Bédélia BD2 MG

The Bedelia came about completely by accident! In 1909, two young Parisian students, Robert Bourbeau and Henri Devaux, had a crash with their motorcycle. The bike was a total write off and, since they had no money for a new one, they decided to build one themselves using their wreck and some spare parts. The result was a cross between an aircraft fuselage and a motorcycle.

In the narrow bodywork, two people can sit one behind the other, the passenger in front and the pilot behind. The vehicle was not designed for commercial reasons, but it quickly became very popular, leading to the decision to put this remarkable car into series production. In doing so, these two engineers became the pioneers of the lightweight and inexpensive ‘cyclecar’ movement in France. The unconventional car was called ‘Bédélia’, after the initial letters of the surnames of both gentlemen. The Bédélia was a greater success than the competition because the design was so simple and well thought out. Examples of the simple technology applied include the steering mechanism, which works with cables wound around a central pulley, and the transmission, which works with chains and belts. To change gear, on the first models the driver had to move the drive belt by hand onto the other pulley while driving. Later, a grooved pulley was used, giving the car an early form of variable transmission. The engine is an in-house designed V-twin. The Bédélia also proved very successful in motor racing: many victories were achieved both in France and in England. Production ended shortly after the end of the First World War, but production restarted in 1920 under a new owner. Between 1909 and 1925, about 3,000 examples of these highly unconventional vehicles were built.