In the 1800s, Jules-Albert De Dion and Georges Bouton formed a partnership to develop automobiles even though no such product or market existed at the time. De Dion-Bouton’s earliest vehicles were powered by steam engines, but by the early 1890s, both men agreed that internal combustion engines would power transportation. In 1895, DeDion-Bouton introduced the first mass produced, high-speed, lightweight engine. Their single cylinder engine weighed only 40 pounds but ran…
In the 1800s, Jules-Albert De Dion and Georges Bouton formed a partnership to develop automobiles even though no such product or market existed at the time. De Dion-Bouton’s earliest vehicles were powered by steam engines, but by the early 1890s, both men agreed that internal combustion engines would power transportation. In 1895, DeDion-Bouton introduced the first mass produced, high-speed, lightweight engine. Their single cylinder engine weighed only 40 pounds but ran at previously unimaginable speed of 2,000 rotations per minute (rpm). Not only did they install these engines in their own cars and motorcycles, but they licensed the design to manufacturers around the world. By 1902, they estimated that 30,000 engines were in service.