Vintage Photograp
Laurent Escoffier writes that he has reasons to believe that the automobile seen on this picture – taken in the Ain in August 1908 – is a Cottin & Desgouttes. Indeed, it appears to be a double phaeton on a Cottin & Desgouttes 18HP chassis.
Tool Token
Thanks to Daniel Loreille for this picture of a Cottin & Desgouttes tool token found by his father during his apprenticeship at the Ecole La Mache.
Old Documents
Many thanks to Arnaud de Peufeilhoux for these very interesting documents: order and receipts for a Cottin & Desgouttes 18/22 HP with a double phaeton body that was purchased by his great-great-grandfather in 1907. The car can be seen in the picture taken in front of their house in 1911.
Vintage Photos
Many thanks to Jean Luc Aeschbach for these very interesting pictures! The first is a vintage advertisement (app. 1924). The following pictures show his great-grandfather Otto Asechbach who was an employee of Cottin & Desgouttes between app. 1904 and 1923, before working for Berliet. He can be seen on the left of the group photo, and, according to his daughter (who died in 2012), he is the passenger of the automobile on the last picture, as it was being delivered to the United States.
Many thanks you to Bernard Fournol, correspondent of the magazine La Vie de l’Auto as well as amateur of old cars, who sent us these two pictures. He wrote:
In the family archives, I found many pictures of vehicles, including these two shots of a special car, a “Sans Secousse”. The car must have belonged to friends of my great-grandfather, Ernest Riffaud, an Arts et Métiers Engineer. The pictures were taken in Marmande, in the Lot & Garonne, on October 11, 1927. I see my great-grandfather (beard and mustache) on the two pictures, his wife on one, and my grandmother (sitting on the running board) on the other shot. I do not know who the other people are. From what I found, the registration 8xxx -X4 was issued in Paris between March 21st and April 5th, 1927.
Radiator Cap
A few pictures of a Cottin & Desgouttes radiator cap, found years ago near the Castle of Domartin.
La belle voiture : Cottin et Desgouttes
The April 2017 issue of The Automobile includes an article entitled La Belle Voiture: Cottin et Desgouttes in which Michael Worthington-Williams tells the story of the marque. Five pages and quite a few pictures.
Article in a Slovakian magazine
An article in Slovak about Cottin & Desgouttes is included in the July 2016 issue of the Veterán SK magazine. The article includes a one-page interview of Louis Sauter, Pierre Desgoutte’s great-grandson.
Cottin & Desgouttes Car Badge
This Cottin & Desgouttes collectable was for sale. It now belongs to Pierre Desgouttes’ great-grandson who lives in the United States.
A Restaurant in the Cottin & Desgouttes Factory
A Cottin-Desgouttes Pedal Car
Many thanks to Christian Dubouis who hails from the Desgouttes family, and who sent us these pictures of a Cottin & Desgouttes pedal car that was exhibited at the Epoqu’auto show in Lyon in November 2009. It appears that this little car was built by workers of the Joseph Besset bus manufacturer in Annonay, France. It now is part of Jean Pascal’s collection and has its own page on his Pedal Car web site.
A few Pictures
Thanks to Gérard Veillon who sent us these pictures of the first Cottin & Desgouttes bought by his father in 1924 or 1925. The first two pictures were taken by a professional photographer, the third on a trip. His faterh later replaced this car with a Sans-Secousses, but there are no pictures. In 1937 he purchased a Peugeot 402.
Postcards
Emmanuel Chauvin sent us this postcard. It could be a 1910 Cottin & Desgouttes, but it is difficult to be sure. It is a pretty picture, so let’s share it anyway.
A Cottin & Desgouttes Engine
A visitor was searching for information on this Cottin & Desgouttes engine.
Ecole La Mache
Roger Dubois sent us the following message :
As grandson of Cyrille Cottin, I was invited on March 6th, 2009 to the inauguration at the Ecole La Mache of a new high technology workshop and of two new classrooms named respectively Cottin and Desgouttes.
In 1920 the abbot La Mache founded a school to train apprentices from less privileged backgrounds. The school was funded by donations stubbornly sought for by the abbot. When Cottin & Desgouttes closed down, La Mache bought their land and workshops to develop the school. Some time later, the school sold its land and built modern buildings better suited to its development.
Today there are about 1000 students who obtain diplomas from BTS to licence. When they graduate they are sure to find a job as each has on the average 10 employment offers.
Roger took some pictures of these new classrooms:
Antoine-Gérard Dumortier’s Souvenirs
Antoine-Gérard Dumortier remembers Cottin & Desgouttes automobiles from the time of their production. He shares his memories (available in French only).
