Ernest Chenard, born in 1861, was a railway engineer and bicycle manufacturer. He partnered with mining engineer Henri Walcker in 1898 to produce motor tricycles, and together they formally founded their automobile company on 19 January 1899, with Chenard overseeing design and Walcker managing sales and finance. The enterprise was registered as Chenard, Walcker et Compagnie in 1900. Their first true automobile, the Type A, was homologated in 1900 with a two-cylinder 1,160 cc engine of their own design driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox with an unusual gear-tooth hub transmission. The car was exhibited at the 1901 Paris Salon.
In March 1906 the company went public and was renamed the Société Anonyme des Anciens Étabissements Chenard et Walcker, relocating to a new Gennevilliers factory in 1908. By 1910 Chenard-Walcker was producing over 1,500 cars annually, making it the ninth-largest car manufacturer in France. A six-cylinder 4.5-litre model joined the range in 1913 alongside a family of four-cylinder cars. During World War I the factory produced Hispano-Suiza aircraft engines and military vehicles.
The car that secured Chenard-Walcker's place in history was the 3-litre model of 1922, designed by Henri Toutée, who had been with the company since 1906. The car featured an overhead camshaft engine. At the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans on 26–27 May 1923, Chenard-Walcker entered three Type U 15CV Sport cars, all competing in the 3.0-litre classification.
Car number 9, driven by André Lagache and René Léonard — both of them engineers employed by the company — won the race by completing 128 laps. Car number 10, crewed by Raoul Bachmann and Christian Dauvergne, finished four laps behind in second place. Their third entry, car number 11 driven by Fernand Bachmann and Raymond Glaszmann, completed 110 laps and finished seventh overall. Within the 3.0-litre class they took first, second and fourth positions, and collectively the three cars completed 362 laps — more than any other manufacturer in the race. A road-going 2-litre version, the 10/12, was subsequently sold to the public on the back of the victory.
By 1925 Chenard et Walcker had risen to become the fourth-largest car manufacturer in France. In 1927 the company entered into a tripartite collaboration with Delahaye and Rosengart, sharing designs and components; Unic was also invited to join but declined. The arrangement was advertised with the slogan "L'Union fait la force" and lasted until 1931, when Chenard et Walcker broke with its partners.
Front independent suspension appeared on some 1934 models, and front-wheel drive using Grégoire designs was offered on the Super Aigle models, though the timing proved disastrous: it launched simultaneously with the Citroën Traction Avant but at considerably higher prices. The Aigle 8 with a V8 engine was also introduced in 1934.
The company never secured sufficient capital to modernise its manufacturing methods, and cars remained largely hand-built, leaving them unable to compete on price. Chenard et Walcker went bankrupt in 1936 and was taken over by body manufacturer Chausson. By 1938 its cars shared bodywork with the Matford range, distinguishable only by the radiator grilles, and were powered by Citroën or Ford V8 engines. Car production ceased in 1939 or 1940.
During the German occupation, the company developed a prototype light van for the army in 1940. This vehicle became the basis for a line of forward-control light vans, initially powered by a compact 720 cc two-stroke water-cooled engine. An electric version was offered via the company Sovel. After Chausson passed into Peugeot's hands, the van line continued and was eventually rebranded as the Peugeot D3 van around 1950. Chenard-branded trucks continued to be marketed via Peugeot sales channels until the 1970s.
An affiliated entity, Tracteurs FAR, was founded in 1919 and produced commercial vehicles until 1970. André Lagache, co-winner of the 1923 Le Mans, was among FAR's founders — his name is represented by the "A" in the FAR initials. Among FAR's products was the Pony Mécanique, an articulated three-wheel tractor unit built under licence from Scammell and powered by the Citroën Traction Avant engine.
Chenard-Walcker's victory at the first Le Mans 24 Hours remains the defining moment of the marque's history. The winning car was a working engineer's creation driven by the company's own employees, establishing a template of manufacturer-backed factory racing that would define Le Mans for decades. The brand name survived in the commercial vehicle sector long after passenger car production ended, finally disappearing from trucks in the 1970s.