Previously an engineer with Berliet, Pierre Desgouttes built his first automobile in 1904 and at the beginning of 1906 went into partnership with wealthy industrialist Cyrille Cottin, founding Automobiles Cottin et Desgouttes.

Cottin-Desgouttes became admired both for its productivity and technical innovation, being among the first manufacturers to adopt monobloc engines, in-unit gearboxes and ‘Hotchkiss drive’ transmission.

Active participation in competitions and a number of notable successes helped enhance the newly formed company’s reputation still further.

After the Great War’s end, Cottin-Desgouttes returned to the manufacture of predominantly large luxury cars and in 1922 added an all-new medium size 12hp model to the range: the Type M.

A technological tour de force, the Type M featured a four-cylinder, overhead-valve engine incorporating a five-bearing, counterbalanced crankshaft; three valves per cylinder; dual coil/magneto ignition; and four-wheel brakes, a specification ...