Léon Bollée Automobiles
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Léon Bollée Automobiles was a French company founded by Léon Bollée in Le Mans to build a first vehicle called "Voiturette".
The Bollée family, all car makers, created three brands:
- steam vehicles, Amédée Bollée (father), built between 1873 and 1881.
- petrol (gasoline) cars, Amédée Bollée (son), built between 1896 and 1913.
- the automobiles of Léon Bollée, between 1885 and 1931.
The next vehicle appeared in 1899. It was a four-wheel car with independent suspension, whose engine attracted the attention in 1900 of Darracq, which used it in its own models.
In 1903, Léon Bollée Automobiles built two four-cylinder models: one of 28 HP and 4.6 litres, and another of 45 HP and eight litres. These cars were equipped in 1907 with a six-cylinder motor and in 1909 with a four-cylinder of 10/14 HP.
The series of 1910 included nine models of which two were of more than 10 litres.
Morris-Léon Bollée
-->In 1924, the Morris Motor Company, after failing to introduce its cars into France, made a second attempt by buying the factory at Le Mans to make cars with four-cylinder engines very similar to those of the Morris Cowley and Morris Oxford. The new company was called "Morris-Léon Bollée".
The company was reorganized by directors sent from the Morris factory in Cowley, and the production of Morris-Léon Bollée cars began at the end of 1925.
The first car had a Hotchkiss 12 HP, 2.5 litre engine. In 1928 an 18 HP model appeared equipped with a straight-eight, 3-litre engine.
In spite of difficulties in obtaining components, production reached 150 cars per week. However, the French market did not readily take to buying cars made by a foreign company and as sales did not meet expectations production stopped in 1928.
Morris was unable to make the French company profitable and finally, in 1931, Morris closed the company and sold the stock to a partnership which handled the sale of the last cars produced. Thus ended the history of the Léon Bollée car.
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