The French Connection: How de Dion Developed the V8

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The V8 engine: an all-American institution? Not quite. Pioneered by French engineers Clément Ader and Léon Levavasseur, by 1908 the V8 had been adopted by de Dion-Bouton, which patented its own design, the first with directly-opposed cylinders.

It is suggested that de Dion, which had hitherto been known for its small and relatively affordable cars, had its eyes on the nascent aviation industry and became interested in V8s for that reason. When the firm started to explore larger engines in 1906, tests revealed the considerable superiority of eight-cylinder engines over sixes.

Such big, powerful touring cars were bound to find an appreciative market among America’s social elite and, sure enough, this car, a 7772cc EF Type from 1913, was first sold to New York, where the Mayor used a V8 de Dion parade car. However, the next year it returned to France to answer the call of duty and serve as a staff-car for high-ranking army officers. In peace it was bought by Norwegian émigré and rags-to-riches fishing magnate Oscar Dahl, who lived in style and luxury in La Rochelle. Such an impressive car would undoubtedly have left a profound impression on his young nephew Roald, who had an interesting tale to tell about a de Dion in his autobiography Boy.

Few people today know that it was one of de Dion’s engines which inspired Cadillac’s V8. David Burgess-Wise champions the cause of this unsung hero in the December issue of The Automobile, available now.

Words by Zack Stiling
Photographs by Tony Baker

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