Cottin & Desgouttes was a French automobile manufacturer in the early the 20th century.
43-510: In 1904, Pierre Desgoutte started manufacturing automobiles under the name “Desgouttes & Cie”, in Lyon , France. The first model was the type A, powered by a 9.5-liter, 45 hp, six-cylinder engine. Only two cars of this type were built. In December 1905, a chassis with a four-cylinder, 24/40 hp engine was presented at the Salon de Paris . It exhibited many innovative features and enjoyed
86-545: 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 Trépardoux et Cie 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
129-462: A "steam drag"). That larger vehicle introduced the so-called De Dion or "dead" axle. An axle beam carried the weight of the vehicle with the non-weight-bearing driveshafts or drive chains articulated separately alongside it. On 22 July 1894, during the Paris–Rouen race , it averaged 18.7 km/h (11.6 mph) over the 126 km (78 mi) route, but was disqualified because it needed both
172-443: A 14.7 liter for the U.S., as well as by a 3,534 cc (215.7 cu in) Type CN in 1912. (They trailed Ader in racing the 1906 Adams , which used an Antoinette aircraft engine.) This would be the company's last innovation. 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
215-575: A barricade, walked into the GPO and said: "I've helped to wind the clock, I've come to hear it strike." He was killed in a charge against a machine gun nest in Moore Street days later. A famous photograph shows the skeleton of the car in its barricade. 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,
258-457: A driver and a stoker. Two more cars were made in 1885, followed by a series of lightweight two-cylinder tricars which, from 1892, had Michelin pneumatic tyres . In 1893, steam tractors were introduced which were designed to tow horse-drawn carriages for passengers or freight (sometimes called "steam drags") which used an innovative axle design that became known as the De Dion tube , where
301-403: A huge success. At the beginning of 1906, Pierre Desgoutte was joined by a wealthy industrial partner, Cyrille Cottin . They decided to call the new company “Automobiles Cottin & Desgouttes”, Pierre Desgoutte acting as Technical Director, whereas Cyrille Cottin would manage Sales. The company progressively specialized in luxury and sports models. Between 1906 and 1914, most of the production
344-648: A number of car races. As early as May 1906, a Cottin & Desgouttes car driven by engineer Auguste Fraignac won the Limonest race in its category. Encouraged by this excellent result, the company decided to participate in more and more important races, from the Press Cup in 1907 (where their car achieved the best gas mileage) to the Grand Prix de France in 1911, in Le Mans , where the specially built model set
387-503: A transmission brake. In 1902, the Model O introduced three speeds, which was standard for all De Dion-Boutons in 1904. 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 2.5 horsepower (1.9 kW) unit directly on the front axle of their front-wheel-drive voiturette the 'Viktoria Combination'. The De Dion-Bouton engine
430-438: 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 50 mm (2.0 in) and stroke of 70 mm (2.8 in) gave the engine an output of 1 kW (1.3 hp). It
473-457: Is in road-worthy condition, and has been a regular entry in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run . Following that singular success, the company offered steam tricycles, with boilers between the front wheels and two-cylinder engines. They were built in small numbers, and were evidently a favorite of young playboys. They were later joined by a larger tractor, able to pull trailers (sometimes called
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#1732780699335516-723: The French Army , consisting of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 field gun mounted on a V8-powered De Dion-Bouton truck. In Dublin , during the Easter Rising of 1916, which began the Irish War of Independence , The O'Rahilly drove his De Dion Bouton up to the Irish HQ in O'Connell Street and, discovering that the Rising he had planned and trained soldiers for, and then tried to prevent, was actually happening, he drove it into
559-516: The Type LA , with a 1,982 cc (120.9 cu in) four-cylinder overhead valve , aluminium-piston engine, and the Type LB , with a 2,496 cc (152.3 cu in) straight-8 . The latter was very expensive and sales were few, despite an increase in engine size growth to 3 litres (180 cu in) in 1930. A rumored takeover by Peugeot or Mercedes did not materialize, leading to
602-632: The arrondissement of Roanne in the Loire , son of Jean Desgoutte and Marie-Philiberte Plasse. He started working in the automobile area in 1896, first as a designer with Audibert & Lavirotte , where he designed a number of models, then as an engineer with Berliet . In 1897, he married a young girl from the Savoie region, Joséphine Curial, with whom he had two sons, Georges (1898) and Gabriel (1900). In 1904, he launched Desgouttes et Cie, which later became Automobiles Cottin et Desgouttes. (A final "s"
