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Entering our bureau this monday, there was a nice surprise on my desk. Knowing that I´m a big aficionado of Gabriel Voisin and his automobiles, my friend Jürgen sent an old photograph of a rare C24-Caravelle.
I knew this picture before, as two of my Voisin Club-mates sent scans of it some time ago, but we couldn´t find out anything more about the car and the time, the photo was made. The car clearly is a late C24 demi-berline with a factory body called "Caravelle". It was introduced in 1933 and followed a more conventional styling, than the typical razor-edged Bauhaus-design, Voisin is known for. The sustained fenders, without the typical boxes, changed the look dramatically. The car on the photo seems heavily used. Just have a look at the non matching wheels of different sizes, that are giving the car an even more hot-roddy style! There is a big crack in the front fender and the door-handle is missing.
But does this car still exist?
The photo seems to be taken in post-war times. I can only recall one Caravelle, that survived at least till the seventies. That one was part of the Corniére-collection, but I have no clue, if the car still exists and if it maybe is THIS car!? There are many similaritys, but I wouldn´t bet a dime on it. On the only two pictures, I know of the Corniére-car, there is for example no mirror mounted at the door, the door-handle is at its place and the wheels seem to have identical sizes.
Except of this car, I only know of two surviving four-door Saloons (called "Charmeuse"), that share this late C24-style. One in the fabulous Wurstemberger-collection in Aigle and one barnfind, that was offered by C.Grohe some time ago.
So is there anybody, who can tell me more about the car on the photo and/or the fate of the Corniére car?
Words by Hubertus Hansmann