De Dion-Bouton

1885. Single seat steam tricycle. Exhibit at the Musee Automobile de Vendee.

1894. 0.75 h.p. Tricycle.

1895. Motor Tricycle (Printed back to front).

1895. Tricycle at Tunbridge Wells.

1896. De Dion-Bouton Steam Autocar (No. 12) of the 1896 Paris-Marseilles-Paris Race.

1896. The Dion Motor Tricycle.

1897.

1898. De Dion Bouton Tricycle. Exhibit at the National Automobile Museum, Mulhouse.

1899. Quadricycle. Exhibit at the Hull Street Life Museum.

1899. De Dion Bouton Type L Vis-a-vis. Single-cylinder. 513cc. Exhibit at the Manoir de L'Automobile, Loheac.

1899.

of 10 Great Marlborough Street, London, W

De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932.

• See Image Gallery

See also -

• De Dion-Bouton: Motors
• De Dion-Bouton: Steam Cars

The company was founded by Comte Albert de Dion (1856-1946), George Bouton (1847-1938) and his brother-in-law Charles Trepardoux.

1883 Bouton and Trépardoux had been making small steam engines and toys when they met de Dion who offered to go into partnership with them forming De Dion, Bouton et Trépardoux in Paris in 1883.

By the end of 1883 the new company had made an improved boiler for small boats and also fitted one to a steam-powered automobile. This had the boiler and engine mounted at the front driving the front wheels through belts and rear wheel steering.

1884 An improved vehicle was made with front wheel steering and rear wheel drive and seats for four people. This still exists in road worthy condition and has been a regular entry in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

1885 Two more cars were made and followed by a series of lightweight two cylinder, three wheeled models which from 1892 had Michelin pneumatic tyres fitted.

In 1893 steam tractors were introduced which were designed to tow horse-type carriages and these used an innovative axle design which would become known as the de Dion tube where the location and drive function of the axle are separated.

In 1893, following some experiments, de Dion became convinced that the future lay in the internal combustion engine. Trépardoux was not to be convinced and left the company in 1894 which was then renamed De Dion, Bouton et Compagnie.

A new small single cylinder engine of 137 cc was built which ran at 3,000 rpm and used electric ignition. Both inlet and exhaust valves were overhead and a flywheel was fitted to each end of the crankshaft. The engine was fitted to a three wheel bicycle based frame bought in from Decauville and put on the market in 1896 with the engine enlarged to 185 cc. The petite voiture remained in production until 1902.

In 1898 it was joined by a four-wheeler

1899 Details of their new 3-hp car.

1900 They produced the vis-a-vis with the engine under the seat and drive to the rear wheels through a two speed gearbox.

The engine moved to the front in 1903 in the Populaire model with 700 or 942 cc engines, the latter being powerful enough to allow trucks to be added to the cars, and by the end of the year reverse gear had also appeared.

In 1900, de Dion-Bouton was the largest automobile manufacturer in the world producing 400 cars and 3,200 engines that year. The company soon began producing engines and licenses for other automobile companies with an estimate of 150 makes using them.

1900 A factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York making De Dion cars.

1901 A small number of electric cars were made.

1903 Introduced the two-cylinder 1,728 cc Type S

1904 Introduced the four-cylinder 2,545 cc Type AD. The cars were becoming conventional with the radiator moving in front of the engine and the clutch changing from hand lever to pedal.

1906 They produced 6 hp., 8 hp., 9 hp., (these three were single cylinder) 12 hp. (two-cylinders), 15 hp. and 24 hp. (both four-cylinders) shaft-drive cars.

1907 The company was incorporated in the UK as De Dion-Bouton (1907) Ltd . Directors were Selwyn Edge (Chairman), John William Stocks (MD), Herbert Osbaldeston Duncan (MD in France), S. Van Der Bergh, W. Scott-Leafe and Arthur I. Phillips.

1908-1918 Annual reports in Coventry Archives

1910 The company became the first to make a mass-produced V8 engine, a 35 hp 6,107 cc CJ unit in 1910 and 3,534 cc Type CN a year later.

1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices in the UK see the 1917 Red Book

1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Petrol Motor Commercial Vehicles see the 1917 Red Book

1914 Listed as motor car manufacturers. Specialities: motor cars, omnibuses, delivery vans, lorries, motor launches and dynamo and other motor combinations.

During World War I the company made gun parts, armoured vehicles and aero engines as well as cars and trucks.

