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All the Makes: Saab to Swift |
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SAAB
(1950 - present)
Saab has a relatively short automotive history. The
company was founded in Trolhattan as Svenska Aeroplan
Aktiebolaget to manufacture high-performance aircraft
before World War 2. Only after the war would the company make
its first foray into automobile manufacture.
The first
prototype vehicle, the 92001, would be hand built by
17 aeronautical engineers – amazingly only one
having a driver’s license. As you would expect,
the lessons learned from aircraft manufacture were
applied to the car; the first Saab boasted clean, aerodynamic
lines while maintaining the typical Swedish traits
of being both efficient and functional.
In 1949 came
the Saab 92, a car that would prove immensely popular
and remain in production until 1956, with some 20,000
being manufactured. In 1955 came the radically different
Saab 93, which used a 3 cylinder engine, new transmission
and tubeless tires. The Sonett followed in 1956, the
first sports car manufactured by Saab and capable of
an impressive 160 km/h.
Arguably too advanced, and certainly
too expensive, only six would be produced. In 1962
came the Saab sport, a car that would help Erik Carlsson
win many major rally victories; in recognition of Carlsson’s
achievements, the car would be renamed the Monte Carlo
850. Always at the forefront of safety innovation,
every Saab manufactured from 1962 onward came fitted
with seat belts as standard equipment.
As time
marched on, the Saab’s would continue to grow
in size, and by 1968 the company had manufactured their
first large car, the Saab 99. The new Saab featured
the now signature wraparound windscreen, and would
provide the basis for much technological innovation
over the ensuing years, although the car was actually
so good the engineers were hard pressed to find ways
of improving it. In 1970 came self cleaning headlamps,
in ’71 came self-repairing bumpers, and 1972
would see the introduction of side-impact door beams.
But it was in 1976 that the engineers really went to
town on the 99, fitting a turbocharger and making the
99 one of the first ever “everyday” cars
to offer this kind of technology. From 1990 Saab became
part of the GM global empire.
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SALMSON
(1921 - 1957)
Founded by Eric Salmson, the company was originally
concerned with the manufacture of aero engines. Upon
Salmson’s death at the end of World War 1, the
company was taken over by M. Heinrich who quickly diversified
into automobile manufacture. The first iterations were
GN’s built under licence, but then came the Salmson
AL – a car that would go on to take out a string
of racing wins throughout the 1920’s, including
the Targa Florio and Brooklands 200 Mile.
In 1927 designer
Emile Petit helped create a 67.1ci 1.1 liter straight
eight engine complete with twin superchargers, making
an incredible 104+ kW. Throughout the 1930’s
the company manufactured more touring minded models
than sports cars, however after the war the cars began
to look and feel rather dated, and production actually
ceased for a time in 1952.
Undeterred, the company
forged ahead with the planned release of the 2300 GT
Coupé, it going on to receive much critical
acclaim at the 1953 Paris Salon, then winning the 1954
Tulip Rally. Despite the success, and the cars undoubted
good looks and performance, it failed to gain adequate
market share, and by 1957 only 230 cars had been built.
The company quietly closed its doors.
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SEAT
The Sociedad Española de Automóviles de
Turismo (Spanish Corporation of Private Cars), or SEAT,
is a relative newcomer to the automotive industry.
Founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Fiat, a significant
share of the company was owned by the Spanish government
under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The first
iterations were almost identical copies of the Fiat
models, such as the SEAT Panda and SEAT 600 being more
a badge re-engineered Fiat Panda and Fiat 600.
Fiat
withdrew from the partnership in 1981, paving the way
for SEAT’s first true model to be released; after
Fiat saw the new SEAT Ronda a lawsuit ensued, it being
painfully obvious that the Ronda was very similar to
Fiat’s Ritmo. Then president of SEAT Juan Miguel
Antoñanzas showed a Ronda to the press with
all the parts different from the Fiat Ritmo painted
in bright yellow to highlight the differences.
