Seattle Citroën
Challenger Motors
UPDATED 5/2026
Part 2 - The post-war period
In Part 1 of the Challenger Motor Car Company's story, we examined the early days, up to the breakout of World War II. I suggest that you read it first. In Part 2, we will pick up where we left off.
THE CHARLIE DIRSCHERL YEARS
The future had been looking bright for Donald U. Billings and his two colleagues that started up Challenger Motors in 1938. They had developed a productive relationship with Citroën France, had a great media presence, and were selling cars. But as soon as they were reaching their stride, the war came and halted the production of civilian automobiles in Europe, soon followed by the American car manufacturers. By early 1943, with no new cars to sell, the original owners of Challenger Motors realized that their business was no longer viable.
Enter Charlie Dirscherl. Charles Karl Dirscherl was born January 25, 1907 in the small Bavarian town of Furth im Wald, Germany. Charlie, as most knew him, had a dream to come to America and signed up with a shipping company carrying iron in hopes of landing in New York. An article in an old Sacramento Valley Citroën Club (SVCC) newsletter relates a story that his freighter hit an iceberg and the crew had to abandon ship. He sailed for another two years before docking in Boston where he jumped ship and spent his first night in a bus station with $5.00 to his name.
As time moved on, Charlie slowly moved west. He found a job in a tool and die factory in Wisconsin where he became a master at creating almost anything made out of metal. Eventually he ended-up in California and took over an existing car repair garage in Los Angeles at the intersection of Melrose and Sweetzer Avenues. He aptly named his business, Melrose-Sweetzer Service. Exactly when he took over this business is unclear, but it was slightly before WWII, probably about 1940.
Charlie’s repair shop was also a Beacon gas station and Charlie ran the gas station part of the business as well. Charlie’s daughter remembers that Hollywood celebrities such as Bob Hope, Carmen Miranda, John Wayne, and Roy Rogers would come in to have their gas tanks filled by Charlie.
MELROSE-SWEETZER SERVICE AT 8275 MELROSE AVENUE, 1942
Photo provided by Toni Werk
MELROSE-SWEETZER SERVICE AT 8275 MELROSE AVENUE, 1942
Photo provided by Toni Werk
In the pre-war days, Challenger Motors needed help servicing the cars they were importing and Charlie did some of their maintenance and repair. Thus, the relationship between Charlie Dirscherl, Citroën, and Challenger Motors begun just prior to the war.
Charlie took over Challenger Motors as soon as the original owners gave up, in early 1943. Details of how the company was transferred to Charlie Dirscherl are unknown, but he only took over the company name, spare parts, and tools. Charlie did not take over any of the previous owners' buildings, nor did he take control of any parts of the Ford dealership that Challenger had tried to become involved with in late 1941. Charlie, with his small repair shop and gas station, was in a better position to hang on throughout the war years than the previous owners who had mostly geared their business to sell new cars.
I can't help but think that Charlie Dirscherl had great foresight when he took over Challenger, as he must have been thinking far ahead, to the years after the war ended.
There was a gradual transition of Charlie Dirscherl's business name from Melrose-Sweetzer Service to Challenger Motors as both names were used simultaneously in the 1940’s and even into the early 1950’s. Eventually however, the Melrose-Sweetzer Service name disappeared.
ADVERTISEMENT FOR CHALLENGER MOTORS, NOW UNDER CHARLIE DIRSCHERL'S OWNERSHIP
A FAMILY BUSINESS
Charlie’s daughter Toni remembers that her mom had a prominent role in the business:
“…My mom, Lindy (short for Sieglinde), supported dad by bookkeeping, (repairing) wiring in the cars, and repairing upholstery and headliners. She was a "Jackie of all trades" and could fix anything!...”
Charlie and Lindy Dirscherl at some point dropped the "r" at the end of their last name, as most people were tripped up at the pronunciation. As a result, Charles’s daughter Toni grew up as Toni Dirschel.
Photo provided by Toni Werk
CHARLIE AND LINDY DIRSCHERL, EARLY 1940's
Photo provided by Toni Werk
CHARLIE DIRSCHERL, EARLY 1940's - NOTICE HOW WORN OUT THIS TRACTION CABRIOLET IS, NOTING THAT IT IS NOT VERY OLD!!
