY CARROZZERIA ALFREDO VIGNALE
- FIAT BY LOMBARDI
- FIAT BY ZAGATO
- FMC(Food Machinery Corporation)
- FODEN
- FORD BY COSWORTH
- FORD BY CRAYFORD
- FORD BY LOTUS
- FORD BY SHELBY
- FORD EUROPA
- FORDSON BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- FORD U.S.A.
- FREIGHTLINER(Daimler truck North America)
- FSO WARSZAWA
- GAZ(Gorky Automobile Plant)
- GENERAL MOTORS
- GINETTA-FORD
- GMC
- HARLAND & WOLF
- HANOMAG
- HARLEY DAVIDSON
- HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS-NASCAR
- HEINKEL
- HENSCHEL & SON
- HHA(Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd)
- HILLMAN BY ZAGATO
- HILLMAN MOTOR COMPANY
- HISPANO-SUIZA
- HISPANO-SUIZA BY FERNANDEZ & DARRIN
- HOLDEN(GENERAL MOTORS)
- HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI
- HYMER CAMPERS
- HOMMELL
- HORCH
- HOTCHKISS ET CIE
- HUDSON MOTOR CAR COMPANY
- HUMBER LIMITED
- HUMMER
- HÜRLIMANN
- HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
- IAME(Industrias y Mecanicas del Estado IAME)
- IKARUS
- IMPERIAL(Chrysler)
- IMPERIAL(Crysler) BY GHIA
- IMPERIAL(Chrysler)BY LE BARON
- INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER
- INVICTA BY CHARLESWORTH
- INVICTA BY TOURER
- ISO AUTOMOTOVEICOLA S.p.A.
- ISOTTA FRASCHINI & Co
- ISOTTA FRASCHINI BY ZAGATO
- IVECO
- ISUZU MOTORS Ltd
- JAGUAR
- JAGUAR BY BERTONE
- JAGUAR BY GRABER
- JAGUAR BY VANDEN PLAS
- JAGUAR BY VICARAGE
- JEEP(FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES)
- JENSEN MOTORS
- JLC
- JOE GIBBS RACING-NASCAR
- JUNKERS
- KAELBLE
- KAISER JEEP
- KAMAZ
- KAWASAKI
- KAZ(Kutaisi Auto Mechanical Plant)
- KENWORTH
- KhTZ(Karkivski Tractorni Zavod)
- KIEV ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION PLANT
- KIROV ZAVOD
- KMZ(Kragnorsky Mechanical Works)
- KOENIGSEGG
- KÖPFLI
- KrAZ
- KURGANMASHZAVOD
- LADA(AvtoVAZ)
- LANCIA
- LANCIA BY COLLI CAROZZERIA
- LANCIA BY ZAGATO
- LAND ROVER BY CUTHBERTSON
- LAND ROVER BY TICKFORD
- LAND ROVER(TATA MOTORS)
- LANZ
- LEA-FRANCIS
- LEXUS
- LEYLAND MOTORS
- LIAZ(Liderecké Avtomobilové Zavody)
- LIGIER AUTOMOBILES
- LINCOLN
- LINCOLN BY CARIBOU MOTOR COMPANY
- LOLA
- LOTUS
- MACK
- MAGIRUS-DEUTZ
- MALAGUTI
- MALYSHEV FACTORY
- MAN
- MARMON MOTOR COMPANY
- MASERATI
- MASERATI BY BERTONE
- MASERATI BY CARROZZERIA FANTUZZI
- MASERATI BY PIETRO FRUA
- MASERATI BY ZAGATO
- MATRA
- MATRA SIMCA
- MAVERICK MOTORS
- MAYBACH(DAIMLER-BENZ)
- MAYBACH BY WAGNER-SPOHN
- MAZ(MINSK AUTOMOBILE PLANT)
- MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
- McDonnell Douglas
- MCI(MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC.)
- McLAREN
- McLAREN HONDA F1 TEAM
- MELKUS
- MENARDS RACING-NASCAR
- MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 TEAM
- MERCEDES-BENZ
- MERCEDES BY AMG
- MERCEDES-BENZ AMG BY DARWINPRO
- MERCEDES BY ARMBRUSTER
- MERCEDES-BENZ BY CORSICA
- MERCEDES BY SAOUTCHIC
- MERCURY(FORD MOTOR COMPANY)
- MESSERSCHMITT
- MEYERS MANX(VW engine)
- MINI BY BMW
- MG(SIAC)
- MG BY BERTONE
- MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION
- MORANE-SAULNIER
- MORGAN OLSEN
- MORRIS
- MORRIS BY ZAGATO
- MOTO GUZZI
- MOTOBECANE
- MV AUGUSTA
- MZMA(Moskwitch)
- NAMI(Automotive Institute)
- NASH MOTOR COMPANY
- NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL
- NEOPLAN
- NISSAN BY LIBERTY WALK
- NISSAN BY PANDEM
- NISSAN MOTORS
- NISSAN MOTORSPORT INTERNATIONAL Co.Ltd.
