Ballot was a French manufacturer, initially of engines, that also made automobiles between 1919 and 1932. Ernest Ballot became well known as a designer of reliable engines. He helped Ettore Bugatti in developing his first engines.

Origins

Ernest Ballot and Julien Faivre founded their company at the Boulevard Brune in south-central Paris in 1905.Ernest Ballot's brother Albert was also involved early in the company's life. Ernest Ballot was a former naval officer, which explains the "anchor" that featured in the badges on the cars.

Before World War I the factory concentrated on marine and industrial engines, and from 1910 or 1911 they also offered automobile engines.

The company was re-founded as Etablissements Ballot SA in 1910.

Sporting successes

left|thumb|1920 Ballot 3/8 LC

There is little sign that Ernest Ballot himself took much interest in automobiles until December 1918.

thumb|1920 Ballot

More successes followed, on both sides of the Atlantic. DePalma finished second in the 1921 French Grand Prix and French driver Jules Goux finished third. Goux went on to win the inaugural Italian Grand Prix at Brescia, Italy in 1921, driving a Ballot. Second place was taken by the team leader Jean Chassagne on a sister car; a year before, in 1920 Chassagne made the fastest BARC lap of the year at Brooklands on a 4.9-litre Ballot, coming again second. A Ballot with a straight-eight-cylinder 4.9-litre engine competed in the 1921 French Grand Prix.

Road cars

thumb|Ballot 2LTS Cabriolet (1925)

As well as racing engines, the company made a range of road engines which were fitted to their own production cars.

The first of Ballot's own road cars was the 1921 2-litre Ballot 2-litre sports tourer. In 1923 the Ballot 2 LT and a sport version, Ballot 2 LTS followed.thumb|Ballot RH3 Berline (1930), [[Cité de l'Automobile, Mulhouse, France]]By the time of the 19th Paris Motor Show in October 1924, Ballot was established in the market place as a producer of expensive road going cars with spectacular performance. The 2-litre sports tourer again appeared on the manufacturer's stand at the show. The car still used a four cylinder overhead camshaft 1,994 cc engine,

References

  • Company history at RitzSite
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20040821042643/http://vea.qc.ca/vea/marques1/ballot.htm
  • Memories of the 1921 French Grand Prix relating to the Ballot racer