Cottereau

French manufacturer of automobiles in Dijon 1891 to 1911

Cottereau et Cie was a early French manufacturer of automobiles and bicycles.

History

This firm, founded in Dijon, rue des Lantillères, in 1891, it made its reputation in France, with top-of-the-range automobiles.

The cyclist Louis Cottereau and his brother Henri Cottereau founded the bicycle production company in Dijon in 1891 and started building automobiles in 1898. In 1911 the company was renamed Constructions Industrielles Dijonaises and from then on, the vehicles were marketed as CID. The Cottereau, one of the oldest firms in the French car manufactory history, produced their first car in 1898 in Digione. The Model Populaire was fitted with a single-cylinder engine, 3-speed gearbox (the reverse gear was an optional!), rear brakes only and wooden wire wheels. It had a double transmission chain and a drop-feed lubrication which was adjusted by the manual oil batcher near the steering wheel.

Its first car, the Voiturine, was built in 1898, it was a small was a small four-seater car. It took this name to differentiate itself from the carts built by Léon Bollée. Built on a tubular frame, on which was mounted an air-cooled V-twin, it developed a power of up to 3 hp. The transmission was by chain and it had 3 speeds. Steering was by lever, as on all cars of that era. In 1900 a new air-cooled model with a power of 3.5 hp was proposed. But above all it was the first Cottereau to have a steering wheel. The car immediately received a favourable reception and was the precursor to other models with similar characteristics. with a V-twin. Shortly after, the firm tried its hand at competitive sports, but gave it up after a decade for focusing entirely on production. Its cars are distinguished by their round shape with a large radiator which becomes the brand's emblem. This had an air-cooled V-2 engine of 1272 cc displacement and 5 PS performance. This was followed by the models 3 ½ CV and the four-cylinder models 10 CV and 20 CV.

In 1903, the Popular was launched, a middle-class car that enjoyed great success This mid-range car, powered by a 1,040-cc single-cylinder, was capable of delivering 8 hp of peak power at 1,100 rpm. Its maximum speed was 45 km/h. Equipped with 3 speeds without reverse gear, its braking system acted on the rear wheels only.

The single-cylinder 5 CV model was added, and in 1904 a three-cylinder model with a displacement of 2500 cm³. In 1906 there were, among other things, the 8 CV, 12/14 CV and a six-cylinder racing car with a displacement of 18,300 cm³. The four-cylinder 22/26 CV came in 1908 with 4200 cm³ displacement, and in 1910 the 9 CV single cylinder model.

Cylinder number / capacity - 1/ 1040 cc
Power - 8 bhp at 1100 rpm
Max speed - about 45 kph
Type body - banquets Tulipe