- NISSAN NISMO RACING TEAM
- North American Aviation (NAA)
- Norton Motorcycle Company
- NSU
- OLDSMOBILE(GENERAL MOTORS)
- OM(Officine Meccaniche)
- Omohundro
- OPEL
- OSCA
- PACKARD
- PAGANI AUTOMOBILI S.p.A.
- PANHARD
- PANOZ
- PAZ(Pavlovo Bus Company)
- PEGASO
- PETERBILT
- PEUGEOT
- PIERCE ARROW
- PILATUS AIRCRAFT Ltd
- PLYMOUTH
- PONTIAC(GENERAL MOTORS)
- PORSCHE
- Porsche by Gemballa
- PORSCHE BY RWB
- PP SAUBER A.G.
- PRAGA
- PROTON HOLDINGS BERHAD
- PTMF
- RAMBLER
- RAMSES AUTOMOBILES(NSU)
- RANGE ROVER BY HAMANN
- RAPID HOLDING Ltd
- R/C(RADIO CONTROL MODELS)
- RED BULL RACING
- RENAULT
- RENAULT BY GORDINI
- RENAULT SAMSUNG MOTORS
- REYNARD MOTORSPORT(Chrysler engine).
- RIGA CARRIAGE WORKS
- ROLLS-ROYCE
- ROLLS-ROYCE BY BREWSTER & Co.
- ROLLS-ROYCE BY GHIA
- ROLLS-ROYCE BY HOOPER & Co.
- ROLLS-ROYCE BY PARK WARD
- ROLLS-ROYCE BY PININFARINA
- ROLLS-ROYCE BY WILLOUGHBY
- ROSENGART
- ROVER BY ZAGATO
- ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT(RAE)
- RUAG HOLDING Ltd
- RVR(Rigas Vagonbuves Rupnica)
- SAAB
- SAAB BY SIXTEN SASON
- SAURER UND BERNA
- SAVA(AUSTIN)
- SCANIA(VW AG)
- SCAMMEL LORRIES Ltd
- SCHLÜTER
- SCIMITAR BY BROOKS STEVENS
- SEAGRAVE FIRE APPARATUS
- SEAT BY ABARTH
- SETRA
- SHASTA TRAILER
- SHELBY
- SIATA(FIAT ENGINE)
- SIMCA
- SMEAL-SPARTAN
- SPICE ENGINEERING
- SPYKER CARS
- SKODA AUTO
- SLOT CARS
- SLOT CAR FERRARI
- SMART
- STANGUELLINI
- STEYR-DAIMLER-PUCH
- STEYR WERKE AG
- SOCIEDAD ESPAGNOLA DE AUTOMOVICES DE TURISMO(SEAT).
- STUDEBAKER BROTHERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
- STUTZ
- STUTZ BY LANCEFIELD
- SUBARU
- SUD AVIATION
- SUNBEAM
- SUNBEAM BY ALAN FRAZER RACING
- SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
- SVARZ PLANT
- TALBOT
- TALBOT-LAGO BY SAOUTCHIC
- TATRA
- TEAM PENSKE-NASCAR
- TESLA,Inc.
- THE LONDON TAXI COMPANY
- THORNYCROFT
- TOEBEHOREN
- TOYOTA BY ARCTIC TRUCK
- TOYOTA BY THE FJ COMPANY
- TOYOTA BY JMACX
- TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
- TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
- TRABANT(VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerk)
- TRIUMPH STANDART MOTOR COMPANY
- TRIDENTS CARS Ltd
- TROLZA(ZiU)
- TUCKER CORPORATION
- TVR BY FISSORE
- UAZ(YA3)
- UDI(United Defense Industries)
- UKVZ
- UNIC
- URAL AUTOMOTIVE PLANT
- VAN HOOL
- VAUXHALL MOTORS
- VENTURI
- VERITAS AUTOMOBILE
- VESPA/PIAGGIO & Co S.p.A.
- VEVEY
- VgTZ
- VICKERS SUPERMARINE(AIRCRAFT)COMPANY LTD
- VOLKSWAGEN
- VOLKSWAGEN BY D'Ieteren
- VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
- VOLVO TRUCKS
- Wanderer-DKW
- WARTBURG(VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach)
- WESTERN STAR TRUCK SALES Inc.
- WILLYS JEEP
- WINNEBAGO TRAILER
- YAMAHA MOTOR Co,.Ltd
- YaMZ(Yaroslavl Motor Plant)
- ZiL
- ZIS
- ZÜNDAPP
- ZWEEFVLIEGTUIGEN(gliders)