Amédée Bollée
Amédée-Ernest Bollée | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Le Mans, France |
| Died | January 20, 1917 (aged 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, bellfounder |
| Known for | Pioneering steam cars and independent suspension |
Amédée-Ernest Bollée (born 11 January 1844, died 20 January 1917) was a French inventor and bellfounder who specialized in the creation of steam cars. He is recognized for pioneering one of the first versions of independent suspension. After 1867, he became known as "Amédée père" to differentiate him from his son, Amédée-Ernest-Marie Bollée (1867–1926).
Biography
As the eldest child of Ernest-Sylvain Bollée, a bellfounder and inventor who moved to Le Mans in 1842, Amédée-Ernest took on significant responsibilities when his father fell ill during the 1860s. The family business was divided among the three brothers: Amédée-Ernest managed the bell foundry; Ernest-Jules (1846–1922) handled the hydraulic ram operations; and Auguste-Sylvain Bollée (1847–1906) directed the Éolienne Bollée wind-turbine manufacturing.
L'Obéissante
In 1873, Amédée père introduced his inaugural steam-powered vehicle, L'Obéissante (meaning The Obedient), which completed the journey from Paris to Le Mans in 18 hours. Designed to accommodate twelve passengers, it maintained a cruising speed of and could reach a maximum velocity of . The vehicle was equipped with two V-twin steam engines, each driving one of the rear wheels. Notably, its front wheels utilized a sliding pillar suspension, representing the earliest implementation of independent front suspension.[1] The original model is currently housed at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris.[2]
La Mancelle
Amédée père developed La Mancelle in 1878, which is regarded as the first series-produced automobile, with a total of fifty units built. This vehicle incorporated several innovative features for its era, including rear-wheel drive powered through shaft and chain mechanisms and independent suspension applied to all four wheels. The original example is preserved at the Musée de l'Automobile de la Sarthe.
La Marie-Anne
After gaining orders from public exhibitions of both L'Obéissante and La Mancelle, Amédée père completed a road train in 1879 named La Marie-Anne. It delivered , was equipped with a three-speed gearbox, and had the capacity to haul on a 6% incline.
La Nouvelle
Evolving from the design of La Mancelle, Amédée père crafted multiple body variations such as limousine, coach, and omnibus models. The La Nouvelle, finalized in 1880, relocated the piston engine to the rear, thereby expanding the passenger compartment and boosting its marketability.
La Rapide
Constructed in 1881, La Rapide reached impressive speeds of . Its configuration placed the boiler, engine, and controls at the vehicle's front, allowing operation by a single driver—a deliberate advancement toward more accessible and manageable automobiles.
See also
External links
In French:
- Pages with script errors
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- 1844 births
- 1870s cars
- 1880s cars
- 1917 deaths
- 19th-century French inventors
- Carillon makers
- Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France
- Foundrymen
- People from Le Mans
- Steam road vehicles
- Cars introduced in 1873