This company, the most famous to come from the Tours region, was founded in 1906 by François Rolland and Emile Pilain.
Their first car had 20 CV monobloc 4-cylinder engine which the partners claimed was the first monobloc four in the world. It was called, logically, the Type A, and was followed in 1907 by the 40 CV Type B. Three models were shown at the 1907 Paris Salon, the Type A now called a 20/28 CV, Type B 35/45 CV and a new Type C 12/16 intended mainly for town work. For 1909 they made a still smaller car, the 8/10 CV Type D, but this did not sell as well as the Type C. In 1910 Rolland-Pilain experimented with both sleeve-valve engines and front-wheel brakes, the former going into production on the 18 CV 6-cylinder car of 1911.
In 1911, when about 150 cars were made, they were making a wide range of cars, from a 2211 cc 12 CV to a massive chain-driven 14.335 60 CV. The latter was not listed in 1912, when the largest engine was a 9025 cc 40 CV. Even this had gone by 1913, when the range was topped by a 5195 cc 20 CV.
The marque took part in a number of sporting competitions between 1907 and 1914, and again after the war. For the 1911 GP de France they entered specially-built cars with 6.1 litre 4-cylinder single-ohc and chain drive. They did not distinguish themselves, any more than did the similar cars with capacity enlarged to 6274 cc entered in the 1912 French GP.
The Rolland-Pilain range in 1919 consisted of just two models, the 1924 cc Type RP and 3969 cc Type CR, the latter with electric lighting and starting as standard equipment. They were joined in 1920 by the 2270 cc 6-cylinder Type M6, but a more advanced design came in 1922 with the 2235 cc 4-cylinder Type R with ohvs, detachable head and 4-wheel brakes, hydraulic at the front and mechanical at the rear.
A team of three GP cars were built for the 1922 season; they had 1968 cc straight-8 engines with twin ohcs and desmodromic valve operation: but they weren’t successful. The only successes they had were the first two places in the 1923 Spanish GP, against weak opposition. The straight-8 engine was theoretically available in a road-going sports car, but how many were made is not known. Rolland-Pilain also ran 2-litre cars at Le Mans from 1924 to 1926, their best result being sixth in 1924.
In 1925 came a 1924 cc ohv four with mechanical brakes all round, the Type B25, and the slightly larger 2008 cc Type C23 which was the most popular Rolland Pilain of the 1920’s. But production dropped after the Tours works were sold off in 1927 and the Company moved to Courbevoie. At the 1930 Salon two new models appeared, powered by side-valve Lycoming engines: they were bodied in saloon and cabriolet and used Chrysler 80 silencers. Very few of them were made, but they appeared again at the 1931 Salon. There was certainly no production in 1932, but the Paris depot offered spare parts until the mid-1930s. Emile Pilain made light cars under his own name at Levallois until the end of 1931.
Including unrestored examples it is thought that at least 32 Rolland-Pilain cars survive.
