Ratier : La Moto de l'Escorte du Général de Gaulle. Remplacée par des BMW en 1964.
Fleurons Perdus
4,180 views
🇫🇷 What if the last great French presidential motorcycle was born… from an aircraft propeller manufacturer?
In this documentary from Fleurons Perdus (Lost Flagships), we trace the incredible story of Ratier: from a woodworking shop founded in 1904 to the manufacture of propellers for French aircraft, and then to the birth of the C6S, the motorcycle chosen by General de Gaulle to escort the presidential DS.
Why did de Gaulle demand a French motorcycle for his personal security detail? How did an aeronautical company end up producing one of the most iconic motorcycles of the Republic? And above all, how could this prestigious machine have disappeared in just a few years, replaced by BMW?
On the agenda:
• Ratier's origins in aviation
• The sabotage of the factory during the Occupation
• The legacy of the wartime BMWs and the CEMEC episode
• The birth of the Ratier C6S
• De Gaulle's presidential escort
• The industrial failure of a motorcycle that was nonetheless symbolic
• And the end of the last French presidential motorcycle
A little-known story, intertwined with industry, patriotism, the Resistance, innovation, and the decline of the French motorcycle.
💬 Tell us in the comments: Did you know about the Ratier C6S?
👍 If you're interested in this topic, please like the video.
🔔 Subscribe to Fleurons Perdus to discover other forgotten stories of French industry.
#Ratier #DeGaulle #FrenchMotorcycle #BMW #RepublicanGuard #CEMEC #FrenchHistory #FrenchIndustry #VintageMotorcycle #Documentary
Ratier C6S, Ratier motorcycle, De Gaulle motorcycle, presidential escort, Republican Guard motorcycle, last French presidential motorcycle, C6S radio, CEMEC, BMW R69S, French motorcycle history, vintage French motorcycle, vanished French industry, lost gems
00:00 Intro
01:09 From Wooden Propellers to the Birth of Ratier
02:34 Diversification and Aeronautical Innovations
04:07 War, Occupation, and Sabotage of the Factory
05:35 Wartime BMWs at the French CEMEC
08:14 Ratier Takes Up Motorcycles and Launches the L7
09:59 Birth of the Modern Ratier C6S
12:47 De Gaulle and the Presidential Escort French
15:46 Commercial Failure Against BMW
18:31 End of Production and Return of BMW
20:08 Heritage of French Industry and Aeronautical Renaissance
23:26 The Last French Presidential Motorcycle
24:02 Outro
7 Comments
la BMW R69s n'existait pas encore, etc...etc...la gendarmerie utilisait des R50 /2 et R60/2 . Pourquoi produire de tels films ? Sans doute des informaticiens trop jeunes et sans culture
Ratier : La Moto de l'Escorte du Général de Gaulle. Remplacée par des BMW en 1964.
Fleurons Perdus
4,180 views
🇫🇷 What if the last great French presidential motorcycle was born… from an aircraft propeller manufacturer?
In this documentary from Fleurons Perdus (Lost Flagships), we trace the incredible story of Ratier: from a woodworking shop founded in 1904 to the manufacture of propellers for French aircraft, and then to the birth of the C6S, the motorcycle chosen by General de Gaulle to escort the presidential DS.
Why did de Gaulle demand a French motorcycle for his personal security detail? How did an aeronautical company end up producing one of the most iconic motorcycles of the Republic? And above all, how could this prestigious machine have disappeared in just a few years, replaced by BMW?
On the agenda:
• Ratier's origins in aviation
• The sabotage of the factory during the Occupation
• The legacy of the wartime BMWs and the CEMEC episode
• The birth of the Ratier C6S
• De Gaulle's presidential escort
• The industrial failure of a motorcycle that was nonetheless symbolic
• And the end of the last French presidential motorcycle
A little-known story, intertwined with industry, patriotism, the Resistance, innovation, and the decline of the French motorcycle.
💬 Tell us in the comments: Did you know about the Ratier C6S?
👍 If you're interested in this topic, please like the video.
🔔 Subscribe to Fleurons Perdus to discover other forgotten stories of French industry.
#Ratier #DeGaulle #FrenchMotorcycle #BMW #RepublicanGuard #CEMEC #FrenchHistory #FrenchIndustry #VintageMotorcycle #Documentary
Ratier C6S, Ratier motorcycle, De Gaulle motorcycle, presidential escort, Republican Guard motorcycle, last French presidential motorcycle, C6S radio, CEMEC, BMW R69S, French motorcycle history, vintage French motorcycle, vanished French industry, lost gems
00:00 Intro
01:09 From Wooden Propellers to the Birth of Ratier
02:34 Diversification and Aeronautical Innovations
04:07 War, Occupation, and Sabotage of the Factory
05:35 Wartime BMWs at the French CEMEC
08:14 Ratier Takes Up Motorcycles and Launches the L7
09:59 Birth of the Modern Ratier C6S
12:47 De Gaulle and the Presidential Escort French
15:46 Commercial Failure Against BMW
18:31 End of Production and Return of BMW
20:08 Heritage of French Industry and Aeronautical Renaissance
23:26 The Last French Presidential Motorcycle
24:02 Outro