Description
1904 Lacoste et Battmann 8HP Rear Entrance Tonneau
Registration No. WC1502
Chassis No. 45
Engine No. 15692
VCC Dating Certificate No. 4340
The company was established in 1897 as J. Lacoste et Cie, Paris. Jacques
Lacoste built his first car in 1897 (a quadricycle with 4hp engine),
Battmann joined the company in 1901, and the name was changed to
Lacoste et Battmann, Paris.
In the Paris directory of industries from 1901
and 1902, Lacoste & Battmann is registered at 16 rue Chaptal in Levallois-
Perret and tagged as being a garage for the repair of automobiles.
Georgano, in his standard work, reported that the company changed its
name to Lacoste et Battmann Ltd., in 1905 when it became British owned,
but this seems unlikely, and it is believed that the British registration
relates to the opening of a local branch of the company.
Historical sources on the Lacoste & Battmann company are very limited,
and only one article has been written on the manufacturing output – that
of Michael Sedgwick in 1979.
Lacoste & Battmann was one of
those manufactures, rather like Dupressoir, that was solely dedicated to
the production of components, at least in the early period. It is evident
that complete rolling chassis were supplied with engines, transmissions,
and bonnets, for which local ‘manufacturers’ had coachwork fitted. The
finished vehicles, as a result, were known by the assemblers’ marque
rather than the name of the supplier of most of the parts. It is evident that
the Lacoste & Battmann enterprise was a flourishing business that at its
peak was supplying more than 60 other manufacturers in Europe.
Components for the single and twin cylinder vehicles were their mainstay,
and when market sentiment shifted to four-cylinder machinery, often
manufactured by increasingly larger concerns, the business declined.
It was not unusual for the purchasers of Lacoste & Battmann components
to make little more than 50 finished vehicles, which helps to explain their
relative rarity and obscurity. Names like ‘Speedwell’, ‘L’Etoile’, ‘Gamage’,
‘Bolide’, ‘L’Elegante’ and ‘Achilles’, as well as Barre’, ‘Lipscomb’, Mobile’,
‘Ilford’, ‘Innes’, ‘Canterbury’, and ‘Naig’ are all based on Lacoste &
Battmann components.
The early history of this example is relatively unknown, it was purchased by the current custodians around 3 years ago from a very private personal museum in Europe. The car was believed for many years to be a Bolide car, however upon application to the Veteran Car Club Of Great Britain, it was confirmed and dated as a Lacoste et Battmann motor car and awarded a 1904 year of manufacture.
With a power unit of 8HP from De Dion Bouton, cone clutch and 3 forward speeds, this 5 seat rear entrance tonneau is a large and imposing car for a single cylinder. The upholstery presents nicely as does the paintwork and the fitment of an electric starter makes this a very capable London to Brighton Car.
