Sénéchal automobiles

Robert Sénéchal (1892-1985) was a racing driver, an aviation pioneer and an industrialist. He was also the grandfather of the journalist and motor-sport innovator Patrick Zaniroli.

In 1921 Sénéchal founded the automotive business that bore his name at Courbevoie. The origins of the business went back to the "Eclair" cyclecar business in which Sénéchal had briefly been involved. Sénéchal was himself a celebrity in the automotive world, and his cycle cars were an immediate success. It was impossible to satisfy demand for the vehicles from the manufacturer's small premises at Courbevoie, and Sénéchal therefore negotiated a deal with Chenard & Walcker, who had no model of their own in the cyclecar class and from 1923 agreed to take on the manufacturing of the Sénéchal models. As the economy grew the cyclecar boom that had driven the earlier "Eclair" and "Sénéchal" businesses, and Sénéchal moved up a notch to become a producer of light cars in the voiturette class.

In 1925 the name of the business changed from Sénéchal to Société Industrielle et Commerciale, and the business was taken over by Chenard & Walcker. Voiturettes continued to be produced, powered by Chenard & Walcker engines, until 1929. Robert Sénéchal himself suffered a serious racing accident in 1931, after which he moved away from the world of motor racing and automobile manufacturer, embarking instead on a career as an aerial photographer.