Boulanger B3 Fourgon (1947*/1951)
B3 Fourgon 784, first trime to come out
Model overview
One of Boulanger’s first cars was this cute, $5500 bunch of partially corrugated goodness with monocoque chassis and forward wheel drive.
Despite its 2 meter wheelbase, the B3 Fourgon could carry quite a decent load for its size and price, being rated for a payload of 776kg, which is more than its own weight (725kg). All this, despite having a tiny 784cc engine.
Many theories arose to try to explain its name. Some said it was because its wheelbase was 3 Baguettes long. Others speculated it was because its cargo area was 3 Baguettes long. The name of the company (“Baker” in English) certainly must’ve contributed to these theories… and they weren’t entirely wrong, truth be told. Even Augustin Boulanger had to accept the bread jokes after being shown a joke livery B3 Fourgon. As long as it contributed to the car’s popularity, it contributed to sales!
The most accurate theory though was that the van was designed to fit in the 3CV fiscal tax category, hence the tiny engine. The pushrod inline 3 had very narrow cylinders due to how the fiscal tax formula worked, and made a maximum of 25hp. However, it resulted in very low taxes and relatively low fuel consumption, and was fairly easy to mantain. This made the B3 Fourgon become an instant success not only with bean counters but people looking to get stuff from A to B for only 9,0L/100km
This van was designed with weight savings and efficient usage of space as a priority to make up for the small engine. It used corrugated steel on most of its lower side panels to provide more structural strength without added weight, had two sliding doors on the sides for easy loading and unloading of large items (aside from the two back doors), and it used suicide doors for the cab to make climbing easier (as the front axle was right below the seats)
Trims
784 (1947*/1951)
784 used as a delivery van for Boulanger parts
The 784 was the basic trim, and the only one intended to be made from the beggining. It was very succesful in its intended role as a delivery van, due to having such great cargo capacity (both in volume and weight) for its size. It was rated for carrying more than its own weight, and the rear cargo area was pretty spacious due to various measures to make the best use of its space: FWD meant the floor could be lower as there was no need to run a driveshaft to the rear, and the cab was far forward (above and in front of the front axle), with the engine below the seats.
Boulanger 3B Fourgon - 784.car (192.5 KB)
784 F (1949*/1951)
The B3 Fourgon became popular with more uses other than as a delivery van though. Since it was affordable to buy and to keep, many people started buying them for adding seats to the back and using them as family cars, or sometimes even small camper vans for a person or two. So 2 years later, the 784 F version was launched, with a second row of three seats and windows on the rear.
Inside, this version was almost identical to the 784. It had more seats but the interior was fairly similar and basic, it didn’t have a radio either. Aside from that, the only difference was that it received slightly softer suspensions, particularly on the rear, to improve comfort somewhat, but being based on a budget commercial vehicle it was still less than stellar. Its target demographic wouldn’t care about that much though, this version was one of the cheapest ways to take up to 5 people and still a good amount of cargo from A to B and nothing more.
Boulanger 3B Fourgon - 784 F.car (191.8 KB)
Specs
| Platform specs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chassis: | Steel monocoque | |
| Panels: | Steel and corrugated steel | |
| Engine Placement: | Forward longitudinal | |
| Front Suspension: | MacPherson type independent | |
| Rear Suspension: | Leaf spring solid axle | |
| ----- | ----- | ----- |
| Engine | ||
| Aspiration and layout | NA Inline 3 | |
| Displacement | 784cc | |
| Valves | OHV, 2/cylinder | |
| Max. Power | 25hp @4400rpm | |
| Max. Torque | 53Nm @2400rpm | |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Drive | FWD | |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual | |
| Differential | Open | |
| Interior and equipment | 784 | 784 F |
| Interior Type | Standard | Standard |
| Seats | 2 | 5 |
| Entertainment | None | None |
| Performance | 784 | 784 F |
| Top Speed | 97.7km/h | 95.9km/h |
| 0-100km/h | Ha ha, no | Neither |
| Fuel Economy | 8.7L/100km | 8.8L/100km |
| Weight | 726kg | 745kg |
| Load Capacity/Volume | 776kg/3933L | 516kg/1257L |
| Towing Capacity | 574kg | 535kg |
| Pricing | ||
| Cost | $5169 | $5318 |
| Intended Sale Price | $5500 | $5800 |