Ateliers de Construction Mecanique l'Aster

thumb|Emblem

thumb|Aster motorised tricycle 1899

thumb|Aster automobile 1902

thumb|right|Aster 20HP Tonneau 1904

L'Aster, Aster, Ateliers de Construction Mecanique l'Aster, was a French manufacturer of automobiles and the leading supplier of engines to other manufacturers from the late 1890s

Aster produced a range of engines including: stationary motors; electricity generators; automobile motors; marine engines and aero engines. There were air-cooled and water cooled Gasoline motors, Kerosene motors, and Gas Motors.

Among the companies for which Aster produced engines and other parts were Ache Frères, Achilles, Argyll, Ariès, Aster-Newey, Automobiles Barré, Bolide, Belhaven, Bij 't Vuur, Century, Clément, Darracq, Dennis, Durham-Churchill, Ernst, Excelsior, Gladiator, Hanzer, Hoflack, Hurtu, Korn et Latil, Lacoste & Battmann, La Torpille, Lucerna, Newey Aster, Société Parisienne, Passy-Thellier, Pearson, Prunel, Rochet, Rouxel, Reyrol, Sage, Siddeley-Deasy, Simplicia, Singer, Swift, Vulcan,

West-Aster, Whippet, Whitlock. and Le Zèbre. By 1906 Aster was able to claim over 11,000 users of their engines.

From the mid-1900s 'Aster-Wembley' manufactured engines under license in Wembley (London) UK. In 1913 this became the 'Aster Engineering Co' which produced aircraft engines during the First World War, and then in 1922 started production of Aster cars. By 1927 it had been absorbed into Arrol Johnston. In Italy, the Aster Società Italiana Motori supplied and built both cars and engines under licence from 1906-1908.

In 1904 the Parisian newspaper Le Petit Journal stated that Aster monopolised the mass manufacture of engines in France, and had a 'universal reputation' and success shown by innumerable users. Engine id plates stated Ateliers de Construction Mécanique l'Aster. 74, Rue de la Victoire, Paris (the registered office), Usines à St Denis (Seine) (The factory).

At the 1900 'Salon de l'Auto' in Paris Aster exhibited a motor quadricycle equipped with their own 3.5 HP, single cylinder engine. The expanding range included : stationary motors; electricity generator; automobile motors and marine launch motors. There were air-cooled and water cooled Gasoline motors, Kerosene motors, and Gas Motors.

A 12 h.p. Aster was exhibited at the 1903 Crystal Palace Motor Show and a range of Aster cars was sold in Britain between 1905 and 1907.

In Italy the Aster Società Italiana Motori supplied cars and engines from 1906-1908 under licence.

Aster had manufacturing capabilities in Wembley, North London, UK which both traded and stamped the engines as Aster-Wembley. Begbie Manufacturing of Wembley was founded in 1899 by Sydney D Begbie (A.M.I.M.E.) and in the mid-1900s became British licensees of Aster, making mainly stationary engines. In 1913 they became Aster Engineering Co (1913) Ltd and during the First World War made aircraft engines. In 1922 they began producing Aster automobiles. From 1927 they were absorbed into Arrol Johnston & Aster Eng, Dumfries Scotland GB. The last Aster engines were made in 1930 by Meadows.

Sydney D Begbie (A.M.I.M.E.) worked as the 'Resident Engineer' of Aster, St. Denis, in Paris during the 1900s. He was an early cyclist, world record holder, and pioneer in the motor engineering business. He was Managing Director of the Begbie Manufacturing Co., Ltd of Wembley, which became the British licensee of Aster. Begbie also worked as Consulting Engineer to Henry Whitlock, Ltd. and The West London Motor Co. Ltd, both of whom were users of Aster engines.

