De Dion Bouton: История французского автомобилестроения

French automobile company

De Dion Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer, which operated from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother in law Charles Trépardoux.

The company was formed in 1883 after de Dion saw a toy locomotive in a store window in 1881 and asked the toymakers to build another. Engineers Bouton and Trépardoux had been eking out a living with scientific toys at a shop in the Passage de Léon, near the rue de la Chapelle in Paris. Trépardoux had long dreamed of building a steam car, but neither he nor Bouton could afford it. De Dion, already inspired by steam in the form of railway locomotives, and with ample money, agreed to back them, and De Dion, Bouton et Trépardoux was formed in Paris in 1883. That became the De Dion Bouton automobile company, the world's largest automobile manufacturer for a time, well known for the quality, reliability, and durability of their vehicles. Before 1883 was over, the company had set up shop in larger premises in the Passage de Léon, Paris, tried and dropped steam engines for boats, and produced a steam car. With the boiler and engine mounted at the front, driving the front wheels by belts and steering with the rear, it burned to the ground on trials. A second, La Marquise, was built the next year, with a more conventional steering and rear wheel drive, capable of seating four. it averaged over the 126 km (78 mi) route, but was disqualified because it needed both a driver and a stoker. Proving troublesome at its designed speed of 900 rpm (throwing bearings and running rough),

The same year, the tricar was joined by a four wheeler and in 1900 by a vis a vis voiturette, the Model D, with its 3¾ CV (2.8 kW) single cylinder engine under the seat and drive to the rear wheels through a two speed gearbox. This curious design had the passenger facing the driver, who sat in the rear seat. The voiturette had one inestimable advantage: the expanding clutches of the gearbox were operated by a lever on the steering column. The Model D was developed through Models E, G, I, and J, with 6 CV (4.5 kW) by 1902, when the 8 CV (6 kW) Model K rear entry phaeton appeared, with front end styling resembling the contemporary Renault. Until World War I, De Dion Boutons had an unusual decelerator pedal which reduced engine speed and ultimately applied a transmission brake. A small number of electric cars were also made in 1901.

De Dion Bouton supplied engines to vehicle manufacturers such as Hanzer and Société Parisienne who mounted a unit directly on the front axle of their front wheel drive voiturette the 'Viktoria Combination'.

The De Dion Bouton engine is considered the first high speed lightweight internal combustion engine. It was licensed to more than 150 manufacturers and was a popular choice among assemblers of motor bicycles. The small, lightweight four cycle engine used a battery and coil ignition that was less trouble than hot tube ignition. The bore of and stroke of gave the engine an output of It was used on many pioneering moto bicycle brands, and was widely copied by many makers including US Brands Indian and Harley Davidson.

In 1901, the De Dion Bouton Motorette Company began manufacturing De Dion Bouton automobiles under license in Brooklyn, New York. A small quantity of American De Dion Motorettes were made. They had either two seater vis a vis or closed coachwork, and were powered by a American made engines. The venture was in operation for only one year, and the cars gained a reputation for unreliability during that time. Representatives of De Dion in the United States claimed that the licensee had violated the contract and advertised for a new licensee. The company became the first to make a successful mass produced V8 engine, a 35 CV (26 kW) CJ in 1910, followed by a 7.8 liter and a 14.7 liter for the U. S., as well as by a Type CN in 1912. (They trailed Ader in racing the 1906 Adams, which used an Antoinette aircraft engine.) During World War I, the company made gun parts, armoured vehicles, and aircraft engines, as well as cars and trucks. Between 1913 and 1918, it produced an anti aircraft weapons system for the French Army, consisting of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 field gun mounted on a V8 powered De Dion Bouton truck.

The company stagnated after World War I. The V8 continued to appear until 1923 and, in spite of new models with front wheel brakes, the factory closed for much of 1927. On reopening, two models were listed, the Type LA, with a four cylinder overhead valve, aluminium piston engine, and the Type LB, with a straight 8. The latter was very expensive and sales were few, despite an increase in engine size growth to in 1930. A rumored takeover by Peugeot or Mercedes