Ateliers de Construction Mecanique l'Aster

Although primarily known as an engine mass manufacturer the company also produced chassis for coach-works and a complete range of components.

Among the companies for which Aster produced engines and other parts were Ache Frères, Achilles, Argyll, Ariès, Aster-Newey, Automobiles Barré, Bolide, Belhaven,[3][4] Bij 't Vuur, Century,[5] Clément, Darracq, Dennis, Durham-Churchill,[6] Ernst, Excelsior, Gladiator, Hanzer, Hoflack, Hurtu, Korn et Latil, Lacoste & Battmann, La Torpille, Lucerna, Newey Aster, Société Parisienne, Passy-Thellier, Pearson,[7] Prunel, Rochet, Rouxel, Reyrol, Sage, Siddeley-Deasy, Simplicia, Singer,[8] Swift, Vulcan,[9] West-Aster,[10] Whippet,[11] Whitlock.

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.

Although primarily known as an engine mass manufacturer the company also produced chassis for coachworks.

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.

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.

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.

[19][20] At the 1900 'Salon de l'Auto' in Paris Aster exhibited a motor quadricycle equipped with their own 3.5 HP, single cylinder engine.

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

The 'Ateliers de Construction Mecanique l'Aster' from St. Denis (Seine) exhibited a four-cylinder chassis at the 1907 Paris Salon.

[22] 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.

[Note 1][13] In 1912 the French and English Aster factories claimed that they catered for over 130 vehicle makes.

[14] A range of Achilles cars were advertised, mostly with single-cylinder engines by Aster and De Dion.

[23] In 1904 the Argyll company of Scotland introduced a range of Aster-engined cars with a front radiator.

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.

The first models were Perfecta tricycles and quadricycles, made under licence from Léon Bollée and equipped with Aster engines.

[26] 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.

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.

[7] Noe Boyer & Cie, from Suresnes, Paris, named their 1899-1903 Automobilette after Phoebus, the Greek god who drove the sun across the heavens each day.

Wellington, achieved 38 mph at the Crystal Palace velodrome, establishing Aster-engined Phebus tricycles as fast and powerful.

For 1907 a range of two-, three- and four-cylinder models using White and Poppe engines launched.

[8] Enoch John West started building cars in Coventry, England under the name of 'The Progress Cycle co' in 1900.

[36] 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[36]) the company had failed.