The French Koehler-Escoffier marque was founded in Lyons in November 1912 by partners Marcel Koehler, an engineer, and Jules Escoffier, who had previously been employed at Magnat-Debon as a works rider/mechanic. Escoffier died in 1914 and at the war's end Koehler sold the firm, which was acquired by another engineer, Raymond Guignet. These days Koehler-Escoffier is best remembered for its Guiguet-designed, overhead-camshaft 'Mandoline' 500cc single, so called because of the shape of the timing cover and cam drive, and the closely related 1,000cc ohc v-twin, which was unique at the time of its introduction in 1927. Manufacturing these expensive, relatively low-volume models, both of which were underdeveloped, effectively crippled Koehler-Escoffier, which was taken over by Monet-Goyon in 1929. From then onwards the two ranges became virtually identical, most models featuring Villiers two-stroke engines after WW2. This restored, Villiers-powered Koehler-Escoffier was purchased from a French private owner in Alcañiz, Spain.