645-671: The Paris Salon, Gaston Doumergue , President of the French Republic congratulated the Lyon car manufacturer for its historic invention, which would promote the French Automobile Industry. Cottin reportedly replied that the government had contributed to this invention - by the very bad quality of the roads. The Sans-Secousse was also very successful outside France. In 1930, the first Saharan Tourist Car Rally
688-429: The brainchild of one M. Fossier of cycling magazine Le Vélocipède . Evidently, the promotion was insufficient, because De Dion was the sole entrant. It completed the course, with de Dion at the tiller, and was clocked at 60 km/h (37 mph). That figure must be viewed with considerable care, because the first official land speed record , set in 1898, was 63.15 km/h (39.24 mph). The vehicle survives,
731-479: The company had built a ten-cylinder two-row rotary engine . After Trépardoux resigned in 1894, the company became De Dion, Bouton et Compagnie . For 1895, Bouton created a new 137 cc (8.4 cu in) one-cylinder engine with trembler coil ignition . Proving troublesome at its designed speed of 900 rpm (throwing bearings and running rough), when Bouton increased the revs, the problems vanished. In trials, it achieved an unprecedented 3500 rpm, and
774-406: The company launched the “Sans Secousse”, with Houdaille-type paddle-based shock absorbers and separate springs for the 4 wheels. At the front, the suspension was handled by leaf springs with 2 vertical guide bars supporting the hydraulic shock absorbers; in the rear, it was handled by oscillating semi-trees with double universal joints and 2 overlapping leaf springs. When the car was presented at
817-530: The end of passenger car production in 1932. Small numbers of commercial vehicles were made until 1950, and the last vehicles to carry the De Dion badge were license-made Land Rovers in the early 1950s. The company name was bought by a motorcycle maker in 1955. De Dion-Bouton built railcars and railcar trailers used on many of the metre gauge railways in France and abroad. The first railcars were produced in
860-411: The engine enlarged to 1¼ CV ( horsepower ) (932 W) 185 cc (11.3 cu in), with 1¾ CV (1.3 kW) in 1897. By the time production of the petite voiture tricar stopped in 1901, it had 2¾ CV (2 kW), while racers had as much as 8 CV (6 kW). In 1898, Louis Renault had a De Dion-Bouton modified with fixed drive shaft and ring and pinion gear, making "perhaps
903-431: 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
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#1732780699335946-444: The first hot rod in history". 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) 402 cc (24.5 cu in) 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:
989-472: The front in 1903 in the Populaire, which had a 700 or 942 cc (42.7 or 57.5 cu in) engine, the latter being powerful enough to allow trucks to be added to cars, and by the end of the year, a reverse gear had also appeared. It was joined by the 6 CV (4 kW) 864 cc (52.5 in ) Types N and Q (the latter a low-priced K), the 8 CV (6 kW) R, and their first multi-cylinder model,
1032-463: The hands of Cormier and Collignon, ran in the 1907 Peking to Paris rally, without success. Bouvier St. Chaffray did no better in the New York to Paris in 1908. That year, De Dion-Bouton peaked as a manufacturer. The company became the first to make a successful mass-produced V8 engine , a 35 CV (26 kW) 6,107 cc (372.7 cu in) CJ in 1910, followed by a 7.8 liter and
1075-548: The lap record before having to abandon due to steering problems. Cyrille Cottin, a great sportsman himself, drove at a number of races, rallies or other sports events. At the beginning of World War I , the company produced a series of fast Utility Vehicles and delivered several large 36 hp “Torpedoes” to the French Army General Staff. The reliability of the trucks used by the Army was legendary. During
1118-426: The location and drive function of the axle are separated. The company manufactured steam buses and trucks until 1904. Trépardoux, a staunch supporter of steam, resigned in 1894 as the company turned to internal combustion vehicles. However, the steam car remained in production more or less unchanged for ten years more. By 1889, de Dion was becoming convinced the future lay in the internal combustion engine, and
1161-479: The opening race sequence of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, driven by its then owner, John 'Jumbo' Goddard. Pierre Desgoutte Pierre-Marie-Joseph Desgoutte (February 26, 1874 – December 10, 1955), whose name is sometimes spelled Desgouttes , was a French industrialist, founder of the Automobiles Cottin et Desgouttes company. Pierre Desgoutte was born at Saint-Hilaire-sous-Charlieu , in
1204-530: The painter Jules Chéret . Up to his death in Nice in 1955, he continuously demonstrated interest in automobile issues, and he issued patents concerning road and rail transportation shortly before he died. This French business–related biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer, which operated from 1883 to 1953. The company
1247-427: The time, since the usual rule was one car per year per employee. Well known for the very high quality of their production, Cottin & Desgouttes was also famous for the interest they demonstrated in “ high-tech ” solutions: they were among the first to use a single-block engine, direct drive transmission and universal joint-based transmission. The fame of Cottin & Desgouttes was also due to their participation in
