Ballot was a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 manufacturer who made cars between 1921 and 1932.

The Ballot brothers, Edouard and Maurice, founded their company in 1905. Before World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 they manufactured automobile and marine engines. The company was re-founded as Etablissements Ballot SA in 1910.

Edouard Ballot was well-known as a designer of reliable engines. He helped Ettore Bugatti

Ettore Bugatti

right|thumb|Ettore Bugatti in 1932Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was an Italian-born and French naturalized citizen automobile designer and manufacturer....

 in developing his first engines.
After World War I, the company entered motor racing with a straight-eight cylinder 4.9 litre car for the 1921 French Grand Prix

French Grand Prix

The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....

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

The first road car was a 2 litre tourer called Ballot 2 LS. In 1923 Ballot 2 LT and a sport version, Ballot 2 LTS followed. From 1927, eight cylinder engines were used.

In 1931 the company was taken over by Hispano-Suiza

Hispano-Suiza

Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...

. Swift decline followed: the last model was practically a Hispano-Suiza and only the chassis was provided by Ballot.
Ballot closed down in 1932.

Sporting successes

A Ballot vehicle driven by René Thomas finished second in the 1919 Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

 and second in the 1920 Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

. Ralph DePalma

Ralph DePalma

Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2000 races...

, an American national champion and winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500, finished second in the 1921 French Grand Prix

French Grand Prix

The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....

 and French driver Jules Goux

Jules Goux

Jules Goux, born Valentigney 6 April 1885 - died Valentigney 6 March 1965, was a Grand Prix motor racing champion and the first Frenchman, and the first European, to win the Indianapolis 500.-Biography:...

 finished third. Goux went on to win the inaugural Italian Grand Prix

Italian Grand Prix

The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...

 at Brescia, Italy

Brescia

Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...

driving a Ballot.

Main models

• 2LS : sports car. 4 cylinder 1944 cc, twin overhead camshaft, 4 valves per cylinder engine.
• 2LT: touring car. Single cam variant of the 2LS.
• 2LTS: variant of the 2LT, with higher tuned engine.
• RH: introduced in 1927 with 8 cylinder, single overhead cam, 2874 cc engine.
• RH3: 1929-1932. RH with 305cc engine.
• HS26: model introduced after the Hispano Suiza takeover. Also known as the Hispano Junior. 4580 cc six cylinder engine

External links

• http://vea.qc.ca/vea/marques1/ballot.htm
• Memories of the 1921 French Grand Prix relating to the Ballot racer