Decauville automobile
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Founder | Paul Decauville |
| Fate | Automobile factory closed in 1911; company continued locomotive production |
| Headquarters | Petit-Bourg near Corbeil , France |
| Products | Automobiles, trucks, buses |
Voitures automobiles Decauville was a French car manufacturer operating as a branch of Société Decauville, a company primarily recognized for its locomotive production, situated in Petit-Bourg near Corbeil.
Established by Paul Decauville, the firm was officially registered in 1897 under the name Société des Voitures Automobiles Decauville and commenced automobile manufacturing in 1898. The initial vehicle, created by Joseph Guédon and Gustave Cornilleau—who later became chief engineer—was a tiller-controlled three-seat voiturette dubbed the voiturelle. It incorporated independent suspension using transverse springs and housed two air-cooled single-cylinder engines from De Dion-Bouton sharing a common crankcase. The engine delivered approximately , positioned beneath the seat, powering the rear axle through an unlubricated two-speed gearbox. The front suspension utilized sliding-pillar design, while the rear lacked suspension.
Decauville was active in early motor competitions, achieving victories in the voiturette category at the 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris Trail and the 1899 Tour de France Automobile, with drivers Gabriel and Léon Théry behind the wheel. Further class triumphs were recorded in the 1900 Bordeaux-Biarritz and Paris-Rouen-Paris events, as well as winning the Daily Mail prize during the 1900 English Thousand Miles Trial.
The initial model experienced strong sales, with 107 units sold by 1898 and reaching 350 by 1904. From 1899 onward, it was distributed in England by R. Moffat Ford and manufactured under license by Automobilwerk Eisenach (marketed as Wartburg) in Germany, along with Italian production by Orio and Marchand.
In 1900, Decauville launched a water-cooled variant followed shortly by a twin-cylinder version featuring a unique horseshoe-shaped radiator and bullet-style bonnet. By 1901, a 3-liter four-cylinder engine was introduced, constructed from two tandem-mounted twins.
The voiturelle model was discontinued in 1902, replaced by a sidevalve twin-cylinder engine producing , with the engine, gearbox, and clutch cast as a single unit. Notably, Henry Royce acquired one of these vehicles, which influenced his design approach for the inaugural Rolls-Royce.
Starting in 1905, Decauville broadened its range to include larger four-cylinder engines spanning from 2.7 to 9.2 liters, alongside manufacturing trucks and buses. By 1906, five different four-cylinder models were available: 12/16 (actually delivering ), 16/20, 24/28, , and (featuring chain drive and priced at £1020 ready for use).
Due to diminishing market demand, the company discontinued the 12/16 and 16/20 models in 1907. Continued decline in sales ultimately led to the closure of Decauville’s automobile factory in 1911; however, Société Decauville persisted with locomotive production.
Production models
- Decauville 16/20 CV
- Decauville 24/28 CV
Surviving cars
- An 1898 Decauville Voiturelle is exhibited at the Musée Automobile de Vendée located in Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, France.
- The Musée Henri Malartre in Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, France displays a 1899 Decauville Voiturelle Vis-à-Vis.
- A 1900 Decauville was once part of the Aalholm Automobile Museum collection in Nysted, Denmark (museum closed in 2008).
- The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire, UK owns a Decauville 10 HP Tonneau that regularly participated in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run until 2010.
- Another circa-1899 Belgian Decauville Voiturelle also took part in the London-Brighton Run of 2010.