SURVIVING THE WAR YEARS
The number of pre-war Citroëns that were imported by Challenger is unknown, but it has been estimated to be somewhere between 100 and 300. Based on vintage photos, newspaper advertisements, other media presence, and the number of surviving Challenger-Citroëns, it is not hard to believe these numbers, and I would guess it is on the higher end of this range.
During the war years, Charlie maintained the Challenger-Citroëns by whatever means possible since the flow of spare parts from France had been interrupted by the war. Being a machinist by trade, he knew how to get things done. Gearbox breakage was common and long-time Citroën guru Chuck Forward relates a story that Charlie had seven sets of ring and pinion gears manufactured locally with straight teeth. Charlie claimed he could hear the cars coming from a block away by the howl they made.
A reader named Charles Crittenden Sr. contacted us and advised that in addition to ring and pinions, Charlie Dirscherl also had other gearbox parts made during the war years. Examples are the transmission gears in the following photo which were modified by welding non-Citroën gears to the hubs of damaged Citroën gears.
Charles Crittenden notes, "...Back in 1987 I met Willy Witken the owner of General Engine & Parts Industries, Inc. I found out that Willy repared the second speed gears for Charlie during WW2..."
Amazingly, Charles still has a set of these modified gear pairs.
Photo provided by Toni Werk
CHARLIE DIRSCHERL SURVEYING ACCIDENT DAMAGE AT MELROSE-SWEETZER - PHOTO EARLY 1940’s
DUE TO THE LACK OF PARTS FROM FRANCE DURING THE WAR YEARS, CHARLIE DIRSCHERL HAD MANY PARTS MADE OR REPAIRED LOCALLY
Charles Crittenden Sr.
THE POST-WAR YEARS
Challenger’s media presence was very quiet between 1944 and 1947. But in 1948 they resumed advertising used cars, parts, and service. Throughout the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, they appeared to have survived on used car sales and repairs of not only Challenger-Citroëns, but on other orphan makes such as Simca, Peugeot, Renault, Panhard, and Fiat. They also worked on domestic makes.
It wasn’t until 1952 that Charlie Dirscherl started advertising that he was selling new Citroën Traction Avants again. Initially, it was not clear if these post-war Tractions were still being sold as Challenger-Citroëns or if somehow the problem with the manufacturer’s license had been resolved with the State of California, thus allowing them to be sold as Citroëns. But it seems to be the latter. In 2023, Charlie Dirscherl's daughter provided us with a treasure trove of old documents from Challenger Motors and among them was a letter from August 01, 1952. In this letter, Citroën told the state of California Motor Vehicle Department that Challenger Motors was now a factory authorized dealer. This letter appears to mark a distinct change of business model for Challenger Motors, since they were no longer acting as a "manufacturer" and could therefore sell the cars as Citroëns instead of Challengers. This also presumably meant that the factory would now be better supporting spare parts, warranty issues, etc.
The letter is significant since it identifies that Citroën was beginning to operate in the USA themselves. This letter is provided below.
Provided by Toni Werk
1952 LETTER WHERE CITROEN DECLARES TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THAT CHALLENGER MOTORS IS A FACTORY AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR CITROEN CARS AND TRUCKS
If you look at who signed this letter, it was a man named Lucien Paradis. Lucien was significant in the history of Citroën in the USA since he is thought to be the first Citroën employee formally stationed in America. Lucien arrived in L.A. in 1952 and took residence in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. His role was to start laying the groundwork for Citroën's eventual entry to the country, as well as to act as a liaison between Citroën and the two American companies that were trying to sell Citroëns independently; Challenger Motors and Campbell Motors.
LUCIEN PARADIS - LIKELY THE FIRST CITROEN EMPLOYEE STATIONED IN THE USA
ADT - Autour Des Tables N° 255
And sure enough, after this date in 1952, Charlie Dirscherl advertised his cars simply as as Citroëns, such as in the ad below.
