De Dion-Bouton Model D

The De Dion-Bouton Model D was a vis-a-vis voiturette introduced in 1900, when the French firm added a four-wheeled light car to the motor tricycle that had made its name. A single-cylinder engine of 402 cc and 3.75 CV, about 2.8 kilowatts, sat under the seat and drove the rear wheels through a two-speed gearbox. The layout was unusual, since the passenger faced the driver, who sat in the rear seat. Its great advantage was that the expanding clutches of the gearbox were worked by a lever on the steering column. The design was developed through the Models E, G, I and J, which reached 6 CV, about 4.5 kilowatts, by 1902, the year the 8 CV Model K appeared.