This
may have ended the dispute, but Fiat choose to scrap
their own planned re-style of the Ritmo, deeming it
to be too similar to the SEAT. In 1986 Volkswagen became
a major shareholder, and by 1990 that share had grown
to 100%.
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SIMCA
(1934 - 1982)
Frenchman Henri-Theodore Pigozzi had been importing
Fiat’s
for a time, and realised it would be even more lucrative
to produce the Italian cars under license for the French
market, thus in 1934 La Société Industrielle
de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile, or
simply Simca for short. It would become an overnight
success by building the Fiat 500 Topolino and 508 as
the Cinq and Huit respectively.
By 1938 the Nanterre
facility (on the Seine) was building some 20,000 cars
per year. Following the war the company would resume
production of the Cinq and Huit, then in 1951 the company
would manufacture their very own iteration, the Aronde. The new car would become an overnight success, it soon
being exported and garnering a stellar reputation for
quality and reliability. Following the success of the
Aronde, the company set about designing and manufacturing
other genuine French iterations, while also expanding
its operations.
Unic was bought in 1951, then Ford’s
French operation was purchased three years later, greatly
adding to the production capacity. In 1959 Simca acquired
Talbot, but by then Chrysler had obtained a 15% stake
in Simca as it grew its European manufacturing base (the
British Rootes concern was also in Chrysler’s sights).
By 1963 Chrysler held a majority share, at a time when
their small 1000 and more modern 1100 and 1301/1501 models
would ride the crest of unappalled popularity. By the
early 1970’s Chrysler owned 100% of the company,
but financial difficulties in the US would see the company
sell of its foreign subsidiaries, Simca being sold to
Peugeot-Citroen in 1978. Simca would be renamed
Talbot, but even that name would be dropped a few years
later.
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SIMPLEX
(1904 - 1917)
There were quite a few auto manufacturers trading
under the name Simplex, however the US design was without
doubt the most historically important. Being put into
production in 1904, the Simplex was inspired by the
contemporary Mercedes, and was actually built by Smith & Mabley,
the US Mercedes importer (although the Simplex iteration
was designed by Edward Franquist). The company would
go bankrupt in 1907, however car manufacture would
continue when textile importer Herman Broesel took
control.
A new range of vehicles was introduced, including
a 598ci 9.8 liter version, along with a wide range
of body styles from Quimby, Demarest, Brewster and
Holbrook. By 1912 the Simplex was still driven by a
chain, the only US based car manufacturer still doing
so. Simplex was subsequently sold to Goodrich, Lockhart & Smith
in 1913, then to the Crane Motor Company who released
the car as the Crane-Simplex Model 5; production only
lasted a few more years, coming to an end in 1917.
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SINGER
(1905 - 1970)
Founded by George Singer who began manufacturing cars
under licence from Lea-Francis, namely the 8 and 12
hp underfloor engined models. The company would soon
lose direction upon the death of Singer, finding itself
at the mercy of receivers. But remarkably the company
survived, and began the manufacture of small but high
quality cars such as the three-cylinder Ten.
In 1926
the Ten was renamed the “Senior”, so that
an even smaller iteration could join the model line-up – it
was naturally enough named the “Junior”.
Both were successful, allowing Singer to acquire both
the Calcott and Coventry Premier concerns, the added
capacity allowing Singer to reach an all time high
of 11,000 cars manufactured in a single year for 1927.
In 1932 the Junior was replaced by the Nine, this model
proving to be very popular, particularly in sports
car form. Continued financial difficulty would see
the company embark on a rationalisation program that
would see two factories close, and the bigger six cylinder
cars dropped from the line-up. Following World War
2 Singer release the SM1500 saloon, however it never
achieved sales expectations.
In 1955 the company was
taken over by the Rootes Group, not surprisingly since
Willian Rootes had served his apprenticeship with Singer
many years before. After the takeover the marque was
simply used as a marketing exercise, the “Singer” badge
affixed to Hillman’s to denote their more up-market
status. The Singer Gazelle was simply a Minx with better
trim, but as the years went on the Singer name only
served to confuse the purchaser – and so the
name was dropped altogether in 1970.
