The names of De Dion and Bouton are inextricably linked with the pioneering years of the motor car, initially in company with Trépardoux in the building of light steam carriages, the first of which appeared in 1883.

In the early 1890s De Dion and Bouton turned their attention to the internal combustion engine, much to the annoyance of Trépardoux who quit in 1894, leaving his erstwhile partners to develop what was, in effect, the first high-speed internal combustion engine.

By that time he had already introduced what would become famous as the 'De Dion' axle design in which power is transmitted to the road wheels via universally jointed shafts from a final-drive unit attached rigidly to the chassis, while a tubular 'dead' axle accommodates both vehicle weight and wheel location.

Engineer Bouton's power units, the first of which appeared in 1895, developed significantly greater output than their contemporaries from Daimler and Benz yet matched them for reliability.

Small wonder then ...