Ernest Ballot was a car manufacturer between 1921 and 1932. The company was taken over by Hispano Suiza in 1931. This model is equipped with Baerth’s patented ‘transformable bodywork’. The windows are stored in the doors, turning the car into a real convertible.
Édouard Ballot was a former naval officer, which explains the ‘anchor’ on the car’s badges. The history of Ballot dates back to 1905, when brothers Edouard and Maurice Ballot decided to set up their own company making stationary engines for industry and then to conquer the seas by motorising ships.
Building on their success, they finally presented their first car to the public in 1922, similar to the MAM model. In 1928, they presented their jewel, the 15 hp 2.6-litre, a powerful in-line 8-cylinder. In 1930, the displacement was increased to 3 litres. But this model came at the wrong time, because the crash of 1929 deprived Ballot of a clientele able to afford this type of vehicle. In financial difficulties, the company was forced to accept a takeover bid from its prestigious competitor Hispano-Suiza. The Ballot brand would inevitably become extinct.
