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    NAMCO History

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    George Avramidis
    Namco is a Greek vehicle manufacturer founded in the 1950s by the Kontogouris Brothers. They initially produced trucks in Germany and developed the multi-purpose Farmobil vehicle in the 1960s through their company Farco. In the 1970s, Namco introduced the popular Citroen-based Pony passenger vehicle and established production in Thessaloniki. Throughout the decades, Namco attempted to produce various vehicles including trucks and military vehicles with mixed success. They continued producing updated versions of the Pony into the 2000s, maintaining their factory ready to resume production.

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    NAMCO History

    Uploaded by

    George Avramidis
    367 views4 pages
    Namco is a Greek vehicle manufacturer founded in the 1950s by the Kontogouris Brothers. They initially produced trucks in Germany and developed the multi-purpose Farmobil vehicle in the 1960s through their company Farco. In the 1970s, Namco introduced the popular Citroen-based Pony passenger vehicle and established production in Thessaloniki. Throughout the decades, Namco attempted to produce various vehicles including trucks and military vehicles with mixed success. They continued producing updated versions of the Pony into the 2000s, maintaining their factory ready to resume production.

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    Namco is a Greek vehicle manufacturer founded in the 1950s by the Kontogouris Brothers. They initially produced trucks in Germany and developed the multi-purpose Farmobil vehicle in the 1960s through their company Farco. In the 1970s, Namco introduced the popular Citroen-based Pony passenger vehicle and established production in Thessaloniki. Throughout the decades, Namco attempted to produce various vehicles including trucks and military vehicles with mixed success. They continued producing updated versions of the Pony into the 2000s, maintaining their factory ready to resume production.

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    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    367 views4 pages

    NAMCO History

    Uploaded by

    George Avramidis
    Namco is a Greek vehicle manufacturer founded in the 1950s by the Kontogouris Brothers. They initially produced trucks in Germany and developed the multi-purpose Farmobil vehicle in the 1960s through their company Farco. In the 1970s, Namco introduced the popular Citroen-based Pony passenger vehicle and established production in Thessaloniki. Throughout the decades, Namco attempted to produce various vehicles including trucks and military vehicles with mixed success. They continued producing updated versions of the Pony into the 2000s, maintaining their factory ready to resume production.

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    Namco (automobiles)

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

    Namco (National Motor Company of Greece) is a Greek vehicle


    manufacturer, a creation of the Kontogouris Brothers who have
    been in the automotive industry business since the 1950s.
    •

    History
    The first efforts of the Kontogouris Brothers involved building light
    trucks called 'Hellas' in Germany. In 1957 Petros Kontogouris
    acquired rights to a production technology of a multi-purpose
    vehicle developed by Dr. Wilfried Fahr, who founded an engineering
    company in Switzerland. In 1961 Kontogouris created their first
    company called FARCO in Thessaloniki, Greece to produce the
    vehicle, called FARMOBIL. Ironically, this smart vehicle was not
    certified for the Greek market and all production was exported to
    several countries around the world. In 1963 the company was
    acquired by Chrysler who renamed it Chrysler Hellas S.A. In 1967
    production in Greece was stopped by the U.S. Company, and was
    transferred to other countries. Meanwhile, in 1961 ambitious plans
    were made by the Kontogouris Brothers for a new company (to be
    called Namco) with a big factory in Patras, Greece to produce under
    licence a German-designed (Neckar) three-wheeler truck and other
    vehicles, but were not materialized.
    Namco would resurface in 1972, when a light passenger-utility
    vehicle called the 'Pony' was introduced in the Thessaloniki Trade
    Fair, after an agreement was signed with Citroën. The car, of rather
    basic technology, had been designed by Citroën on a 2CV platform
    as part of 'basic world car' project that eventually lead to the
    Citroën FAF (the Pony and other similar cars preceded the FAF and
    were not derived from it, as is often erroneously reported). Indeed,
    cars on the same basis were produced around the world from Iran to
    Portugal, but the Pony became by far the most successful. In 1974
    Namco started business officially and production started in a new
    plant in Thessaloniki. The Pony (also called 'Pony-Citroën'), helped
    by a law giving tax breaks for light utility-passenger vehicles
    became an instant success, being the cheapest car in the market
    and, at the same time, an incredibly robust and practical automobile
    (about half a dozen Greek companies would follow Namco's
    example, with similar contraptions, none of which, though, came
    close to Pony's success). A large number of versions and facelifts
    followed, keeping the car up to standards. Almost 30,000 Pony's
    were produced, while exports to many countries around the world (a
    few were even exported to the U.S.) were made, "helped" by the
    Citroën logo on the vehicle.

    Namco Pony-Citroën (introduced in 1972). One of the last versions (1982 model) and
    one of the few that were sold in the U.S.A.