Automobiles

At the 1900 'Salon de l'Auto' in Paris Aster exhibited a motor quadricycle equipped with their own 3.5 HP, single cylinder engine. Engine sizes and multi-cylinder engines were progressively developed.

| 3.5 h.p.

| Air cooled

| Type E

| 1900 Aster; 1901 Korn et Latil; 1903 Whippet; Described in New York brochure

| 3.5 h.p.

| Air cooled

| Type F

| Described in New York brochure

| 1.5 h.p.

| Air cooled

| Type H

| Described in New York brochure

| 4 h.p.

| 1904 Pearson motorcycle;

| 5 h.p.

| Single cylinder Air-cooled

| 84 x 90, 499cc

| Type J

| 1904 Century Tandem forecar;

| 12 h.p.

| Water cooled

| Stationary motor. Described in New York brochure

| 4 h.p.

| Water cooled

| Type 2 L

| Described in New York brochure

| .

| Water cooled

| 5 K.W. Electric group. Described in New York brochure

| 4 h.p.

| Single cylinder Water cooled

| 80 x 90 452cc

| Type 2 I

| without regulator, 1,000-1,500 rpm, 500 francs, Described in New York brochure Described in 1908 French brochure;

| 6.5 h.p.

| Single cylinder Water cooled

| 88 x 110 669cc

| Type 3 K

| with regulator, 1,000-1,500 rpm, 750 francs, 1904 Century Tandem forecar with 'Begbie Audin' radiator; Described in New York brochure Described in 1908 French brochure

| 8 h.p.

| Achilles;

| 9 h.p.

| Achilles; 1902 Bij 't Vuur;

| 9 h.p.

| Single cylinder Water cooled

| 105 x 120 1,039cc

| Type 4 N

| with regulator, 1,000-1,500 rpm, 900 francs, Described in New York brochure Described in 1908 French brochure

| 8/10 h.p.

| Two cylinders, twin casting Water cooled

| 88 x 120 1,460cc

| Type 21 K,

| with regulator, 1,500 francs, Described in 1908 French brochure

| 10 h.p.

| 1904 Argyll

| 10/12 h.p.

| Two cylinders, twin casting Water cooled poppet valves

| 88 x 140 1,703cc

| Type 26 K

| Automatic regulator, 1,200 rpm, 1,800 francs, 1905 Whippet; 1906 Durham-Churchill; Described in 1908 French brochure 1912 Vulcan

| 12 h.p.

| Achilles; 1902 Bij 't Vuur; 1903-1907 Aster; 1905 Whippet;

| 14 h.p.

| Two cylinders, twin casting Water cooled poppet valves

| 105 x 140 2,424cc

| Type 26 NF

| automatic regulator, 1,200 rpm, 2,200 francs, Described in 1908 French brochure

| 12-14 h.p.

| 1905 twin cylinder Whippet;

| 12-14 h.p.

| four-cylinders

| 2.4 litre

| 1906 Durham-Churchill; 1906 2.4 litre Singer;

| 12/14 h.p.

| Two cylinders, separate castings Water cooled poppet valves

| 95 x 110 1,559cc

| Type 26 LS

| 1,200 rpm, 2,650 francs, Described in 1908 French brochure - for automobiles

| 12/16 h.p. (and 16/20

Partners

thumb|Aster advert, Olympia exhibition November 1906, 1907 models, engines, magnetos, chassis

On 11 July 1904 the Parisian newspaper Le Petit Journal stated that the mass manufacture of engines was monopolised in France by Aster, the only brand specialising in manufacturing engines, and which had a 'universal reputation' and success shown by innumerable users.

In 1912 the French and English Aster factories claimed that they catered for over 130 vehicle makes.

Achilles

A range of Achilles cars were advertised, mostly with single-cylinder engines by Aster and De Dion. At least 5 different models were produced including the 8 h.p., 9 h.p. and 12 h.p.

Argyll

In 1904 the Argyll company of Scotland introduced a range of Aster-engined cars with a front radiator. One of these was a 10  h.p. of 1985 cc; others were fours of 3054 cc, 3686 cc, and 4849 cc.

In 1908, the Argyll 40 was the first model with an entirely French Aster engine. It won its class in the Scottish Reliability trials.

Ariès

The Ariès was a French automobile manufactured from 1903 to 1938. The first cars were equipped with two- and four-cylinder Aster engines. These shaft-drive cars had an unusual double rear axle.

Belhaven

Belhaven built steam and petrol-engined vehicles from 1908 at their 'Belhaven Engineering and Motors' works in Wishaw Scotland. The petrol-powered, chain driven lorries (trucks) initially used Tyler engines, then latterly Aster units.