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SKODA
(1906 - present)
Started out in 1895 as Laurin
and Klement, then manufacturing bicycles. In 1899
they began the manufacture of motorcycles, following
in 1905 with the manufacture of the Voiturette automobile.
After World War 1 the company concentrated on the
manufacture of trucks, but fell on hard times in
1924 following a large fire that all but destroyed
their manufacturing facility. Was able to avoid bankruptcy
by partnering with Škoda Works, the biggest
industrial enterprise in Austria-Hungary and then Czechoslovakia,
then building Hispano-Suiza designs
under licence at Plzen, Czechoslovakia.
Manufacturing
under the Škoda name, the company weathered
the depression and emerged with the aptly named “Popular”,
which was indeed very popular. During World War 2 the
company was turned into part of Hermann Göring
Werke, serving the German war effort. Found itself
on the wrong side of the iron curtain following the
war, and despite being starved of technical innovation
from Western marques, continued to manufacture solid
and reliable cars, such as the Skoda 440 Spartak, 445
Octavia, Felicia and 1000 MB. In the late 1980s Škoda
(or Automobilové Závody, Národní Podnik,
Mladá Boleslav to be precise) was still manufacturing
cars conceptually from the 1960s.
Rear-engined models
such as the Škoda 105/120, Estelle and Rapid
sold steadily in many countries and even managed to
put in solid performances against more modern marques
in races such as the RAC Rallies of the 1970's and
80's. The turning point came in 1987 with the Favorit
model; designed by Bertone and, with some modern engine
technology obtained under license from west European
manufacturers, the Škoda engineers succeeded
in designing a car every bit the match of its Western
contemporaries.
Extremely popular in Czechoslovakia
and other East European countries, the Favorit also
sold fairly well in Western Europe, particularly in
the UK where they were regarded as good value, solid
and reliable. During the 1990’s the Czechoslovakian
government brought in foreign partner Volkswagen, the
cars quickly catching up with competition in terms
of quality, innovation and design.
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SPYKER
(1900 - 1927)
The only Dutch automobile manufacturer
before World War I, brothers Jacobus and
(younger) Hendrik Spijker realised that
they should rename their company to the
easier to pronounce 'Spyker' to make the
brand more appealing in export markets. The
UK quickly warmed to the brand, the entire
output from the factory being exported
there between 1904 and 1906. Despite its
success, was plagued by financial problems
- a meeting conveined between the UK
importer and Hendrik to discuss the issues
would end it tradgedy with both men being
killed in a storm in transit.
In an attempt
to gain prestige, built a special in 1907
for Charles Godard to enter the
Peking-Paris race. Things were going well,
and the Spyker may have won, but Godard
would be arrested before the end of the
race amid accusations of illegal
sponsorship dealings. The shareholders
blamed Jacobus and sacked him, the company
would go bankrupt in 1908, but would be
revived to produce a series of 4 cylinder
cars until 1916. An attempt was made to
market Mathis cars under the Spyker name
for a time, but the compay would eventually
cease altogther in 1927. |
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SQUIRE
(1934 - 1936)
Founded by Adrian Squire, it proved to be a very short
lived marque; Squire developed an advanced sports car
featuring a pre-selector gearbox and hydraulic brakes – a
very good car for the day, but ultimately too expensive
to assure commercial success. Adrian Squire had for
a time worked at both Bentley and MG, so he was with
good pedigree. Encouraged by the announcement of a
new engine from British Anzani, a twin overhead cam
91.3ci 1.5 liter unit featuring twin Solex carburetors
and provision for a supercharger, Squire felt he could
fashion a body that would be able to extract the best
performance from it. By 1934 he had created a prototype,
the open or closed bodywork by Vanden Plas creating
great interest.
