Le Dauphin

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For the title of the heir apparent to the throne of France, see Dauphin of France.

Le Dauphin was a French auto-maker established in central Paris by André L. Dauphin.[1] The company first presented a small two-seater cyclecar in the Spring of 1941; production ended in 1942.

The car was a two-seater open-topped cyclecar with the seats positioned one behind the other.[1] The body was built around a simple tube-based structure, probably inspired by recent developments in airplane construction; there was no separate chassis.[1] The vehicles were produced on a small production line at a small factory belonging to Kellner, a coachbuilder known, in happier times, for supplying bespoke bodies for chassis from France's luxury car makers. The Le Dauphin was envisaged in a petrol-engined or electric-engined versions, with the motor for the petrol version being a two-stroke unit of 100 cc or 175 cc supplied by Zurcher.[1] However, petrol for civilian use was rapidly becoming unobtainable, and a 2 hp 48-volt electric power unit was substituted.[1] The electric-powered cars were steered from the rear seat, whereas the petrol-engined ones were steered from the front seat.[1]

Sources and further reading

  • G.N. Georgano: Autos. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. Courtille, 1975 (French)
This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Bellu, René (2003). "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1940–46 (les années sans salon) (Paris: Histoire & collections). Nr. 26: 41. 
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