Message received on 12 May 2011
J’ai 91 ans et je me souviens très bien de la Cottin de mes parents. Trois Cottins avaient été commandées vers 1924, destinées à Antoine Dumortier mon père, Joseph Dumortier son frère et Gustave Bourgois son beau frère, tous de Tourcoing.
Cette Cottin avait été transformée de décapotable en conduite intérieure en 1930, et j’avais 20 ans quand je l’ai emmenée en évacuation en mai 1940.
Je revois parfaitement ses 4 pédales et son levier de changement de vitesse à droite (conduite à droite) son volant, et les mises en route, en hiver, nécessitant plein d’eau chaude et 2 personnes : mon père au bouton de démarrage et moi à la manivelle
Hélas, pendant la guerre elle a été vendue pour ferraille, elle avait plus de 40.000 Km
Je possède quelques photos en torpédo et en conduite intérieure.
Je viens de retrouver la trace de ce constructeur sur le Net.
(…)
Au plaisir de vous lire et cordialement
Antoine-Gérard Dumortier
Message received on 14 May 2011
Les souvenirs de mon enfance me remontent à l’esprit. Il est curieux de voir l’empreinte de la première auto de Papa. J’avais 3 ou 4 ans…..
(…)
Je me suis lancé dans une recherche de photos anciennes. Hélas, un incendie en 1941 en a détruit une partie, mais, je vais demander à l’un de mes fils de reproduire des photos sur plaques stéréo de la Cottin recarrossée en 1926/27 et non 1930 comme dit précédemment, période suivant la crise de 1929, et au cours de laquelle les dépenses superflues étaient bannies…. Nous connaissons aujourd’hui l’état d’esprit….
D’après les photos relevées sur le Net, la torpédo Cottin devait être du type 1924 Goeff Fullan, avec toutefois les phares à acétylène, et un 2ème pare-brise au niveau des strapontins, place que je partageais avec ma jeune sœur, tandis que mes 3 sœurs ainées occupaient la banquette arrière.
Une anecdote en passant, lors d’une crevaison, ma jeune sœur s’était écriée, très irrespectueusement :
“crotin, tu m’dégoutes….!” pas de quoi descendre en flamme une si noble marque.
Autre souvenir, mon père, toujours très pratique, avait chauffé au bain marie le biberon de sa petite fille en dévissant le bouchon de radiateur….lors d’un pique nique.
La torpédo n’avait que peu recours à l’électricité, et essuie glace ou exhausteur d’essence du réservoir d’essence (plus de 100 litres) se faisait par dépression quand on lâchait l’accélérateur. Inutile de dire que une route de nuit par pluie violente posait de sérieux problèmes.
Quant aux performances, mon père accélérait à fond dans les descentes (jusqu’à 65 km/h) pour s’effondrer dans la côte suivante après avoir dû jongler avec le double débrayage pour rétrograder jusqu’en 1ère !!!! il fallait être expert.
Je suis à ce jour très centré sur la généalogie et viens vous demander la descendance de votre arrière grand père, (…) Je suis moi même 15 fois arrière grand père…. les familles nombreuses du Nord.
J’en reste là.
Bien cordialement,
Antoine-Gérard
Message received on 17 August 2011
Cher Monsieur, un de mes gendres vient de me communiquer un tirage de “la Cottin” prise près de Craonne vers 1926 lors d’un voyage vers les sites militaires qu’avait connus mon père lors de la grande guerre. Comme annoncé je vous la communique (…) Avec mon meilleur souvenir, A.D.
An amateur artist inspired by Cottin & Desgouttes
Hamid Souary aime peindre des avions, des motos, des voitures de collection… Inspiré par les images du site, il a réalisé ce magnifique tableau Cottin & Desgouttes (acrylique sur bois).
Cufflinks
A grand niece of Pierre Desgoutte sent us this picture of Cottin & Desgouttes cufflinks.
G. Dessornes
G. Dessornes from California writes: Cottin-Desgouttes motors were used on Breguet 150 cm DCA projectors, including a four cylinder 50-80 CV with a speed regulator attached to the camshaft. The engine – dynamo bloc was mounted on a 4 cylinder two twin-block Berliet engine developing 21 CV (tax hp) and 26 cv (brake hp). The dynamo output was 110 v at 200 A.
These pages of the MANUEL DU GRADÉ DE D.C.A. (1940) give some details on these projectors (in French only)
Didier Riu
Didier Riu sent us this picture of a Cottin Desgoutte. It was taken in 1913 in the area of Oran. The car belonged to his great-grandparents Louis Lucien COUETTE and Adèle Aimée JOLIMOY.”
