Corre La Licorne

The firm first went by the name Corre, but after the racing victories of a driver by the name of Waldemar Lestienne, who hailed from a distinguished family with a unicorn on its crest, they changed their name to Corre La Licorne. Even in France, people began to refer to the vehicle simply as the Licorne by the 1950s since the lengthy term for a little automobile was becoming tiresome.

Tricycles and a single-cylinder quadricycle cabriolet were the first products made by the company employing De Dion-Bouton components. Early sales were not very high. The corporation started competing to increase the visibility of the brand, and Waldemar Lestienne's racing triumphs in 1903 in particular helped the company gain vital exposure.

Early on, the company was involved in legal disputes, and after a five-year trial, the creator, Jean-Marie Corre, found himself in financial disaster and was forced to sell the company in 1907 to Lestienne Firmin, a seasoned financial manager. The Corre's name was altered at this point to Corre-La Licorne.

Three variants were available in 1910: a single-cylinder type, a twin-1.7-liter model, and a fourth model with a 4-cylinder engine. But by 1914, just before the start of World War I, the range had already been greatly expanded. The Ballot and Chapuis-Dornier units served as the basis for the 4-cylinder engines.


HISTORY Licorne
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