But when the price was announced, nearly
everyone thought it too expensive and interest quickly
subsided. Squire obtained cheaper bodywork from Markham
of Reading, but this was not enough to make the Squire
affordable, and only a dozen cars would be made before
the liquidators took control in July 1936. Three more
would be manufactured by Val Zethrin who purchased
the concern.
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SSANGYONG
(1954 - present)
Started out manufacturing a Jeep under licence in 1954,
which was renamed the Korando.
Mercedes Benz became involved when,
in 1992, they purchased 5% of the concern. The company
was then contracted to manufacture 50,000 Mercedes-Benz
trucks and 80,000 diesel engines in 1995, some of which
were to find their way under the bonnet of the Musso
4x4. The Musso was actually designed by a UK based
firm, the design somewhat refreshing from the bricks-on-wheels
approach used by many 4x4 manufacturers until that
time.
It’s
reputation was also enhanced by the fact that it used
the Mercedes engine, and given the luxury nature of
the big off-roader it came with a relatively low price
tag. From a production total of 6000 in 1986, with
the help of Mercedes production had increased to 46,000
by 1994. In 1998 the company was taken over by Daewoo,
themselves teetering on bankruptcy. It has managed
to survive, but despite the growing reputation for
quality its designs are usually controversial. Some
love the way they look, or at least they mustn’t
care.
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STANDARD
(1903 - 1963)
Standard would start out in 1903 producing single cylinder
cars, and like most other manufacturers these would
quickly evolve into two, three and four cylinder iterations.
During World War 1 the company would manufacture a
variety of planes, including the much lauded Sopwith
Pup and Bristol F.2-B. After the war the company started
the manufacture of small domestic cars, for a time
locked in combat with Austin; by 1924 Standard had
manufactured over 10,000 automobiles. Its fortunes
would take a turn for the worse when, after committing
significant investment into increasing their production
capacity, the expected export contract would not eventuate.
Captain John Black joined the board from Hillman, he
encouraging the supply of Standard chassis to other
manufacturers such as Jensen, Avon and Swallow (later
Jaguar). Better times would come in the 1930’s with the Standard Nine and Standard
Ten models, and the 1935 Flying Standards with their
semi-streamlined bodies were somewhat of a sensation.
During World War 2 the company would again turn to aircraft
manufacture, this time producing the Mosquito, Bristol
Mercury VIII engines and Bristol Beaufighter fuselages.
Following the war Standard resumed production of the
Eight and Twelve models, and acquired the Triumph Motor
Company.
The car for which the company is best known
in Australia, the Vanguard, was the result of a “one
model policy” adopted in 1948. Standard’s
global production facilities would not only include
Australia, but Canada, India and South Africa. Standard
was taken over by Leyland Motors in 1960, the last
UK Standard being manufactured in 1963.
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STANLEY
(1897 - 1924) |
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STUDEBAKER
(1904 - 1966)
Studebaker established a manufacturing facility in
South Bend, Indiana (USA) to manufacture wagons. Incorporated
in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company
by the 5 Studebaker brothers, it would enter the automotive
business in 1897, then to manufacture electric vehicles.
The first gasoline Studebakers would not be manufactured
until 1913, although it was the 1929-1932 Studebaker
President, along with the 1939 Studebaker Champion
that really established the marque and its enviable
reputation.
During World War 2 the company manufactured
countless Studebaker US6 trucks, along with the very
unique M29 Weasel cargo and personnel carrier. After
the war the company again turned its attention to the
manufacture of automobiles. The price-cutting war between
Ford and General Motors took a heavy toll on the smaller
US car manufacturers during the 1950’s, many knowing that
survival depended on their finding other suitable auto
manufacturers with which to merge. In 1954 the company
was acquired by Packard Motors of Detroit, Michigan,
becoming a division of the Studebaker Packard Corporation
from 1954 until 1962, it then reverting back to its previous
name. It would struggle on until 1966.
