1946 MATHIS VL333
3 SEATS AND 3 WHEELS
1946 MATHIS VL333
3 SEATS AND 3 WHEELS
Production Years: 1942-1945
Country: France
Number Produced: 9 Prototypes
Before the War, Mathis was the number 4 car manufacturer in France, behind Renault, Citroën and Peugeot. In 1934, Emile Mathis made an agreement with Ford and his plant in Strasbourg was producing the MATFORD, a contraction for Mat(his) + Ford.
In 1940, Emile Mathis left France for the United States. He started a company, MATAM, to manufacture munitions for the Navy. By the end of the War he had 200 employees and delivered more than 260 million artillery shells to the Navy. He later received the “E” award from the Navy with 5 stars.
The VL 333 is built from 20 gauge aluminum sheet metal. The body is welded together. There is no chassis, it is a bubble. The engine is a 700 CC water-cooled flat twin with front wheel drive and a fully independent suspension. Only 9 prototypes were made during the war from 1942 to 1945; they were hidden from the Germans, as any work on automobiles for the civilian sector was forbidden.
The car in front of you was presented at the Paris Automobile Show in 1946. However, after the war, France was in turmoil. Raw materials and energy were in short supply. With a Communist minister in charge of production, politics ran amuck. The French Government through planification and heavy bureaucracy blocked Mathis from obtaining supplies to manufacture the car. The VL 333 was doomed and this is the only survivor.
Weight: 390 kg (850 pounds)
Top Speed: 105 kmh (65 mph)
Mileage test results from September 1942 under control of French Office for Production : 3.475 liters per 100 km = 69 miles per gallon
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Please note that the vehicles shown online are part of our collection but may not be on display when you visit. Our team is always in some stage of repair or restoration on a number of vehicles.
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Tampa Bay Automobile Museum
3301 Gateway Centre Blvd.
Pinellas Park, FL 33782 USA
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