Darracq and Company London
former French automobile builder
A Darracq and Company Limited, was a British-French manufacturer of motor cars between 1902 and 1920, which evolved from A. Darracq et Cie, and became S.T.D. Motors Limited.
A. Darracq et Cie, a French manufacturer of motor vehicles and aero engines based in Suresnes near Paris, was founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq after selling his Gladiator Bicycle business. In 1902 Darracq sold A. Darracq et Cie to A Darracq and Company Limited of England, taking a substantial shareholding himself.
Darracq continued to run the business from Paris until retiring in 1913 following years of financial difficulties. He had unsuccessfully introduced an unproven unorthodox engine in 1911 and neglected Suresnes' popular conventional products.
After Darracq & Company's purchase of the Sunbeam Motor Car Company in 1920 the firm was renamed S.T.D. Motors Limited, recognizing the gathering of Sunbeam, Talbot, and Darracq under one ownership. In 1922 the Darracq name was dropped from all products, the Suresnes business was renamed Automobiles Talbot, and the Suresnes products were branded just Talbot. The Suresnes business continued, still under British control, under the name Talbot until 1935, when it was acquired by investors led by the Suresnes factory's managing director, Antonio Lago.
A Darracq and Company Limited
A Darracq et Cie was sold 30 September 1902 to a newly created English firm, A Darracq and Company Limited. The attraction for the British venture capitalists was that French automobile technology and industry experience led the world.
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