Los Angeles Times, August, 1952
POST-WAR CHALLENGER ADVERTISEMENT FOR NEW TRACTION AVANTS
However, not all was well between Lucien Paradis and Charlie Dirscherl at this time. In late 1952, Lucien appears to have reneged on an agreement with Challenger Motors about exclusive distributorship of Citroëns in Southern California and allegedly handed it to nearby Campbell Motors. You can read a bit more about this dispute in the Campbell Motors article, HERE. By 1955, Citroën came to the USA to run things themselves, so any distributorship dispute became moot at this time.
Richard Bonfond
TYPICAL BADGE THAT WOULD BE FOUND ON THE SIDES OF THE HOOD OF A CHALLENGER TRACTION AVANT
CITROEN COMES TO TOWN
It was in 1955 when the Citroën factory decided to formally set up an operation on the west coast of the USA, under the American subsidiary name, Citroën Cars Corporation. Citroën made Challenger Motors a formal dealership under the new American operations, even though Citroën’s own facility was being set-up at 8423 Wilshire Boulevard, less than 2 miles away. An interesting letter still survives where Citroën announced to Challenger Motors that Citroën themselves were now the importer and distributor of Citroën cars in the USA. The letter is dated February 10, 1955, a bit before the DS era.
This letter is significant since it establishes a precise date for when Citroën first started to operate in the USA as an importer of cars, bringing an end to the independent importer role that Challenger had been using. The letter is provided (click to enlarge).
You can read more about the early days of Citroën in the USA HERE.
Provided by Toni Werk
THE DS ERA
The year 1956 is very early insomuch as DS production is concerned and it was 1956 when Challenger started selling the DS. According to most sources, a small number of DS’s, about 62, were manufactured as model year 1955, but none of these made it to North America. In 1956, DS production increased to something like 9868 cars. And it appears that several of these 9868 cars made their way to Challenger Motors. We recently obtained some records from the early days at Challenger Motors and among these records are original sales invoices from 1956. These records show that at least nine 1956's were supplied to Challenger Motors. The earliest of these cars is serial number 422 which was invoiced to Challenger on May 15, 1956. This is a very early car indeed! Invoices for these nine cars are provided (click to open).
Provided by Toni Werk
In the early DS era, the Citroën presence was growing fast in the USA. In 1959, Citroën’s dealer list shows something like 19 authorized dealerships in southern California. By the time Citroën’s 1960 dealer directory was published, the number of California dealers had ballooned to 33, most located in Southern California. This undoubtedly provided plenty of competition for Challenger Motors; but they not only survived, they outlasted all of the others.
Los Angeles Times, March, 1959
1959 ADVERTISEMENT SHOWING THE BLOSSOMING NUMBER OF SO CAL DEALERSHIPS
Challenger, under Charlie Dirscherl's ownership, went on to sell DS’s in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and early 1970’s. In the earlier days they sold other models (2CV, Ami6, Panhard, etc), though not as successfully. At the same time, Citroën’s own facility was doing the same thing 2 miles away on Wilshire Boulevard.
In 1963, Charlie decided to move the business to what would be its final location: 6065 Melrose Avenue. Challenger remained in this location for over 30 years.
THE SM ERA
Challenger Motors did not offer the SM model at all, as SM sales were left to nearby Irv White Buick, where Jerry Hathaway got his start. We understand that the Citroën factory had very specific ideas about who would sell the SM, causing consternation among some of their existing (and long suffering) dealership network. Charlie went on to disparage the SM model, mainly due to its temperamental engine.
The following photo shows Charlie Dirscherl’s daughter, Toni, standing in front of an SM that was on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Notice that the SM is a European model, suggesting that the US model was not yet available to display (the show was held in November of 1970). A second photo recently emerged of this display car that has better color.
Photo provided by Toni Werk
SM ON DISPLAY AT THE 1971 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
Photo provided by John Sage -- FinchHaven Digital Photography
SM ON DISPLAY AT THE 1971 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
THE JACQUES LAUDE ERA
A Frenchman named Jacques Laude bought Challenger Motors from Charlie and Lindy Dirscherl in about 1981, thus allowing Charlie the ability to semi-retire. But who was Jacques Laude? Site contributor Greg Long interviewed Jacques Laude in early 2024, so we can fill in a few gaps we had in prior releases of this story.