Durham-Churchill (Hallamshire)

thumb|Advertisement from February 1905 for the Olympia Exhibition. Aster engines, chassis, gears, coils, accumulators.

Durham-Churchill of Grimesthorpe near Sheffield manufactured charabancs as 'Hallamshire Cars' from 1903 until 1917.

In 1905, they displayed a 24-seater charabanc powered by a four-cylinder 24 h.p. Aster engine. It drove the rear axle via a Champion clutch and four-speed gearbox. It was launched at the Royal Agricultural Hall Show at a cost of £600. In 1906 they also used Aster engines in their range of cars: the two-cylinder 10–12 h.p. and four-cylinder 12–14 h.p.; 20 h.p.; and 24 h.p. models. By 1908, their 26-seater charabanc was powered by a 30 h.p. Aster engine.

Gladiator

The Gladiator Cycle Company, Clément-Gladiator (from 1896), was a French manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars based in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine. In 1899 they launched a motor car with a front-mounted Aster engine, steering wheel, two-speed transmission by foot pedals and final drive by chain. By 1902 Gladiator manufactured its own four-cylinder engines.

Horley Motor & Engineering Co. Ltd

The Horley Motor & Engineering Co. Ltd, used Aster engines in their vans from 1908-1909.

Korn et Latil

The Korn et Latil was a French automobile manufactured from 1901 until 1902. It was a voiturette with a 3½ h.p. Aster engine.

Lewis

thumb|Lewis-Aster outside the Lewis Cycle and Motor Works on McHenry Street, Adelaide. 1900s

Vivian Lewis began the 'Ormonde Bicycle Depot' on Freeman Street, Adelaide in 1893. In November 1900, the Lewis Cycle and Motor Works on McHenry Street, Adelaide produced the first Lewis car. By the mid-1900s they produced the 'Lewis-Aster' but the quantity is currently unknown.

Newey-Aster

Gordon Newey manufactured three models of motorcar with Aster engines: 10/12 HP, 20/22 HP and 24/30 HP, plus trucks which could carry a 500 kg payload. Charles Metz of the Metz Company of Waltham, Massachusetts built the first US produced motorcycle. It used an Aster engine which was a copy of De Dion-Bouton's small, light, high reviving four-stroke single with battery and coil ignition.

Parsons Biplane

The Parsons biplane was built in May 1913 by J.G. Parsons and Percy Maxwell Muller as an engineering test-bed for the Parsons Pendulum Paddle-Wheel Stabilizer. The first model was initially fitted with an Aster 40 h.p. four-cylinder, inline, water-cooled, engine driving an 8 ft 2in diameter Normale propeller, but it was replaced by a Gnome engine by July 1913.

Pearson

The Pearson (motorcycle) was a British motorcycle manufactured by the Pearson brothers of Southsea, Hampshire, in 1904. It was equipped with a 4 h.p. Aster engine mounted in a 'loop and diamond' frame.

Rouxel

The Rouxel was a French automobile manufactured from 1899 until 1900. The company produced two models, including a two-speed voiturette with 2½ h.p. Aster engine.

Siddeley-Deasy

thumb|Aster-Wembley Spark plug - 1910

Siddeley-Deasy used Rover chassis and Daimler and Aster engines.

Simplicia

The Simplicia was a French automobile manufactured only in 1910. It used a 10/12 h.p. Aster engine.

Singer

Singer made their first four-wheel car in 1905. The first Singer-designed car was fitted with an Aster 4-cylinder 2.4 litre 12/14 in 1906. For 1907 a range of two-, three- and four-cylinder models using White and Poppe engines launched. The Aster engined models were dropped in 1909. but in 1903 it went bankrupt so he founded West and West-Aster which produced cars from 1904 with Aster engines, but by 1908 (or 1910

Whippet Motor and Cycle Co

The Whippet Motor and Cycle Co produced Whippet motorcycles from 1903 to 1905. Two machines were exhibited at the late-1903 Crystal Palace show, of which the forecar was fitted with a 3.25 h.p. Aster engine. It also had two-speed gearing using two chain wheels of different diameters, fitted to the rear hub and a device to shift the drive chain from one to the other, just as on a bicycle.