    Namco Milicar 6x6 (1978)

    Namco Pony Super (1990 model)


    In 1978 Namco decided to move into other fields, introducing a
    series of very advanced 4x4 and 6x6 (3 to 6.5 tonne) multi-purpose
    trucks featuring a novel Swiss-designed, patented suspension
    system. A complete line-up was made for many uses, consisting of
    the 'Agricar', 'Milicar', 'Pyrcar' and 'Multi-trac' vehicles. It is
    somewhat of a mystery why those advanced vehicles had limited
    success, only small numbers having been ordered by Greek state
    authorities. Similarly Namco designed a number of military vehicles
    including the 'Tiger' and 'Aquilles' armoured vehicles and 4x4's,
    none of which reached even the stage of complete prototype. It has
    been argued that it was simply the wrong time, since the Greek
    state favoured a state company (ELBO) for its supplies in that
    period.
    The first generation Pony (Pony-Citroën) was produced until 1983,
    after the law concerning taxation of similar vehicles had been
    changed. Plans to manufacture other cars under licence were not
    realized and for a moment it seemed that Namco would once more
    be out of business. But the company would resurface again with a
    completely new model, Pony Super, introduced in 1985. The second
    generation Pony had no connection with Citroën technology and was
    a much more modern car with Ford engines, coming in a large
    number of versions (950cc 45hp, 1100cc 55hp, 1300cc 69hp and
    1600cc 54 hp Diesel, in two- and four-door arrangements). It was
    essentially developed by Namco, since Inthelco, a German company
    also involved in its development was majority-owned by Namco at
    the time. An ambitious plan was made to export the car to the U.S.
    with a 1900cc engine via Inthelco as the 'Desta' at a rate of 20,000
    per year. However, the costs and prospects proved to be grossly
    miscalculated and the plan was abandoned. No matter how
    improved the new Pony was, it was still a far cry from the needs of
    the contemporary Greek market made of progressively more
    affluent and demanding consumers. Only a few hundred Pony Super
    were built until 1992.
    Once more, when it seemed that Namco would vanish, the company
    created one more chance for rebirth, as its founders was stubbornly
    attached to the car-making business. So, although they also
    diversified into imports and trade of vehicles keeping Namco alive,
    they transformed the company into a technology exporter, offering
    design and construction of vehicle producing mini-plants (as an
    antidote, they argued, to the giant conglomerates created by
    globalisation) together with the Pony and their 4x4 truck
    technology. In 1994, the first Pony Super's produced under licence
    in Bulgaria came out of the assembly plant in that country.
    Namco is still alive today, indeed representing the stubbornness and
    vision of its creators. It is characteristic that production of the Pony
    Super and the trucks never "officially" ended, as the company
    maintains a factory ready to resume production. Actually, a "third-
    generation" Pony (in reality a Pony Super with minor improvements)
    was introduced in 2003. One, who knows Namco's history, can only
    wait until the next dynamic resurfacing of the company.

    Models
    Company: Farco

    • Farmobil advanced multi-purpose vehicle (designed by Dr. W. Fahr), 1961-


    1967.

    Company: Namco (initial planned establishment)

    • Three-wheeler truck, (Neckar licence), 1961: production planned to have


    started by mid-1960s but not materialized.

    Company: Namco (proper operation)


    • Pony-Citroën light passenger-utility automobile (Citroën licence), 1974-1983:
    produced in a large number of variants and several facelifts and
    improvements.
    • Agricar agricultural 4x4 and 6x6 truck, 1978-(theoretically to date)
    • Milicar military 4x4 and 6x6 truck based on the Agricar, 1978-(theoretically
    to date)
    • Pyrcar 4x4 fire-fighting vehicle based on the Agricar, 1978-(theoretically to
    date)
    • Multi-Trac, 4x4 multi-purpose vehicle based on the Agricar, 1978-
    (theoretically to date)
    • Panther light military scouting vehicle (Lohr licence), introduced 1980: not
    produced.
    • Tiger 4x4 armoured wheeled military vehicle, proposed 1982: designed, but
    prototype not completed.
    • Aquilles armoured wheeled fighting vehicle, based on the Milicar, proposed
    1982: design not completed.
    • A 4x4 jeep-type military vehicle, proposed 1985: design not completed.
    • Licence built variant of Daihatsu Wildcat, proposed 1985: not built.
    • Pony Super series completely redesigned passenger-utility automobile, 1985-
    (theoretically to date): built in a large number of variants and models with
    different engines.

    Related entry
    • Citroën FAF

    References
    • L.S. Skartsis and G.A. Avramidis, 'Made in Greece', Typorama, Patras, Greece
    (2003).
    • Jane's 'Military Vehicles & Logistics', 1992 edition.

    External links
    • http://www.namco-euro.com
    • Site with automobile brochures (including Farmobil and Pony models)

    Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namco_%28automobiles%29"


    Categories: Truck manufacturers | Off-road vehicles | Motor vehicle
    manufacturers of Greece | Car manufacturers

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