French Motorcycles

PM Engines

A Brief History of the Marque

Manufactured in the early 1920s by Madoz & Cie in Nanterre.
In 1924 the firm was advertising as Moussard-Madoz, marketing a 175cc two-stroke. Louis Moussard of Ets L. Moussard, Puteaux, and Madoz were partners for a short time as Madoz et Moussard.

The engines were fitted to the Italian Navone during the late 1920s, along with French marques Utilia, Claude Delage, Orion and others. Magda of Angers offered a model with a 350cc Moussard engine, and New Map is listed as having 175cc Madoz two-strokes in 1926/27.

There was a cyclecar named the Madoz built in Nanterre, Paris, in 1921 with a 175cc two-stroke engine.
It is unclear whether sidevalve PM engines were also built, but as Madoz used JAP engines which were most likely sidevalve it may be assumed that he did not.

Madoz also built complete motorcycles under his own name:

  • Type ML 175cc
    ML 26 175cc
    S2 E 175cc
    Type E3 250cc
    Type E4 350cc
    Type E5 350cc Acatene (Shaft Drive) (Article in Motorcycle Review n° 337, 24th August 1929)
    Type E6 250cc JAP
    Type E8 350cc JAP

In May 1922 a Madoz won the 350cc class of the first Bol D'or, a distance of some 5,126km. Madoz had officially withdrawn the day before the race but their designated rider Laurent raced the machine privately.

Sources: Tragatsch, Henshaw, antiquites-brocante.fr, racingmemo.free.fr


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