Jacques Laude was a Citroën employee in France at the time that the SM was being developed and was a test driver of the SM prototypes. Below are some notes from Greg's interview:
"...(Jacques Laude drove) those 2 door DS's with the Maserati engines (SM mules) during the SM development phase. Driving them was his full time job starting in 1968! He put 650,000 miles on Citroëns as a test driver. Jacques indicated there were four of the mules and I asked him whether he drove them on the secret test track (La Ferte Vidame) or out in the public... he said public roads. I asked him whether people asked him about the cars and why it wasn't secret? He said they were pretty primitive looking with poor fit-and-finish so people just thought he had probably made it himself! He never opened the hoods in public..."
"...Jacques mentioned that one of the SM mules he was driving caught fire and burned to the ground..."
The Citroënet website has some photos of these prototype mules HERE.
Citroën Cars Corporation in the USA needed help with the launch of the SM in the USA and hired Jacques Laude for this purpose. So in the fall of 1971, Jacques moved to California and began working at Citroën's facility in Los Angeles. Greg's notes go on to say:
"...When the SM was coming to America they needed someone to teach the technicans about them... so (after moving to the USA), he traveled all over the States and Canada training folks on the SM. He said he initially came over in September, 1971 when there was only one SM in the country...."
JACQUES LAUDE IN 2024
Jacques Laude worked at Citroën Los Angeles for a few years but by about 1978, Laude tried to strike out on his own with a Maserati repair business in L.A., named, Performance Auto Imports. Jacques heavily advertised his business for a brief period of time in 1978, when suddenly in 1979, Jacques Laude’s name was associated with another L.A.-area Citroën dealership; Don Runnalls Citroën Sales and Service. Greg's interview with Jacques indicated that he was never able to make Performance Auto work, in part due to problems leasing space to operate from.
In the mean time, Charlie Dirscherl’s reign at Challenger Motors lasted until 1981 when Jacques Laude entered the picture and became the new owner of Challenger Motors, thus allowing Charlie Dirscherl, now in his mid-70’s, the ability to semi-retire.
Jacques Laude brought in his prior Maserati experience and worked on SM’s and Maseratis at Challenger Motors (Charlie Dirscherl didn't have much interest in SM's). Charlie’s daughter Toni recalls that both her dad and mom remained at Challenger after the business was sold, helping Jacques Laude well into the 1990’s.
Jacques Laude indicated that Lindy Dirscherl quietly passed away while resting in the Challenger Motors office in 1991 and Charlie himself passed away in early 2000.
Los Angeles Times, December 1979
MASERATI TRAINING CERTIFICATE FOR JACQUES LAUDE
Photo provided by Bibliopticus Alanskii
Los Angeles Times, November 1981
1980’s CHALLENGER ADVERTISEMENT IN THE CALIFORNIA CITROEN CAR CLUB NEWSLETTER
END OF THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
Jacques Laude ran Challenger Motors repairing the aging Citroëns until it closed for good in 1997, 25 years after the last new Citroën DS had been sold and 60 years after Challenger Motors was first formed. Two photos taken on Challenger’s last day of operation are provided below.
This day in 1997 marked the end of the longest running Citroën dealer in North America. I cant help but think that Don U. Billings would have been happy that his company went on to be such a long running success.
Photo provided by Bibliopticus Alanskii
Photo provided by Bibliopticus Alanskii
CHALLENGER MOTORS’ LAST DAY OF OPERATION, 1997
After Challenger Motors, a man named Tom Pena used the building as an automotive brake shop until 2015 when the building was sold by the Dirscherl heirs. Currently, the building is a pet supply store.
CHALLENGER MOTORS' LOCATIONS
Challenger Motors was associated with several locations in L.A. in the early days, but settled in at 8275 Melrose Avenue for 20 years, and then at 6065 Melrose Avenue for 34 years:
-
1355 S. Flower Street (~1937)
-
1254 S. Figueroa (~1938)
-
1160 S. Figueroa (~1939-1943)
-
8275 Melrose Avenue (1943 to 1963)
-
6065 Melrose Avenue (1963 to the 1997)
Only the last building remains.
