Rosengart Ariette History

After a wartime shutdown and a difficult post-war reconstruction period, Rosengart launched the Ariette for 1951 as its comeback small car. Styled by the noted French designer Philippe Charbonneaux, the Ariette was a two-door, four-seat front-wheel-drive saloon powered by the long-running 747 cc engine now developing 21 hp, with a four-speed gearbox featuring synchromesh on the top two ratios. A break (estate/wagon) body joined the range in 1952.

Despite its modern styling and competent engineering, the Ariette faced brutal competition from the Citroën 2CV, the Renault 4CV, and other post-war economy cars that had larger factory resources and lower prices. A stripped 'Artisane' variant — painted only in dark grey, with painted bumpers — was offered at 599,500 francs (versus 668,500 for the standard car) to compete on price, but sales remained insufficient.

The factory filed for bankruptcy in 1952, briefly closed, and then reopened in 1953 for a final limited production run. Ariette production finally ended in 1955. A further-developed derivative, the Sagaie — featuring a flat-twin engine — never reached production before the company permanently closed in the summer of 1955.