1928 Lorraine-Dietrich Type B3-6 Sports Roadster

1928 Lorraine-Dietrich Type B3-6 Sports Roadster by DeCorvaia

Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissements de Dietrich et Cie de Lunéville (known as De Dietrich et Cie, founded in 1884 by Jean de Dietrich) branched into the manufacture of automobiles. The Franco-Prussian War divided the company's manufacturing capacity, one plant in Niederbronn-les-Bains, Alsace, the other in Lunéville, Lorraine.

The Lorraine-Dietrich firm was the first marque to achieve back-to-back wins in The legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The sporty Type B3-6 swept the field.

Marque wins at distance races and hill climbs defined the leaders of the automotive industry at the turn of the twentieth century. Success on the track confirmed one marque’s mechanical superiority over another and attracted public buyers. In 1925 and 1926 Lorraine-Dietrich acquired a solid reputation by scoring wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Type B3-6 models powered by six-cylinder, 3.4-liter engines.

The Lorraine marque evolved from the de Dietrich firm, established by Baron Eugène de Dietrich in the late nineteenth century. The first de Dietrich car appeared in 1897 but did not race until 1899. In 1905 the company began marketing its automobiles under the name Lorraine-Dietrich, now known as Lorraine. Lorraine was widely successful throughout Europe and the United States, building a number of models before the development of the winning Type B3-6 in 1919. The Type B3-6 was produced until 1935 with a six-cylinder engine that ran so smoothly it was dubbed the “silken six.”

The Type B3-6’s chassis was fitted with sporty coaches designed by numerous coachbuilders. The Mullin Type B3- 6’s cabriolet coach was built by H. de Corvaïa, an independent Parisian coachbuilder. This car was one of a handful of chassis produced by the Lorraine factory with spare Le Mans parts—the goal being to offer private clients a powerful car that could compete as a private entry. It is equipped with all the Le Mans racing instruments and engine modifications as well as small cycle fenders that lighten the body. A molding that runs the entire length of the body emphasizes its form.

This Type B3-6 Sport Roadster, Chassis 122607, first surfaced in 1968, when it was purchased by Irving Silverman from a private party in southern France. In 1972 it was sold to Rick Christensen and then purchased in 2002 by Peter Mullin, who exhibited the car at many concours after an extensive restoration.

Descriptions & pictures by patrimoineautomobile & flickriver & en.wheelsage & conceptcarz & other