By 1904 De Dion Bouton was firmly established as France’s most prolific motor car manufacturer, their fast-revving engines having set new standards in engine design at the turn of the century.

Early rear-engined models, driving through a system of gears to the rear wheels and featuring the renowned De Dion rear axle, gave way to a new generation of front-engined cars for the 1902 season, again single cylinder models with atmospheric inlet valve and mechanical exhaust valve.

These engines were so successful that De Dion sold them to many other manufacturers and had they simply sold engines alone, the De Dion Bouton operation would still have been a very substantial enterprise.

De Dion’s sliding cone gearbox was virtually foolproof for the first time car driver, (making this an ideal car for the first time veteran motorist), the fast-revving engines were supremely reliable and De Dion back-up and service was second-to-none.

The number of surviving cars is testimony to their popularit...