Charles Deutsch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Deutsch
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| Born | 6 September 1911 Champigny-sur-Marne
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| Died | 6 December 1980 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | French |
| Education | École Polytechnique |
| Engineering career | |
| Institutions | 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1969-80 FISITA, 1975-78 |
| Employer(s) | Ponts et Chaussées, DB, CD/Sera-CD |
| Projects | DB HBR |
| Significant advance | Automotive aerodynamics |
Charles Deutsch (1911–1980) was a French engineer who loved cars and how they moved through the air. He helped start two famous car brands, "DB" and later "CD".
Contents
Charles Deutsch: Early Life and Car Dreams
Charles Deutsch was born in Champigny-sur-Marne, France, on September 6, 1911. His dad built wagons and later started making car bodies. Charles learned everything about car building from his dad. He also went to a great school called École Polytechnique.
When Charles was 18, his father passed away. Charles took over the family business. But it was hard to run a business and study at the same time. In 1932, he sold the business to René Bonnet. Charles still lived upstairs and helped with the car work.
Designing Early Race Cars
Charles Deutsch said he designed his first car when he was only 14. It was built in his father's shop. Later, he and René Bonnet decided to design their own car. They used parts from Citroën cars. This car, called D.B. 1, was quite successful in races.
This success led them to create the DB company. The company made cars until 1961. After the DB company split up, Charles Deutsch kept building cars. He made light, fast sports cars under the name CD. These cars used Panhard engines.
Working as a Civil Engineer
In 1935, Charles Deutsch also started working for the French highway authority, called Ponts et Chaussées. He worked full-time as a civil engineer. By 1951, he became a chief engineer. All this time, he was also running his car company and raising a family. In 1966, Deutsch retired from his civil engineering job. He then spent all his time on his car engineering firm.
Charles Deutsch: A Pioneer in Car Aerodynamics
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Charles Deutsch studied at the École Polytechnique. He was one of the first people to really understand how air moves around cars. This field is called aerodynamics. He started his own company, Sera-CD, to research and develop vehicles.
Innovations in Racing
Deutsch used a special design called "ground-effect" on his race cars. This helped the cars stick to the track better. He did this ten years before other famous car makers. His car, from "Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet," won a special award at the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This award was for how well the car performed.
He also designed the bodywork for the Alpine M64 car. This car won another award at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Leading Automotive Societies
Charles Deutsch was a leader in the world of car engineering. He was the President of the French car engineers' society from 1971 to 1975. After that, he led an international group of automotive engineering societies until 1978. He also directed the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race from 1969 to 1980. He also directed the Grand Prix of Monaco race. A famous engineer named Robert Choulet learned a lot from Deutsch.
Charles Deutsch passed away in 1980. But his company, Sera-CD, still works on new car designs today. They research all kinds of vehicles, from small cars to big trucks. They also work on new types of engines, including hybrid ones. In 2007, another company called Sogeclair bought Sera-CD.
Images for kids
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Charles Deutsch
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The CD Panhard LM64 of 1964
