Petrol engine

1895 'Petrol Engine' by De Dion-Bouton – a pioneering photographic study of early automotive technology. Admire its symmetrical realism & metallic details.


jules philippe félix albert de dion wandonne de malfiance, georges thadée bouton (1856 - 1938)

Explore the pioneering work of Jules Dion & Georges Bouton, founders of De Dion-Bouton! Early automobile innovators & sports journalists, shaping French automotive history.

Musée des arts et métiers (Paris, France)

Explore French innovation at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris! Discover centuries of technology & design – from early machines to iconic inventions like the Statue of Liberty model & Foucault's Pendulum.

The Marquis de Dion and his mechanic, Georges Bouton, invented this single-cylinder, four-stroke (admission, compression, release and exhaust), 1.5-horsepower, 25-kilogram petrol engine in 1895. The exhaust valve was controlled, but petrol was admitted automatically by means of an valve that opened when the piston