Engine looking for chassis!
CH Valkan recently sent us an email. He owns a Cottin Desgouttes 4 cyl 100×160 engine and a radiator. He believes a Cottin Desgouttes chain chassis was sold in the Netherlands some 10 years ago. He has pictures of this chassis. There is no engine.
M. Valkan would like to get in touch with the current owner of the chassis. If you can help, send him an email.
Insignia
Jean-Philippe Haas writes: “I am a collector of automobile and motorcycle insignia, brooches and pins. My collection includes over 5000 pieces.
Ellen Stoddart
Ellen Stoddart writes from Australia: “I have recently been researching some of my family history, and am trying to establish which was the first car bought by my Grandfather (William T. Allen, of “Boorook”, Woorndoo, Victoria, Australia). One uncle said the first car was bought in 1914. Certainly, there were several Cottin-Desgouttes owned by my grandfather, who used to replace his cars every year or two (all the aunts & uncles refer to Cottin “degoos”) . One of my uncles took over a 1926 Cottin Desgouttes from my grandfather, around 1928, when Grandfather got a ‘sedan’ car for the family (with hard top).
I have discovered an old photograph of a car outside the old homestead, in the Western District of Victoria, that could have been taken around 1914. I attach the picture file. However, there were 7 children in the family, born between 1908 and 1920, and it is hard to identify which children are in the photo. Assuming the three children are my mother (1910), my aunt (1908), and my uncle (Dec 1911), this could be the 1914 car.
I was wondering if you are able to identify if this car IS one of his Cottin Desgouttes, and if so, what year and make of car. One younger aunt (1914) thinks the first car he bought was an Austin.”
Unfortunately, it is difficult give an accurate answer. The side view of the car gives very little information on the chassis, however what we see is very typical of Cottin Desgouttes, and I believe this could be a Cottin Desgouttes, possibly a 1912 -1913 model. There are pictures of similar cars on this web site.
Gérard Gantelet
Gérard Gantelet sent us this picture. He explains : “This family picture was taken in the 20′ and the beautiful car shown belonged to my uncle Joseph LEBRE who lived in Aix-en-Provence. Knowing that he owned a Cottin & Desgouttes, could you tell me if it could be the car in the picture.”
Indeed, this is a Sans-Secousse, 20 hp of 1928/1929 (type “O”). There is a picture of a similar car here.
A Cottin & Desgouttes poster for Bordeaux
Jean-Pierre Got, a posterist in Bordeaux, sent us this picture. He explains “I picked the 1907 Cottin-Desgouttes de 1907 for my new poster for Château Beauregard, “. Visit his site.
Famille Mamet
“1922: the year my older brother Paul, who at the time was much bigger than me, passed his drivers license examination on the Cottin Desgouttes unless it was the Peugeot convertible.” See the site: “Familles Mamet, Thibaut et familles du Nord”
Jean-Jacques Megret
Philippe Sauvestre
Philippe Sauvestre (member of the “Amicale Auto-Union France”) sent us this picture showing Father Etienne Constantin sitting in a Cottin-Desgouttes (6 seater torpedo on a 3 litre tourism chassis).
The picture could have been taken in Lot et Garonne (Villeneuve-sur-Lot or Agen ?) or possibly during a trip in Switzerland.
If you recognize the location of the picture, please send us an email.
Gérard Heurtault
Gérard Heurtault sent us this picture of his Grandfather in a Cottin Desgouttes.
He writes: “This picture was probably taken in 1927, certainly before 1929. My grandfather is in the driver’s seat, and is writing to his grandmother that he has just repaired the car. Sitting next to him is Mr. Caisson, manager of the Gerland Automobiles garage in Lyons where he worked as a mechanic. I am not exactly sure where or when the picture was taken. As for the car, the Berliet Foundation which I asked a few years ago identified it as a 1925 16HP Sports Torpedo type Grand Prix.”
Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall’s father owned a Cottin Desgouttes. The car was rebodied in 1935 and a description of it appeared in the Autocar magazine of June 14th that year. It had a 6 cylinder engine of 80 x 130 mm. The wheelbase is approximately 3450mm, track is 1475mm at the front and 1435mm at the rear. Sadly the engine was lost during the war (it probably went as scrap metal) and the car now has a Stutz straight 8 engine. A friend of Peter’s owns it in North Wales and it will soon be ready for the road again.
Thanks to Peter Marshall for his many contributions to this web site.
A Cottin Desgouttes street
A small street in a private residence in Thiais (Val de Marne).
