Martini was a pioneer Swissautomobile manufacturer, in operation 1897 to 1934.
History
The beginning
In 1897, Swiss businessman Adolf von Martini, son of Friedrich von Martini, the inventor of the action used in the Martini–Henry rifle, built an experimental rear-engined car. He followed this with V4 cars of 10 hp and 16 hp in 1902. Since Swiss cantons were unusually hostile to cars, the company had to rely more than most on exports, and demand from abroad proved sufficient to justify building a factory in Saint-Blaise in 1904; von Martini relied on a licence from Rochet-Schneider of France, using an armored wood chassis and mechanically operated valves. Promptly, his British sales agent, Captain H. H. P. Deasy, set off in a 16 hp on a 2,000-mile trek through the Alps, which followed his earlier stunt of driving a cog-wheeled Martini up a mountain railway; his praise in both cases was effusive. By 1906, Deasy was sole salesman. That summer, with a 20 hp and a four-cylinder 40 hp available, Deasy made an ill-advised challenge to Rolls-Royce ; Deasy, and Martini lost the 4,000-mile "Battle of the Cylinders". For 1907, there was also a chain driven 28 hp, and an entry in the Kaiserpreis rally, where the marque placed thirteenth and fifteenth. In 1908, showing the rapid pace of change, shaft drive was standard, in 12 hp, 16 hp and 20 hp models. That year's Coupe de Voiturettes saw 1086-cc inlet-over-exhaust SOHC-engined Martinis seventh, eighth, and tenth, enough for the team victory. The racer was marketed as a 1909 road car, the 10/12, and new monobloc construction was standard across the line. Yet the engineers could not make up their minds; in 1910, they reverted to side valves, and in 1913, switched to sleeve valves for the 25/35, while there was a prototype sixteen-valve four for the marque's last racing attempt. The years leading up to the World War were Martini's best, with annual production hovering around 600 cars, placing the company at the head of the Swiss automobile industry. While foreign manufacturers were already making inroads, the war years kept Martini in the black as they delivered large numbers of vehicles to the Swiss Army.
Inter-war era
The post-war recession, however, crippled Swiss exports including those of Martini. Martini was one of a very few manufacturers to restart production, with a mildly warmed over pre-war design as the TF 15/45 PS. A conventional four-cylinder of 3.6 liters displacement, it was wholly outdated in spite of a high standard of finish, with sales beginning at a low pace and then steadily sinking. Swiss manufacturers, with only a tiny domestic market, had been heavily export-dependent but external markets vanished in the harsh economic climate of the early 1920s. In June 1924 the nearly bankrupt Martini company was taken over by the Steiger brothers of Burgrieden, Germany. The Steigers relocated to Switzerland, having seen the writing on the wall for their German company which closed down in 1926, forcing the Steigers to sell their home to satisfy the creditors. The old TF soldiered on until 1925, but at the 1926 Geneva Motor Show Walther Steiger was able to show the new Martini-Steiger FU six-cylinder car. This had a sidevalve engine of 3.1 litres and was a fully modern automobile albeit without any technical advances. It entered production in 1927, along with the larger FUS model. While sold as the "Martini Six" at home, the "Steiger" part of the name was emphasized in export markets where it was the "Steiger-Martini." Steiger's Alpine Chamois buck was incorporated into the logo and was also used as a hood ornament. The Martini Six, while of a mainstream design, maintained Martini's high quality and workmanship standards and was an accordingly expensive car. Only a few hundred were built from 1927 until 1930, with the lion's share being sold at home in Switzerland. The FU and the FUG engine shared a, with a or an bore for the smaller and larger engine, respectively. Power outputs were at 3000 and 3200 rpm. The larger version proved considerably more popular and a series of revisions beginning in 1929 were mainly applied to the 4.4-liter version. The updated versions were sold as the Martini FUS and FN with various improvements. Already in 1929 the updated FUS gained a four-speed gearbox, all-wheel brakes, and twin Zenith carburettors. In 1931 the FUN and FN versions were discontinued, but next year's NF model was a modernized version of the earlier FN. The next year, Martini showed a new six, licensed from Wanderer. This did not sell, and its replacement, the 4.4-liter NF, having four-wheel brakes, was not enough to save the company. The NF soldiered on until 1934 before just fading away, Martini with it. The Martini company also manufactured bookbinding machinery. They were purchased by Hans Müller and the company was renamed Müller Martini. The original factory is still in use today, and has a 1917 Martini car on display in the lobby of their Bookbinding Academy.
