Ryjan

Riyan was a make of French automobile produced by the Grillet company between 1920 and 1926.^[1][2][3][4] The factory was established in what was then a small town, a short distance to the west of Paris, called Chatou. In 1925 production was relocated to Nanterre in the west of the country.

The business

The first Ryjan car was being promoted at the Paris Motor Show in October 1919, and almost immediately, in 1920, the newly formed business started to produce their first model.

The car

The 1920 “Ryjan HJ4” sat on a 3,000 mm (118.1 in) wheelbase and was priced by the manufacturer at 21,000 francs for a four-seater ”Torpedo” bodied car and 25,000 francs for a four-seater “conduite interieure” (closed sedan/saloon/berline) bodied car.^[4] The engine was a 4-cylinder 2,292cc unit.^[4] Other sources indicate that early cars used a 1690cc engine bought in from S.C.A.P. (Société de Constructeur Automobiles Paris), a specialist engine manufacturer located nearby.

Five years later the manufacturer took at stand at the Auto Salon in October 1924. This car still had a S.C.A.P. engine, now of 1,614cc: customers were able to choose between a sidevalve and an overhead valve version of this engine. The 1924/25 car sat on the same 3,000 mm (118.1 in) wheelbase as before.^[5] The manufacturer’s listed price for a four-seater ”Torpedo” bodied car had increased to 27,000 francs, however, reflecting general inflation in the French economy.^[5]

For the last two years the cars were also advertised with a 2-litre engine from "Altos", another engine supplier. Production ended in 1926.

References

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