The 1946 Mathis VL333 is a unique and innovative vehicle that highlights the resourcefulness and ingenuity of post-war French automotive engineering. Before the war, Mathis was the fourth-largest car manufacturer in France, following Renault, Citroën, and Peugeot. In 1934, Emile Mathis made an agreement with Ford to produce the MATFORD, a combination of Mat(his) and Ford, at his plant in Strasbourg. In 1940, Emile Mathis left France for the United States, where he started a company named MATAM to manufacture munitions for the Navy. By the end of the war, he had 200 employees and had delivered more than 260 million artillery shells, earning the "E" award from the Navy with five stars.
The Mathis VL333, developed between 1942 and 1945, was a response to the economic and material constraints of its time. Only nine prototypes were made during the war, hidden from the Germans as any work on civilian automobiles was forbidden. The VL333 was crafted for three occupants and featured a lightweight design with a three-wheel, three-seat configuration. Its body was built from 20-gauge aluminum sheet metal, with strength derived from over 6,000 welds in its unitized structure, rather than an underlying chassis.
The VL333 is powered by a 15 hp, 707 c.c. water-cooled flat twin engine with front-wheel drive and a fully independent suspension. Despite its advanced engineering, the car never entered mass production due to the lack of manufacturers willing to take on the project and the post-war turmoil in France. Raw materials and energy were in short supply, and heavy bureaucracy blocked Mathis from obtaining the necessary supplies to manufacture the car.
The car you see was presented at the Paris Automobile Show in 1946. It remains the only surviving prototype, highlighting Emile Mathis's innovative spirit and the challenges of the era. The VL333's lightweight construction, three-wheel layout, and three-seat configuration make it a standout model in the history of automotive engineering.
With a weight of 390 kg (850 pounds), the VL333 could reach a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). Mileage test results from September 1942, under the control of the French Office for Production, showed impressive efficiency at 3.475 liters per 100 km, equivalent to 69 miles per gallon. Today, the 1946 Mathis VL333 is a rare and valuable collector's item, admired for its distinctive design, advanced features, and historical significance.
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