Count Albert De Dion commissioned Messrs Bouton and Trépardoux, brothers-in-law and jobbing engineers, to build light steam carriages for him as early as 1882.

In 1895 attention was switched to the fashionable new internal combustion engine and De Dion Bouton et Cie were marketing a diminutive petrol engined tricycle.

These early tricycles were powered by Bouton’s new, high speed, single cylinder, vertical engine which revved at almost twice the speed of the contemporary Daimlers.

By 1899 the company was marketing a 3 1/2hp Voiturette, an all new generation of four wheel motor car with rear mounted engine driving through a system of gears to the rear wheels.

With the new car came the renowned De Dion rear axle – then years ahead of its time.

A larger 4 1/2hp engine was offered in the vis-à-vis models from 1900 and with this power unit the car had a comfortable running speed of 25mph although braking ability was a limiting factor.

For the 1902 season a new genre of front-engined c...