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Georges Cognard and the Peugeot Quadrilette


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It's interesting and helpful to learn from the efforts of others in the old-car world. How many obscure makes and models are represented in print and on the internet? Of course, I always search the internet for information on every car I purchase, and was pleased to find a site concerning my first vintage car: a 1921 Peugeot 161M Quadrilette. I've never found another owner in the USA, excepting a later model 172 in the Frick Collection. I soon came across a simple web site which revealed the history and lineage of this small French car. It also introduced me to the site's creator, Georges Cognard. A few emails to him brought rapid replies. I learned he had created the site out of his fascination for the Quadrilette, made from 1921 to about 1924 by Peugeot to cater to the first-time car buyer after WWI. Georges had no commercial interest in the marque; his site had no advertizing, and he owned only one Quadrilette. I once asked Georges if he knew how I might get photos of a car like mine in a French museum. He called friends and got one to visit the museum and take dozens of photos, which he mailed to me on CD. Payment was offered, but rejected. Georges then became my freight broker as I purchased car parts in France. He wrote checks and forwarded the parts to and from his home in the suburbs of Paris, including an entire engine I bought on French eBay. I paid Georges with PayPal and he paid the sellers and freight companies with his own checks. I never met Georges, nor have even seen a photo of him. When I visited his often-updated web page yesterday, I was saddened to see an announcement from his two sons: George died February 4th, 2014. The announcement said his sons hoped to keep up the Quadrilette site, but didn't share their father's knowledge of the car. And who could expect them to? This tiny car on a tiny branch of automotive history escapes most people's notice. There are a world of other subjects to capture our attention. I would just like to thank Georges Cognard, and others like him, for their passion and generosity. A bientôt, mon ami.

Phil Jamison

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  • 5 years later...

Hi Phil

I saw today that the quadrilette portal is unreachable probably closed forever
after the death of george clognard the site had degraded and his children did not want to handle it.
a historical heritage of great value has been lost
hi dear George you died a second time
 
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Yes, Georges was tres gentil and a great help to me in my restoration, as I mentioned in my first post.  I understand how difficult it was to run that web site, and Georges had a real interest in the subject. I'm been lucky to meet helpful enthusiasts like him with my various projects. It is all over the internet with some aid from Google Translator. We just share an interest in some obscure marque. Merci.

 

Phil

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  • 2 months later...

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