Motobécane and Motoconfort marketed the same machines under both names.
Late in 1926 Charles Benoit and Abel Bardin were becoming quite well known for their MB1 which was widely used by the French postal service. The 175 machine was both robust and simple, but it was the only machine they built and they wished to produce another.
The partners considered that the cost of failure if the new model failed to impress could quickly destroy the popularity acquired by the MB1.
They went ahead and built a more luxurious motorcycle with a larger engine and better equipment. This new machine was marketed under a different name - Motoconfort - the reasoning being that if it proved problematical, there would be little in the way of negative feedback on the Motobécane brand.
The "308" proved a success, but having established a second marque they stuck with it for many decades.
Motobécane Club de France writes:
A little anecdote: on advertising catalogs, Motobécanes are often photographed on the left side and Motoconforts on the right side. This is due to the fact that a single prototype was used for the production of the leaflets, with a tank bearing a different logo on each side.
Adapted from an article by Patrick Barrabes at Motobécane Club de France.
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