François Rolland was an established local businessman who had made his fortune in the wine trade. Émile Pilain brought technical training, having been educated by his uncle François Pilain, who had himself founded the Société des Automobiles Pilain in Lyon. Émile had remained in the Tours region, providing a natural home base for the partnership.
The business began by repairing and selling motor vehicles before transitioning to original automobile production, which commenced in 1907. In 1911 the company relocated to 44, place Rabelais, still in Tours, and reorganized as a Société anonyme — effectively a limited liability company — a legal structure it retained until insolvency in 1925.
Despite very limited financial resources, Rolland-Pilain cars incorporated a number of innovative engineering solutions. The most notable was hydraulic braking, adopted before this technology became standard industry practice. The company's model range spanned family cars, sports models, and luxury variants.
During World War I the factory shifted to war production, manufacturing shells and aircraft engine components using a predominantly female workforce. The conflict brought a notable temporary change in ownership: Gnome et Rhône, the successful aero-engine manufacturer that had relocated production out of Paris, established one of its new manufacturing bases in Tours and invested in Rolland-Pilain at the war's end in 1918, acquiring a majority share. By 1920 Gnome et Rhône had sold its holding.
The transition period also saw a generational shift: management began passing from François Rolland to his son Lucien Rolland, while Émile Pilain sustained his involvement and his elder brother Léon Pilain — who had previously worked in Paris for Delahaye — took an increasing role in the business.
At the October 1919 Motor Show the company exhibited three models in bare chassis form (prices included lighting but not tyres):
The Type RP 10HP used a 1,924 cc four-cylinder engine on a 2,820 mm wheelbase, listed at 13,500 francs. The Type M6 14HP offered a 2,770 cc six-cylinder engine on a 3,120 mm wheelbase at 18,500 francs. The Type CR 18HP featured a large 3,969 cc four-cylinder on a 3,120 mm wheelbase at 23,000 francs. The six-cylinder model never reached volume production, but both four-cylinder cars achieved commercial success.
By October 1924 the lineup had evolved. The flagship was the Type C23 — sometimes called simply the Rolland-Pilain 2-litre — a technically advanced model with a 2,008 cc four-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine launched in 1923. Priced at 39,500 francs, its sophistication was reflected in high production costs. The range also included an updated Type B25 10/25HP with a 1,924 cc overhead-valve engine, and a run-out Type CRK 18HP with overhead valves.
The company participated in Grand Prix racing and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its greatest success came in 1923, when Albert Guyot drove a Rolland-Pilain A22 to victory in the San Sebastián Grand Prix.
At Le Mans in 1924 and again in 1925, the company entered three torpedo-bodied cars with engines restricted to 1,997 cc. At the 1925 race just one of the three entries finished, driven by Jean de Marguenat and Louis Sire, achieving seventh place.
French manufacturers of the era also set great store by long-distance endurance events in Africa. Rolland-Pilain received favorable publicity from the "Tranin-Duverne" marathon drive conducted from Conakry on Africa's west coast to Djibouti on the east coast using a 10HP model between 3 December 1924 and 20 February 1925 — the first time a wheeled car had traversed the African continent from west to east.
A lack of funds led Rolland and Pilain to lose control of the company in 1926. Automobile production ended in 1927 and the company was declared in default of its debts in 1928. The factory finally closed in 1932. At the point production ceased, more than 5,000 cars had been built over roughly twenty years of manufacturing.