The Paragon and La Petite were automobiles produced by the Detroit Automobile Manufacturing Company in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

from 1905 to 1907.

History

J. P. La Vigne built his first automobile in 1898, and with his daughter Olive continued with experimental cars and other inventions until 1905 when the Detroit Automobile Manufacturing Company was set-up. The factory at 284–290 Rivard Street in Detroit first produced the La Petite which was displayed at the Detroit Automobile Show. J. P. La Vigne was unhappy with his engine manufacturer and left the company. Detroit Automobile Manufacturing change the name of the car to Paragon and produced it through 1906. The La Petite and Paragon were a small two-seat runabout weighing only 650 pounds. They were equipped with a 0.7 liter,

single-cylinder A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ( ...

5- hp engine and sold for $375, . The only difference between the two was La Petite had a 65-inch

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

and the Paragon was 68-inches. File:1905 La Petite 5hp Cycle and Auto Trade Journal.jpg, 1905 La Petite automobile from Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal File:1906 Paragon Automobile Cycle and Auto Trade Journal.jpg, 1906 Paragon Car advertisement from Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal

References

Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan Brass Era vehicles 1900s cars Cars introduced in 1905 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1905 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1907

History

See also

References