Bus manufacturer began in 1884 and finished after WWII

Motors

• See De Dion-Bouton: Motors

Early Registrations - Single-cylinder

• 1898 BS 8478 1.75 hp

• 1899 A 5462 2.75 hp
• 1899 PM 643 3.5 hp
• 1899 U 165 2.25 hp
• 1899 AC 102 2.25 hp

• 1900 BS 8375 3.5 hp
• 1900 BS 8437 3.5 hp
• 1900 CCL 50 3.5 hp
• 1900 CD 97 3.5 hp
• 1900 SE NK 77 3.5 hp
• 1900 Y 65 3.5 hp
• 1900 Y 66 3.5 hp
• 1900 ZZ 61 80 3.5 hp
• 1900 BF 27 4.5 hp
• 1900 BS 8285 4.5 hp
• 1900 BS 8522 4.5 hp
• 1900 LD 1381 4.5 hp
• 1900 SE NK 77 3.5 hp
• 1900 PP 7793 4.5 hp

• 1901 1901 3.5 hp
• 1901 AD 229 4.5 hp
• 1901 BS 8208 4.5 hp
• 1901 BS 8324 4.5 hp
• 1901 BS 8408 Forecar
• 1901 BS 8475 4.5 hp
• 1901 CF 63 4.5 hp
• 1901 M 11 4.5 hp
• 1901 DS 6784 7 hp
• 1901 MG 0705 4.5 hp
• 1901 MI 1 4.5 hp
• 1901 N 81 4.5 hp
• 1901 SW 0 4.5 hp
• 1901 VC 43 4.5 hp
• 1901 VF 24 4.5 hp
• 1901 Y 107 4.5 hp
• 1901 OG 5996 4.5 hp

• 1902 BF 19 8 hp.
• 1902 BM 4 8 hp.
• 1902 BS 8564 6 hp
• 1902 D 435 8 hp.
• 1902 DS 6736 8 hp.
• 1902 DS 6785 8 hp.
• 1902 F 135 8 hp
• c1902 P 5721 3.5 hp
• 1902 Y 132 4.5 hp
• 1902 A 6814 8 hp
• 1902 AA 825 8 hp
• 1902 BF 19 8 hp
• 1902 BM 4 8 hp
• 1902 CR 915 8 hp
• 1902 D 235 8 hp
• 1902 D 435 8 hp
• 1902 DS 6736 8 hp
• 1902 DS 6785 8 hp

• 1903 A 355 6 hp
• 1903 A 449 8 hp
• 1903 A 1277 6 hp
• 1903 A 1972 8 hp
• 1903 AA 20 6 hp
• 1903 AN 4307 6 hp
• 1903 BS 8250 6 hp
• 1903 BS 8277 8 hp.
• 1903 BS 8456 6 hp
• 1903 EL 166 8 hp.
• 1903 HD 0730 6 hp
• c1903 JK 6779 6 hp
• 1903 JPY 192 6 hp
• 1903 N 2163 6 hp
• 1903 O 812 8 hp
• 1903 R 20 6 hp
• 1903 SV 6191 6 hp
• 1903 W 92 6 hp
• 1903 03 C 20 6 hp
• 1903 17 EXN 6 hp
• 1903 4919 P 6 hp

• 1904 OS A 41 6 hp
• 1904 A 1762 8 hp
• 1904 A 1771 6 hp
• 1904 A 8790 6 hp
• 1904 BS 8415 8 hp
• 1904 BS 8426 8 hp
• 1904 BS 8405 6 hp
• 1904 BY 509 6 hp
• 1904 D 1612 8 hp.
• 1904 F 4105 6 hp
• 1904 F 9948 8 hp
• 1904 LE 7419 8 hp.
• 1904 M 317 6 hp
• 1904 N 1200 8 hp.
• 1904 R 7425 8 hp
• 1904 Y 554 6 hp
• 1904 175 AWX 51 8 hp
• 1904 744 EVF 77 6 hp
• 1904 8428 PE 10 hp
• 1904 8462 YL 27 6 hp
• 1904 6393 D 8 hp.

Early Registrations - Multi-cylinder

• 1901 DS 6770 24 hp. 4-cyl.

• 1903 BF 4679 12hp. 2-cyl.
• 1903 HP 2938 10 hp. 2-cyl.

• 1904 254 DMX 92 10 hp. 2-cyl.
• 1904 H 42 10 hp. 2-cyl.
• c1904 EF 16 10 hp, 2-cyl.

• 1908 SV 7259 6 hp

List of Models

• De Dion-Bouton: Motors

• De Dion-Bouton: Steam Cars

• De Dion-Bouton: 8 h.p.
• De Dion-Bouton: 9 h.p.
• De Dion-Bouton: 10 h.p.
• De Dion-Bouton: 12 h.p.
• De Dion-Bouton: 15 h.p.
• De Dion-Bouton: 24 h.p. 1914-1915
• De Dion-Bouton: 30 h.p. 1914-1915
• De Dion-Bouton: 50 h.p. -1915

See Also

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Sources of Information

• Wikipedia
• Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris