Voisin C25 Aérodyne History

The C25 debuted at the 1934 Paris Salon as Gabriel Voisin's most aerodynamically ambitious road car. Powered by a 3.0-litre six-cylinder sleeve-valve engine with twin carburetors developing approximately 100 horsepower, the C25 used a Cotal electromagnetic semi-automatic gearbox and was capable of over 85 mph — impressive performance for 1934.

The Aérodyne coachwork, which Voisin designed himself, was unlike anything else on show: a fully enclosed four-seat fastback with a steeply raked rear, a large panoramic rear section, and a sliding sunroof — one of the first production cars so equipped. The shape was derived directly from aviation thinking, prioritizing low drag and interior headroom over conventional coachbuilding norms.

Twenty-eight C25 chassis were produced in total; only six received the full Aérodyne body, and four of those survive. At 88,000 francs — roughly equivalent to a Cadillac V16 in the US market — the Aérodyne sat near the very top of the world luxury market. It is now among the most prized Concours d'Élégance cars in existence.