Janoir

The Janoir was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 until 1922 by a motorcycle and sidecar company in Saint-Ouen. The few that were made were 965 cc flat twin-engined cyclecars.

Born in Lugny (Saone-et-Loire) in 1883, Louis Janoir gets his plane pilot's licence in 1911. This engineer joins another student from the same school, Louis Bechereau - designer of Deperdussin airplanes - and took part in numerous air raids and competitions. In 1916, he started the company Janoir Aviation based in Saint-Ouen. During the First World War, the Janoir factory devoted itself to repair then build Spad fighter planes, a business created by Armand Deperdussin in 1910. After the war, the company became interested in automobiles, aviation and motorbikes. Built in the same work workshops where the Spad were manufactured, the 1920 Janoir Type A breaks new ground in all areas. This daring motorcycle is defined by its "chassis" in stamped metal sheet, its half-leaf spring rear suspension, drum brakes and replaceable wheels. The engine is a lengthwise flat-twin with removable cylinder heads of which the aluminium cylinders are embedded in the crankcase and steel tubes. With a 965cc cylinder capacity (85mmx85mm), this Janoir was producing 8hp and could be harnessed. This example, probably unique and coming from Serge Pozzoli's collection, has a mileage of just over 47,000 km. It is hard to comprehend that this machine was on the road in 1920, as it is one of the most inventive and innovative French motorcycles ever made.