Made in 'Les Pays-Bas' (Holland) (UPDATE: Créanche)

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What looks like a familiar Dion Bouton tricycle isn’t all that obvious. In September 1898 large scale cycle importer Mr B.A. Jansen from Holland drove a Dion Bouton all the way from Paris to his home town ‘s-Hertogenbosch. No, not the shortest way. But via Metz, Saarbrücken, Kreuznach, Bingen and Koln. It took him only eight days and he was so enthusiastic that after coming home he actually added these trikes to his cycle business. He widely advertised the fact that riding a horse was three times more expensive than using a motorised trike. “Not only is riding a trike much less tiring than riding a horse; it's also improving your appetite !!” The motorised age was arriving; The Horseless Age was looming. When ordering a new 1 ¾ HP Trike you could specify a genuine French made Dion Bouton or alternatively one that was manufactured by Janssen employing imported parts in which case the frames were made “in house” using “weldless” tubes and “Oury” tyres. I wonder if any of these Jansen made trikes still exists? (text & research Bas de Voogd)
UPDATE by Kees Koster: “Indeed it’s not a De Dion Bouton. The only Dion Bouton parts are the engine, carburettor and battery case. All other parts were made by Créanche. It is generally assumed that Jansen was the Dutch importer of De Dion Bouton, but being the clever businessman he was, he advertised his product using the widely known name of ‘De Dion Bouton’. Créanche was the name of tricycles made by Ph. Marot Gardon & Cie, 37 Rue Brunel Paris. The tricycle shown was made from 1899-1900.”

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