Felix Millet


Félix Théodore Millet, 1844-1929
Born in Ivoy-le-Pré, France
In 1887 Millet built a tricycle powered by a five cylinder radial (rotary) petrol engine built into the sprung front wheel. In 1893 he built a version with the engine in the rear wheel of a bicycle, creating the first multi-cylinder motorcycle. The cylinders rotated around a fixed axle. Electric ignition, with the spark provided by a Bunsen cell, invented in 1841. In 1897, he produced, probably in the workshop of Alexandre Darracq, financed by Hippolyte Fontaine. One of his motorcycles started in the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux race. The engine displacement was 1925 cc. Source of information here.
The front portion of Millet's remarkable 1887 petrol engine-driven tricycle (tricycle à essence Millet) is on display at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. See photos.