1924 Voisin C4S Sport Tourisme

In 1922, French aviation pioneer turned luxury automaker Gabriel Voisin produced a small lightweight car the C4 as opposed to his first cars the huge V-12 powered C2 or its follow-up the C3. Due to its size, the C4 was nicknamed the "petit voisine" or "little neighbor."

Like all the other Voisin automobiles, it was powered by a sleeve-valve engine, but in this case a four-cylinder 1328 CC (81 cubic inch) displacement engine with the dynamo/starter motor mounted directly to the front of the crankshaft.

The starter motor is visible directly below the grille shell which is topped with the characteristic Voisin radiator mascot a stylized art deco version of the figure of the winged Egyptian goddess Isis.

This Voisin C4S Sport Toursime shown at the Blackhawk Museum is fitted with a miles per hour speedometer as it was ordered United States delivery and was shown at the New York Automotive Salon at the Hotel Commodore in Manhattan in either in 1924.  

This C4S Sport Tourisme, with its patented disappearing top and trademark Ecossaise (plaid) paint scheme is one of just two known to exist. The C4S was only built through 1925, with perhaps 900 built in total.  The company produced a number of striking designs and innovations through the years, but Avions Voisin, described as "the most idiosyncratic of marques," dropped out of the automotive market in 1939 after limited production of the C30.

Photos by the author