Automobiles Leon Bollee

Automobiles Leon Bollee - Picture Gallery

1897 Leon Bollee Voiturette	1897 Leon Bollee Voiturette 1897 Leon Bollee Voiturette photo by Remarkable Cars taken at the National Automobile Museum, in Reno, Nevada. Model: 1897 Leon Bollee Voiturette Manufacturer: Automobiles Leon Bollee, Le Mans, France Original Price: $605 Motor: Air-cooled, 1-cylinder, 2-hp, 49.8-cid Bore and Stroke: 3.25" x 6" by Douglas

Automobiles Leon Bollee History

Leon Bollee was born in 1870 in Le Mans, France. His father was mechanically skilled and had built a steam-powered car in 1873. Leon began to construct his own automobile using an internal combustion engine instead of steam. The result was a tandem two-seater with a detachable front seat. Bollee´s one-cylinder, air-cooled, gasoline engine was located behind the driver and powered the single rear wheel. The front wheels were used for steering.

French patent records indicate Bollee registered the final specifications for his voiturette in 1895.

Bollee entered one of his three-wheeled voiturettes in the 1897 Paris-Dieppe race which covered a route of 106 miles. Other entries included Panhard et Levassor, Peugeot, Mors, Delahaye, and De Deion-Bouton. Bollee´s driver, Jamin, not only won the race, but at an average of 25.2 mph posted the fastest race speed in history up to that time.

Leon Bollee continued to improve his vehicles successfully until 1933 when production ceased.

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