Today models such
as the Commander Starliner, Avanti, Hawk, Wagonaire and
Lark based Cruisers, along with Commander and Daytona
convertibles are all highly prized by collectors. It
was the Lark that helped stave off the receivers for
a time, however the inevitability of the dominance of
the “Big Three” would eventually take its
course.
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STUTZ
(1911 - 1935 and 1970 - 1988)
The archetypal early American sportscar,
or roadster as it was then known, was unquestionably
the Stutz Bearcat. Harry C Stutz had worked for J N
Willys at Marion, and for other motor car manufacturers,
before leaving to produce combined gearbox/final drive
transaxles, which were bought by several concerns.
The progress from component manufacturer to automobile
manufacturer was set in motion in 1911 when Harry’s
company built a successful Indianapolis race car as
a publicity exercise.
The success would gain investors,
and so Harry set about the manufacture of his own “complete” passenger
car. But it was the “Bearcat” model that
would gain the marque notoriety and fame. Originally
announced in 1914, the new car competed directly with
the Mercer Race-about. The firm's peak year came in
1919 when 8500 cars were built, and a year later C
W Schwab (president of Bethlehem Steel) bought the
business.
The Stutz Motor Car Co. of America, building
cars at Indianapolis, continued to prosper. One of
the first changes they carried out following the departure
of Harry Stutz was to revise the rear-mounted gearbox
configuration, opting for a more conventional arrangement
located close to the engine. Stutz's own design of
engine - in four-cylinder or six-cylinder guises, had
already been made available from 1918.
The 'four' was
a 360cu./5.9 liter side valve unit, good for 88bhp,
while the 'six' had overhead valves, and a similar
power output, but was much smaller that the 4 being
only 268cu./4.4 liters. The Bearcat name was retained
for short wheelbase versions of subsequent luxury models,
but all car production ended in 1935. Many years later,
in 1970, a new Stutz company offered GM-based replicas
from New York, these cars retaining the Bearcat or
Black Hawk titles.
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SUBARU
(1958 - present)
Started as a small concern for the giant Fuji Heavy
Industries, manufacturing a moped named the 'Rabbit'
in 1956, followed by its first real car, the 360, a
few years later. During the 1960's manufactured the
full-sized FE saloon followed by the updated FF Leone
coupe. Entered the performance car segment in the 1980's
with the turbocharged XT coupe. The 'Legacy' was released
in 1989, Subaru once again raising the bar in terms
of quality and performance.
Most noted for the famed
'Boxer' engine, which found success in World Rally
competition, went on to release the immensely popular
'Impreza' range in 1992 - although these first cars
were simply a Legacy with a shortened floorpan. The
iconic 'Impreza WRX' became an instant hero-car, bringing
an aura to the marque that remains to this day.
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SUNBEAM
(1901 - 1976)
The history of Sunbeam goes back as far as 1887 when a Wolverhampton metal worker by the name of John Marston, set up a company producing high quality bicycles. Marston achieved great success with this business and in 1899 he started development of his own motor cars with another cycle engineer Henry Dinsdale. The first Sunbeam car to go on sale was the Sunbeam-Mabley designed by Maxwell Maberly-Smith in 1901. The company expanded during the next few years and in 1905 The Sunbeam Motor Company Ltd was formed.
Throughout the next decade Sunbeam was to do very well with the sale of its cars (and motorcycles) and was building a reputation as a manufacturer of quality motor vehicles. Many victories were also achieved in motor sport, giving the company recognition throughout the world as a leading car manufacturer. During the First World War Sunbeam's main work was in building aeroplane engines for the military, and car production, (apart from those produced for use by the British and Australian armed forces) took a back seat until after the war had ended. In 1920 Sunbeam merged with the French manufacturer Darracq, who a year earlier had bought the British car importer and manufacturer Clement Talbot, creating the parent company STD Motors Ltd. Motor sport was to return to Sunbeam's agenda and one of Its greatest moments was in 1927 when Sir Henry Segrave broke the land speed record by topping 200 mph in a 1000hp car.
