Société Parisienne (''Maison Parisienne'') was a French manufacturer of

velocipedes A velocipede () is a human-powered transport#Human-powered vehicles (HPVs), human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle. The term was probably first coined by Karl von Drais in F ...

, bicycles and tricycles from 1876. They began limited automobile construction in 1894 and regular light car ( voiturette) construction in 1898Motorbase. Profile of 'La Societe Parisienne'
/ref> or 1899,
/ref> and they ceased operation in 1903. The vehicles, variously known as Parisienne, Victoria Combination, Eureka, l'Eclair, Duc-Spider and Duc-Tonneau, were manufactured by Société Parisienne E. Couturier et Cie of Paris. The first attempt at vehicle manufacture in 1894 was planned to be powered by an 'air compressor' but it did not work. The first successful motor vehicles were Benzes built under license by M. Laboure of La Maison Parisienne. In 1898 the company engineer, a M. Serex, designed a flat-twin car which ran in the

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million''Calèche'').

History

'La Société Parisienne de constructions Velo' was founded in 1876 by Victor Reynard, who was awarded the 'Diploma of honour' at the

Exposition Universelle (1878) The 1878 Universal Exposition (, ), also known as the 1878 Paris Exposition, 1878 World Fair, or 1878 World Expo, was a world's fair held in Paris, French Third Republic, France, from 1 May to 10 November 1878, to celebrate the recovery of Franc ...

. By 1891 it was run by Monsieur Couturier.Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ''L'Industrie Vélocipédique'', January 1891, Société Parisienne de Construction Vélocipédique
/ref>

Bicycles

'La Société Parisienne de constructions Velo' manufactured velocipedes, bicycles and tricycles at its works at 10 avenue de la Grande Armée, Paris, from 1876, and was described in '' L'Industrie Vélocipédique'' ''(Cycling Industry)'' of 1891 as 'the oldest velocipede manufacturer in France', by which time the workshop was regarded as a model for industrial organisation and practice. The bicycles were described as light, high-quality, 'precision machines', and the range included safety bicycles and a folding Military model.Tonton Velo, pour les velos anciens. ''L'Industrie vélocipédique'' January 1891. Société Parisienne de Construction Vélocipédique
/ref>

Motoring

'La Société Parisienne de constructions Velocipedes et Automobile' built motor vehicles at 10 avenue de la Grande Armée. The earliest record of Parisienne's ambition regarding motorised vehicles is the list of applicants for entry to the world's first motoring competition, the 1894 Paris–Rouen ''Competition for Horseless Carriages'' (''Concours du 'Petit Journal' Les Voitures sans Chevaux'') run by the Paris newspaper '' Le Petit Journal''. The application, listed as number 52, stated that the 'Société Parisienne de constructions Velo' of Paris would use a four-seater vehicle powered by an 'air compressor'—It did not show up at the event. Wikipedia Italia - 1894 Parigi-Rouen. At the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris race two Parisiennes (Parisienne-Benz) were entered by Guyonnet and Charles Labouré, and completed the 1,710 km course in 102 hours to record eleventh and twelfth places respectively. The cars were reportedly slightly modified Benz Viktorias, using a single-cylinder, 2.9-litre, 4.5 hp petrol engine.TeamDan Early results database - 1896, Paris-Marseilles-Paris Trail
/ref> Wiki Italy Motoring in 1896Driver Database, II Grand Prix de l'ACF 1896
/ref> At the

–

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) (possibly M. Couturier) was classified 23rd after completing the 240 kilometres in 12 hours 50 minutes. At the 1897 Paris–

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

race three Parisiennes were entered and completed the 178 km distance. The new two-seater vehicle of Serin was classified last in 33rd position in a time of 10 hours 7 minutes 30 seconds. The older four-seater Parisiennes of Guyonnet and Labouré completed the distance but were outside the time limit. At the 170 km Paris–Trouville event in August Monsieur Serin finished 32nd in 8 hours 36 minutes.TeamDan Early results database - 1897, Paris-Dieppe Trail
/ref> At the 1898 Marseille–Nice race Labouré finished 23rd in his Parisienne, covering the 226 km in 11 hours 12 minutes 47 seconds. It was second in the 200–400 kg class.
/ref> In 1899 a Parisienne Victoria Combination entered the voiturette class of the 371 km Paris– St Malo race, finishing 23rd overall and second(last) in the class.Unique Cars and Parts. Voiturette Racing - Before The Formula One
/ref> In October a Victoria Combination won its class in the Paris–Rambouillet–Paris event, covering the 100 kilometre course at 16 mph.Bonhams Auctioneers - Profile of La Société Parisienne - Victoria Combination
/ref> In 1900 it completed 150 miles, non-stop, at 18 mph.

Motor manufacture

The earliest cars built between 1896 and 1898 were reportedly initially based on Benz Viktorias, using a single cylinder, 2.9-litre, 4.5 hp petrol engine. From 1899 over 400 articulated front-wheel drive 'Victoria Combinations' (also known as the ''Eureka'') were manufactured at 10 Avenue de la Grande Armée. From 1900 to 1901 the ''Duc-Spider'' and ''Duc-Tonneau'' were more conventional models, with the engine mounted in the rigid chassis and driving the rear wheels via a propeller shaft. The 'Duc' (Duke) models used Aster engines of 5,000cc or 6,500cc.Bonhams Auctioneers, Profile description of Parisienne at Wikimedia Commons
/ref>Grace's Guide to Industrial History. Profile of La Societe Parisienne
/ref>

Victoria Combination

The company became known for a

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

voiturette called the ''Victoria Combination'', which was variously powered by 1.75 hp or 2.5 hp

De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer, which operated from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux. Ste ...

engine or a water-cooled 3.5 hp Aster engine. The engine was mounted on the front axle and so was rotated by the tiller steering. The name Victoria Combination described the lightweight, two-seater trailer commonly known as a Victoria, combined with the rear axle and drive mechanism from a motor tricycle that was placed in front to achieve front-wheel drive. It was also known as the ''Eureka'' and Société Parisienne patented the design of articulated front-drive unit and trailer. The specification of the Victoria developed over time, but the simple design belied the high quality of workmanship. The coachwork was built by a leading Parisian coach-builder Alfred Belvallette, the front axle units were built by Darracq. In June 1899 it was offered with a 2.5 hp De Dion Bouton engine fitted with 'Longuemare automatic carburettor, and a four-speed gearbox made by Guyenet et Balvay to the patent design of J Didier. When production ceased in mid-1901, over 400 copies had been sold for 3,000 Francs (circa $600) each.

Examples

Examples of the 'Victoria Combination' are currently displayed at the 'Tampa Bay Automobile Museum in Florida

'Musée Automobile de Vendée' :fr:Musée automobile de Vendée in

Talmont-Saint-Hilaire Talmont-Saint-Hilaire () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. The commune was formed by the merger of the former communes of Talmont and Saint-Hilaire-de-Talmont in 1974. Richard I of England ...

, France, and the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

References

Other sources

* Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader: ''Die große Automobil-Enzyklopädie''. BLV, München 1986, * David Burgess Wise, ''The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles''

External links and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parisienne Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Cycle manufacturers of France Car manufacturers of France Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Paris Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1876 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1903 1890s cars 1876 establishments in France