Google Maps, 2021
THEN AND NOW
Billings Family Archives
Google Street View, 2024
1160 S FIGUEROA, ~1939 AND 2024
Photo provided by Toni Werk
Google Street View, 2021
8275 MELROSE AVENUE, 1942 AND 2021
Photo provided by Bibliopticus Alanskii
Google Street View, 2021
6065 MELROSE AVENUE, 1997 AND 2021
SOURCES AND CREDITS
Northwest Citroën Owners Club (NWCOC) issue #80 contains a history of Challenger Motors that was originally written by long-time Citroën guru Chuck Forward who personally knew many of the players involved with Challenger. We have extracted portions of the NWCOC story for this article. We have also drawn from past articles that were published by the Sacramento Valley Citroën Club (SVCC) and from articles in the Hollywood-based Citroën Car Club (CCC). Richard Bonfond helped and he is always a source of amazing Citroën knowledge. Other content came from scouring archives of old newspapers and other media which is now available and searchable in digital form.
The following people helped with the preparation of this article (alphabetically): Richard Bonfond, Chris Dubuque, Chuck Forward, Jacques Laude, Greg Long, Allan Meyer, and Lincoln Sarmanian.
We would like to express a special thank you to Don U. Billings' granddaughter, Barbara (Billings) Schwartz, and Charlie Dirscherl’s daughter, Toni (Dirschel) Werk, who both provided invaluable stories and photos for this article.
Photo provided by Toni Werk
ROSTER OF SURVIVING CHALLENGER CARS
Never before has a list of surviving Challenger-Citroëns or Challenger-Renaults been made. So we are starting one here. PLEASE HELP US COMPLETE THIS LIST.
1
YEAR: 1938
SERIAL NUMBER: 406914
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Wiljan Cats
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Holland
NOTES: Found in back lot of a body shop in LA with significant modifications that had occurred long ago. It was advertised on eBay in 2000. Eventually sold to Wiljan Cats and restored in Holland. According to Wiljan, the car started out life as a sedan and was converted to a roadster.
Photos from Citroenvie website
2
YEAR: 1937
SERIAL NUMBER: 200877
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Charles Crittenden Sr.
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Palm Springs, CA
NOTES: This was formerly part of Don Runnalls' collection of cars that were stored in Runnalls' desert compound in California. Charles Crittenden, who bought it after Runnalls died, indicates that based on the serial number, it appears that this car is a 7CV, not an 11CV. We think he is right and that it is a 1937 model 7C.
Photo provided by Mike Andrews
Photo provided by Charles Crittenden
3
YEAR: 1938
SERIAL NUMBER: 382879
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Michel Le Naour
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: France
NOTES: This car was modified into a 4-seater by a coach builder before being sent to Challenger Motors as a new car. There is apparently some confusion who the coachbulder was, but the name "Girard" has been attached to this car. One of the modifications was that it was equipped with a 4-speed gearbox. This car was originally sold by Challenger, most likely in 1938. It then made its way back to Challenger and was re-sold as a used car on October 8, 1947 for $901.25. We have a copy of the 1947 invoice below (click to enlarge). Later on, it was sold to Erik DeWidt by a collector in Canada (it was restored in Quebec).
Photos provided by Erik DeWidt
4
YEAR: 1937 (Renault Juvaquatre)
SERIAL NUMBER: Unknown
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Pat McMahon
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Riverside, CA
NOTES: Found in Coachella Valley, California by Lincoln Sarmanian in 2002. Same car appears to have been offered on eBay in 2015. Its location in 2015 was listed as Riverside, CA.
Photo provided by Lincoln Sarmanian
5
YEAR: 1938
SERIAL NUMBER: 417575
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Lincoln Sarmanian
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Vashon Island, WA
NOTES:The original owner was Jack O’Rans’ Uncle Timmy (O’Ran?) who was in the US Navy and had seen Traction Avants when he was in France. When he was stationed in San Diego he became aware of Challenger Motors and went up to L.A. to get one. He modified it for circuit racing, which was popular at that time. It has a straight pipe exhaust cutout, lots of added instrumentation, but essentially stock other than that.
