Hi all,
I am based in France and researching the history of two French carburettor manufacturers – Solex and Zenith for a magazine article. I have a couple of questions about their presence in the US market that I am hoping you can help me with.
Zenith – I know that they had success in the US in the teens and 1920’s and they built a factory covering 47,000sq ft on Hart Avenue in East Detroit. I believe that their carbs were standard fitment on Model A Fords – can anyone confirm this and tell me what else they were fitted to as standard? I don’t know what happened post war, presumably they were squeezed out by domestic manufacturers?
Solex – Maurice Goudard, the director of Solex, visited the states a few times and met Henry Ford. However, I can’t find any trace of their products being made or sold in the States pre-war. Has anyone come across a solex carb fitted to a US built automobile?
Any help will be gratefully received!
Tom