French car manufacturer active from 1910 to 1925. In France, it is famous for having been the first car builder in the world to produce cycle-cars; in fact, Bedelia introduced the concept itself. Cycle-cars are very small and simple vehicles, often characterized by two tandem seats. In 1909, Robert Bourbeaux and Henri Devaux, both aged 18 at the time, take a ride on their motorcycle outside the city limits, but they have an accident and destroy the bike. Consequently, they decide to build one themselves, giving free rein to their engineering talent. The final result was not a motorcycle, but rather a peculiar vehicle with an unseen 2 seats-in-tandem configuration, made even more unique by the fact that the driver was seated behind the passenger. After this model, they designed and produced other cycle-cars.
However, when Bedelia (the name includes the founders’ initials) started to manufacture more conventional vehicles, it was unable to stand the competition. The company disappeared from the market in 1925.
