The story
History
Rolland was already a successful businessman locally who had made a fortune in the wine business. Émile Pilain had a more technical background, having been trained by his uncle, François Pilain, who had relocated to Lyon and himself established the Société des Automobiles Pilain (SAP). Emile, the nephew, had remained in the Tours area, however.
Building the business
The partners started by repairing and selling motor vehicle, before they started producing their own cars, which appeared only in 1907.
In 1911 the business relocated to 44, place Rabelais, still in Tours, and the company became a Société anonyme (effectively a limited liability company). The company would retain this status until the money ran out, in 1925.
Production
The Rolland-Pilain cars pioneered many innovative solutions despite very limited financial resources. One such feature was hydraulic brakes. The models ranged from family cars to sports and luxury cars.
1920 models
At the Motor Show in October 1919 the manufacturer exhibited three cars.
The Rolland-Pilain "Type RP 10HP" came with a four cylinder engine of 1924cc and a 2,820 mm (111.0 in) wheelbase. Manufacturer's list price 13,500 francs (1919)
The Rolland-Pilain "Type M6 14HP" was offered a six cylinder engine of 2770cc and a 3,120 mm (122.8 in) wheelbase. Manufacturer's list price 18,500 francs (1919)
The Rolland-Pilain "Type CR 18HP" featured a large four cylinder engine of 3969cc and a 3,120 mm (122.8 in) wheelbase. Manufacturer's list price 23,000 francs (1919)
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The six cylinder car never made it to "volume" production, but both the four cylinder cars would enjoy some success. Prices were listed at the Motor Show for the cars in bare chassis form and included lighting, but they did not include the tyres.
1925 models
Five years later there was no sign of a six-cylinder model, but version of both the four cylinder engines appeared at the Motor Show in October 1924, where the manufacturer exhibited four cars.
The Rolland-Pilain "Type RP 10HP" came with a four cylinder side-valve engine of 1924cc and a 3,000 mm (118.1 in) wheelbase. Manufacturer's list price 24,000 francs (1924)
The Rolland-Pilain "Type B25 10/25HP" was offered with a four cylinder overhead valve engine of 1924cc and a 3,040 mm (119.7 in) wheelbase. Manufacturer's list price 27,300 francs (1924)
The Rolland-Pilain "Type C23 (sometimes called simply the " Rolland-Pilain 2-litre")" featured a four cylinder overhead camshaft engine of 2008cc and a 3,200 mm (126.0 in) wheelbase. Launched more recently, in 1923, this model was the manufacturer's most high profile model during the 1920s. It was relatively advanced technically, but also expensive to produce which was reflected in a high selling price.Manufacturer's list price 39,500 francs (1924)
The Rolland-Pilain "Type CRK 18HP" featured a large four cylinder engine, now with overhead valves, of 3969cc and a 3,250 mm (128.0 in) wheelbase. Now nearing the end of its time, this was now seen as a "run-out" modelManufacturer's list price 24,000 francs (1924)
Prices were listed at the Motor Show for the cars in bare chassis form and included lighting, but they still did not include the tyres.
From Wikipedia’s article on Rolland-Pilain, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4