Unfortunately during the 1930's - a troubled period for many motor manufacturers due to the economic situation of the time - STD (Sunbeam Talbot Darracq) suffered financial difficulties and fell into receivership. The company was broken up and sold off, with Sunbeam being eventually bought by the Rootes Group who also by now owned Hillman, Humber and Talbot. Although the construction of a new Sunbeam model was started, Rootes soon dropped it due to design problems, and the Sunbeam name was put to one side until Rootes created the new marque of Sunbeam-Talbot in 1938. War was to stop the production of the Sunbeam-Talbot cars in 1939, and it did not resume in the London factory until late in 1945. 1946 saw the move to Ryton near Coventry, and it was not until 1948 that a new range of Sunbeam-Talbot's arrived.
There were two models, the 80 and the 90, with the 80 using a 1185cc engine and the 90 a 2 liter unit. Both cars were available in saloon and drophead coupe form. The Sunbeam-Talbot 90, was to do very well in rallying. Sales were better for the 90 model and this resulted in the 80 being dropped from production in 1950. A new model, the Alpine, which had been developed from the 90, was added to the range in 1953 and was also to excel in rallying but production of this car ended in 1955 with the introduction of the new Rapier model. In 1954 all cars were to be badged Sunbeam, with the Talbot part of the name being dropped, and it was in 1955 that Sunbeam enjoyed an outright victory in the Monte Carlo rally with a Mk III 90.
1959 saw the launch of a new 2-door 2-seater sports car that was to revive the Alpine name. Improvements followed to all models in the Sunbeam range, and in 1964 the legendary Sunbeam Tiger was launched. This was essentially an Alpine with a Ford V8 4.2 liter engine shoehorned into its engine bay giving the car awesome performance.The next year Rootes sold part of its share holding to the Chrysler Motor Company.
New Sunbeam models were soon to be launched and these included the Sunbeam Imp Sport of 1966, which was based on the Hillman Imp, and in 1967, when Chrysler took complete control of Rootes, the new fastback Rapier. In 1969 the Fastback Alpine which was basically a lower spec version of the Rapier was introduced. The Sunbeam marque really died out with the end of production of both Alpine and Rapier in 1976, although the name Sunbeam continued to be used on some of Chrysler's export models. Peugeot was to later buy out Chrysler's European operations and launched a Talbot range of cars, and the Sunbeam name was to be used for one last time on models such as the Talbot Sunbeam and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus until 1981.
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SUZUKI
(1955 - present)
Founded in 1955, Suzuki is better known for the manufacture
of motorcycles, although there have been some worthy
four-wheeled versions to come from the Japanese manufacturer.
Their first iteration was the tiny Suzulite; designed
to benefit from Japanese tax laws with its little 21.97ci
360cc engine, it would pave the way for larger, albeit
still very small versions. The most significant of
the early exports was the 4 stroke LJ80, later renamed
Jimny.
A treasure off road with exceptional economy
to boot, its reputation in the bush would see it garner
an allegiance of fans across Australia, although those
that chose to use it as a cheap form of urban run-about
were in for considerable disappointment. The LJ80 would
morph into the much more sophisticated Vitara, while
small sedans would help fill out the Suzuki product
line. The Swift was anything but, although the latest
version has received considerable praise and is a much
superior car. Suzuki’s are not collectable, but
they have been a popular part of the Australian motoring
landscape since the early 1970’s.
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SWALLOW DORETTI
(1953 - 1954) |
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SWIFT
(1900 - 1931)
Simple well made cars that never
were, as their name implied, swift. The company started
out manufacturing sewing machines and bicycles before
introducing their first automobile, the single cylinder
voiturette in 1900. The unusual transmission consisted
of a twin-pinion and double-geared crown wheel, however
this only lasted a few years before a more conventional
transmission was adopted.
Then came a series of small
cars, and for a time following the Great War the
company was successful, however it quickly found
it increasingly difficult to match it with the larger
manufacturers, production finally coming to an end
in 1931. |
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