Chappe et Gessalin is the short-form of the name of French coachbuilder “Carrosserie Chappe Frères et Gessalin”. The company built automobile bodies and did contract assembly for other automobile manufacturers. It was also the parent of Automobiles CG, a French automobile maker founded in 1966 which built and sold complete cars under its own name.
CG Cars :
CG 1200 S (1968 – 1972, type B1200) and 548
The other new model released in 1968 was the CG 1200S. This model was offered as a coupé or a convertible, although only 33 soft-tops were built by the factory. By upgrading to the engine from the Simca 1200 S coupé, CG was finally able to offer a sports car with performance comparable to the Alpine A110. With the 1,204 cc (73.5 cu in) engine power output was 59.7 kW (80 hp), twice that of the original 1000 Spider.
Brakes were disks all around but were now activated by a servo-assisted dual-circuit system. Rack-and-pinion steering replaced the old Gemmer system and anti-roll bars were added front and rear. There was also a new rear axle with dual movable joints as found on the B-series Simcas, allowing for negative camber setup. The rear end now also had two shock-absorbers per side. The radiator was moved to the front of the car, which now had an opening to admit cooling air. Weight was 660 kg
Dimensions: 4,024 mm (158.4 in) long, 1,540 mm (60.6 in) wide, 1,180 mm (46.5 in) high, v2220|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wheelbase. Front track was 1,250 mm (49.2 in), rear track was 1,234 mm (48.6 in).
A special model intended for racing was developed out of the 1200S. This CG, called the 548, was a lightweight special, the name of the car also being its weight in kilograms.
To achieve this light weight many changes were made to the car. The lateral chassis beams were recessed into the main chassis and some lower-chassis details were restructured. The steel floor was replaced with aluminum and the engine and transaxle were mounted rigidly to two ties on the chassis, allowing the rear chassis structure to be removed completely, replaced only by a lateral rod tying the two sides of the chassis together. The bodywork was thinner than normal, all glass was replaced with acrylic or plexiglass deflectors, the bumperettes were removed and the gas filler neck was relocated. The air intake at the front was larger than on the 1200S, and a large mesh opening in the rear allowed engine heat to escape. The rear deck now ended in a full-width spoiler.
The 548 was available with an optional Constantin supercharger that brought power output up to 89.5 kW (120 hp).
