Lorraine-Dietrich, 1921, B 2.6

Lorraine-Dietrich “ B 2.6. ”, 1921

The De-Dietrich Group was established in 1880 in German Alsace; in 1919 after the Treaty of Versailles, both Alsace and Lorraine became French.
The company started with the production of railway carriages, adding soon the cars and, from the beginning of the Great War, the aircraft engines production. Until 1918 the cars were produced with the De-Dietrich name, but later the company changed it into “Lorraine-Dietrich” and adopted a new badge: a Lorraine cross on a blue background with two white storks at the side.
The B 2.6 model, produced only in 1921, was the first example of a series which remained in production, with the B 3.6 name, until the early Thirties. Sold at a reasonably low price targeted for the large middle class market, the tourer version, like the one shown in the museum, slightly recalled the American style prevailing at the time, but with the typical specification of the middle class French cars of the Twenties: electric headlights and starter, and nickelplated finishing.
The B 3.6 sports version, able to reach 150 kph, won the 1926 Le Mans 24 Hours.