VETERAN CAR GUIDE
in 1903, when the company claimed to have made 1000 cars, and by 1904 the engine was quoted at 8.5hp. For 1904 and 1904, there was also a 15hp, twocylinder option available.
Daimler Gottlieb Daimler was at the forefront of the development of single cylinder petrol engines, and in conjunction with Wilhelm Maybach, the first experimental vehicle was tested in 1886. By 1889 a V-twin engine of 565cc had been installed in tubular steel frame with steel wheels which was exhibited at the 1889 Paris World’ s Fair. The Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft was formed in 1890 and over the next seven years the design of a vertical, twin cylinder engine evolved for use in rail cars and motorboats, assisted by Maybach’ s invention of the spray carburettor. The Daimler-designed engines were the basis for the engines produced by Panhard et Levassor and they were also used in the early Peugeot. During 1891, Richard Simms acquired a licence to sell Daimler engines in Great Britain, which led to Harry Lawson acquiring manufacturing rights in 1895. The first British-made Daimler was on the road at the end of 1897, although French-made engines were initially installed. Early machines with tiller steering and full elliptic springs were made in small numbers, as the company experienced a lack of investment and poor management. A new range appeared in 1902 with 8hp, twin cylinder vehicles, as well as 12, 16 and 22hp four-cylinder options. The company enjoyed royal patronage from Edward VII and underlined its desire for premium market in positioning in 1904 with the launch of a 5.7 litre 28 / 36hp model.
Darracq Alexandre Darracq( 1855 – 1931) became a prominent and successful bicycle manufacturer following his decision to create a partnership with Jean Aucoc to make Gladiator-branded cycles in 1891 at a factory in north-east Paris in Pré-Saint-Gervais. In 1896, a British consortium that included Ernest T. Hooley, M. D. Rucker, H. H. Lawson and Harvey du Cros purchased Darracq’ s company, which led to him building a new factory called the Perfecta works, in Suresnes, where he manufactured a wide range of cycle components as well as four-wheeled cars under licence from Léon Bollée. Following Paul Ribeyrolles’ s arrival at the company in 1900, a light car was produced with a 6.5hp, single cylinder engine, three-speed gearbox and shaft drive. Two- and four-cylinder cars were added to the range in 1903, and in 1904, and pressed steel frames were adopted. Darracq had a long involvement with motor racing, which established both a healthy profile and a very profitable business.
De Dietrich The De Turkheim family became involved in the Lorraine-based De Dietrich ironworks business in 1806, following which large factories were established in both French and German territory. Both the French and the German parts of the business initially made cars and commercial vehicles under licence from Amédée Bollée in 1897 with tube ignition and a complex transmission system involving primary belt drive and final drive by two sets of bevels. The French concern began production of the Turcat-Méry, with its two- and four-cylinder engine options, tubular radiators, flitch plate frames, and chain drive. The German business, at its Niederbronn factory, initially made a version of the single cylinder, belt-driven Belgian Vivinus under licence, before Ettore Bugatti arrived to design a four-cylinder, chain-driven car. There were two engine sizes: a 5305cc unit, variously called 20hp or 24hp, and a 7430cc, 24hp option. After Bugatti left the company in 1904, no further cars were made in Niederbronn.
1904 De Dion Bouton.
De Dion Bouton The partnership between the Comte de Dion, Georges Bouton and Charles Trépardoux was forged in the summer of 1882, leading to the production of a wide range of steam vehicles. Motor tricycles and quadricycles followed, and by 1900, ensconced in new premises on the banks of the Seine in Puteaux, De Dion Bouton was comfortably the largest producer of compact, lightweight, high-revving single cylinder engines, which it supplied to many other manufacturers. Rear-engined, two-seater voiturettes were launched in 1899, followed by front-engined vehicles in 1901 that were equipped with more powerful engines, as passenger capacity expanded, including two twin cylinder options from 1903. The use of expanding clutch gearboxes and Cardan shaft transmission was consistent across all models.
48 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run