La Préféré
1 et 3 Bld de Ménilmontant, Paris
1912-1914
Graf Matthäus Thunn[1] successor to E.Decosse - built motorcycles using many parts from his own catalogue, powered by 3½ h.p. Anzani engines, and available with sidecars from SIA (Austral). He rode a solo version in the 1912 Paris-Tours event. The 1913 model was a rebadged Lurquin-Coudert machine, and for 1914 they offered three L&C models - a 3½ h.p. single and V-twins of 5½ and 7 h.p.
He was also the main agent in France for Phaenomobil from 1911, and drove one of those in the 1912 Tour de France.
In March of 1915 the French government seized possession of all properties belonging to German and Austro-Hungarian businesses. Thunn was Austrian, so he lost everything.
In 1922 Thunn emigrated to Austria, taking up business there as a Phaenomen dealer, and in 1925 he established the MT marque.
Notes. 1. Also spelled Thun, Count Matthäus von Thun und Hohenstein was from a very wealthy family. He preferred the Italian form of this first name, Matteo. See thunweb.com
Sources: Bourdache p438, lestricars.es.tl.
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