Ruby was a French manufacturer of

cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. A key c ...

s. After automobile production ended they remained in business as an engine builder.

Company history

The company which built the Ruby cars and engines was called H. Godefroy et Lévêque and was located in

Levallois-Perret Levallois-Perret () is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department and Île-de-France region of north-central France. It lies some from the centre of Paris in the north-western suburbs of the French capital. It is the most densely populated ...

, in northwestern

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In 1909 they began building automobiles under their own names, the production of which ended by 1922. After the building of automobiles came to an end the company proceeded to develop and sell proprietary engines to a large number of small light car manufacturers. Some of the earlier cyclecars were marketed under the "Super" brand until 1919 or thereabouts. Godefroy + Levegue Super B2 vr TCE

Automobiles

Until 1914 Godefroy et Lévêque offered three single-cylinder cars and three two-cylinder versions, from '' 6CV'' to ''12CV''. They were also sold in England (until 1912) as the "Elburn-Ruby" and until 1914 as the "Tweenie". In 1919 an

inline-four engine A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

d version appeared.

Engines

Ruby engines were installed in a large number of different brands of light cars and cyclecars, including but not limited to: B.N.C.,

Coadou et Fleury The Coadou et Fleury was a French automobile manufactured only in 1921. Made in Paris, it was a small cyclecar featuring a monocoque body and a sidevalve engine; this last was built by Ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gem ...

, D’Yrsan, E.H.P.,

Georges Irat The Georges Irat was a French automobile manufactured by engine builder Georges Irat from 1921 to 1953. Between two World Wars The company's first product was an ohv 1990cc four-cylinder car designed by Maurice Gaultier who had been with Delage ...

Hinstin The Hinstin was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 until 1926. Built both by a M. Hinstin in the Paquis works at Mézières and by Guilick in Maubeuge, they were light cyclecars with 1099 cc CIME and 1094 cc Ruby engine An engine ...

JG Sport The JG Sport was a French automobile manufactured from 1922 until 1923. A cyclecar built by one M. Janvier, it had a 970 cc Ruby engine and chain drive. External Links

* David Burgess Wise, ''The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobile ...

, Jousset, Kevah,

Lambert Lambert may refer to People *Lambert (name), a given name and surname * Lambert, Bishop of Ostia (c. 1036–1130), became Pope Honorius II *Lambert, Margrave of Tuscany ( fl. 929–931), also count and duke of Lucca *Lambert (pianist), stage-name ...

, Le Cabri, ,

Rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sports ...

, Sandford, and

Sénéchal Senechal or Sénéchal may refer to: People * Florian Sénéchal, French racing cyclist * Marjorie Senechal (née Wikler), American mathematician and historian of science * Michel Sénéchal, French tenor * Robert Sénéchal, French industrialist/m ...

. Production of Ruby engines did not recommence after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Ruby's first success was the "type A" 903 cc

sidevalve A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

"four", with a 55 mm bore and 95 mm stroke; this engine won a number of class victories in the very early 1920s. There was also the "AS" block, with a 57 mm bore for a 972 cc displacement. Ruby's first "1100" was the "OC Grand Sport" with 1094 cc (59 x 100 mm, the same dimensions as the Chapuis-Dornier "1100" engine of the same period). In early 1926 the "DS Grand Sport" appeared; of 60 x 97 mm bore and stroke it is a 1097 cc engine which produces between . The Ruby K was a later,

overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...

performance version; with 62 x 90 mm bore and stroke it has a displacement of 1087 cc. Many of Ruby's other engines were also available with superchargers fitted, from René Cozette or other manufacturers.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Car manufacturers of France Cyclecars Cars introduced in 1909 Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Motor vehicle engine manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1909 1909 establishments in France 1910s cars Brass Era vehicles Engine manufacturers of France