Photos provided by Chris Dubuque
6
YEAR: 1937
SERIAL NUMBER: 369084
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Larry Lewis
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Toronto, ON
NOTES: The car was apparently obtained by the Mullin Museum in 2015 and was displayed in the Museum's Citroën exhibit in 2017. The museum obtained it from a woman named Amy Schugar – a musician who lives in Arizona. She had found it for sale in the Southern California. In 2021, the car appeared to be on the auction block by Mullin museum. In April 2023, it was advertised on eBay from a car dealer in Palm Beach, Florida. It was sold to Larry Lewis in Toronto for $8750.
Photos provided by George Dyke
7
YEAR: 1939
SERIAL NUMBER: 433495
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Dave Burnham
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Delanson, NY
NOTES: Purchased from Red Dellinger's estate. Not running. No engine/transmission. Awaiting restoration.
Photo provided by Dave Burnham
8
YEAR: 1938
SERIAL NUMBER: 300879
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Bernard Lacroute
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Napa, CA
NOTES: Car was restored by Mark Rodriguez in 2013 and sold to the current owner.
Photo provided by Bernard Lacroute
9
YEAR: 1939
SERIAL NUMBER: 431584
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Ross Boundine
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
NOTES: Currently under an extensive restoration in 2021 in L.A. Previously owned by a man named George Trivoli who owned it since at least 1964.
Photo provided by Ross Boundine
10
YEAR: 1940
SERIAL NUMBER: 168804
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Richard Voss
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Black Diamond, WA
NOTES: In need of a total restoration. No engine, transmission, or wheels. Been in Black Diamond for many years.
Photo provided by Richard Voss
Photo provided by Richard Voss
11
YEAR: 1938
SERIAL NUMBER: 406915
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Alain Daumas
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: New Jersey
NOTES: The Gooding & Company auction house listed this car in early 2024. According to Gooding's website, the car was owned by a man named John Bowen from 1968 until his death in 2015. Peter Mullen then obtained the car with the intent to restore it for the Mullen Museum. After Peter Mullen's passing in 2023, the car, still unrestored, was sold to Alain Daumas during the Gooding auction. Alain told us that the car was shipped to France in 2024 for a full restoration. Alain contacted the Citroën Conservatoire and was told that the car's manufacturing date was 13 October 1938. Furthermore, Alain found that the car still has all matching numbers (engine, hull, etc).
Gooding & Company
Gooding & Company
12
YEAR: 1939
SERIAL NUMBER: 681579
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Patrick Frachebois
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Besancon, France
NOTES: This 15-6 was originally sold by Challenger Motors to the famous silent movie actor, Charlie Chaplin. It was a 15-6 equipped with a few special items, such as custom bumpers and other small chrome accessories (which remain on the car today). In the early 1950's, Charlie Chaplin became embroiled in several scandals, including the false accusation of being a communist by discredited Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy. He ended up fleeing the USA for Switzerland, where he eventually sold the car to a friend, a Swiss man named Monsieur Rossier. The Rossier family owned the car until a few years ago when it was sold to another Swiss man who owned it briefly. It is now owned by Patrick Frachebois who contacted us after reading this article. This car is shown in Olivier de Serres book, Le Grand Livre de la Traction. We also learned that Charlie Chaplin was friends with Andre Citroën.
Patrick Frachebois
.jpg)
Patrick Frachebois
13
YEAR: 1938
SERIAL NUMBER: 406917
LAST KNOWN OWNER: Thomas Bodker
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Roskilde Denmark
NOTES: The car was originally delivered from Challenger Motors to an unknown buyer, but some point, it was exported back to France. It was purchased by the current Danish owner in 1991. The car is said to have been through a thorough restoration between 1991 and 1995. We were advised that due a licensing problem in the car's past, the Challenger serial number plate was removed. Note that the serial number is only two numbers from Alain Dumas’s car (car #11 in the list).