1290-435: The two-cylinder 1728 cc (105 in ) 12 CV (8 kW) S, followed in 1904 by the four-cylinder 2,545 cc (155.3 cu in) 15 CV (11 kW) Type AD and 24 CV (18 kW) AI. The cars were also becoming more and more conventional in styling , with the radiator moving in front of the engine and the clutch changing from a hand lever to a pedal. A pair of works 10 CV (7.5 kW) De Dion-Boutons, in
1333-458: The type M, and aimed at racing. One such car won the Grand Prix du Tourisme de l' Automobile Club de France , which resulted in the launch of the “Grand Prix” model. Around this time, Cottin & Desgouttes started its first research on aerodynamic profiling; the results of this work were used in the 1925 models, most notably for the 4-seat “boat-torpedo” with its streamlined rear. In 1925,
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1376-512: The war, Cottin & Desgouttes also built special engines for tractors. In 1915 the Cottin & Desgouttes factory manufactured aircraft motors for Gnome et Rhône . At the end of the War, Cottin & Desgoutte had well equipped production facilities, and their financial situation was good enough to start again producing luxury cars. Their staff, accustomed to high quality standards, easily moved from
1419-430: The war-time production back to tourist cars. The manufacturing of trucks was continued. In addition to the powerful models built immediately after the war, the company launched a smaller, all new and lower priced car in 1922, the type M. Shortly after this car was presented, Pierre Desgoutte quit the company. Paul Joseph, selected by Cottin to replace him, was charged with building a more powerful and faster car, based on
1462-416: Was added to the name Desgoutte for marketing reasons.) He personally designed three models: the 12, 16 and 40 hp. The company was very successful. However, in 1923, Pierre Desgoutte retired from Cottin & Desgouttes, married Elisabeth Wilhelmine Caroline Nobile de Zenetti, of Austrian origin, last descendant of an old Venetian family, and settled in Nice , where he bought a villa that had belonged to
1505-407: Was devoted to four-cylinder models. En 1907, the company produced a 2.5 liter, 12 hp model that was so well accepted by the public that it was produced without any major changes for more than four years. Over the next years, growth was regular and the factories thrived. In 1913, Cottin & Desgouttes could be proud of producing close to 450 cars with a total staff of 300, which was very high at
1548-631: 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
1591-570: 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. In 1900, De Dion-Bouton was the largest automobile manufacturer in the world, producing 400 cars and 3,200 engines. The company soon began producing engines and licenses for other automobile companies, with an estimate of 150 makes using them. Production
1634-542: 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. The Marquis de Dion entered one of them in an 1887 trial, "Europe's first motoring competition",
1677-470: Was so great, that it proved impossible to test every engine. If one failed on the bench, it was simply disassembled. Every engine was being made by hand because the assembly line had not yet been introduced. By 1904, some 40,000 engines had been supplied across Europe. That year, De Dion-Bouton's factory at Quai National (now Quai de Dion-Bouton), Puteaux , employed 1,300 people and produced more than 2,000 cars, all hand-made. The engine moved to
1720-610: Was used on many pioneering motor bicycles, and was widely copied by makers including US Brands Indian and Harley-Davidson. In 1900, 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 3.5 horsepower (2.6 kW) American-made engines. The venture
1763-411: Was usually run at 2,000 rpm, a limit imposed by its atmospheric valves and surface carburettor . Inlet and exhaust valves were overhead, and a flywheel was fitted to each end of the crankshaft. This engine was fitted behind the rear axle of a tricycle frame bought from Decauville , fitted with the new Michelin pneumatic tires . It showed superb performance, and went on the market in 1896 with
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1806-409: Was won by four “Sans Secousse” cars that demonstrated a high level of durability. These cars were 14 hp sport roadsters, with no wings or other useless accessories, yielding a high weight to power ratio, separate springs in front and four leaf springs at the rear, with a de Dion -type bridge; they could drive very fast even on low quality dirt roads. In spite of all these achievements, the company
1849-399: Was yet another victim of the 1930s crisis. A “Sans Secousse” cost twice the price of a six-cylinder Citroën . The last car built by Cottin & Desgouttes was much more conventional, powered by a lateral 3.8-liter, six-cylinder engine. Production stopped in 1931. In 1933, the last Cottin & Desgouttes, assembled with stock parts, were sold. In 1968, the 1911 Grand Prix car was used in
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